First EarthTainers Help Please for Deep South

NewbieGrower · April 29, 2017

EarthTainer Potting mix. Home Depot here doesn't sell the pine bark fines and cannot find anywhere. Here in MS, pine lumbar big business so don't know why can't get here. Impossible to get ProMix. Would have to pay more on shipping than the mix. The local nurseries use "MetroMix" and they all have some soil and compost in them.

So I built my first four EarthTainers and filled with 5 parts Miracle-Gro Potting Mix to 2 parts Perlite. Added Espoma Garden Lime to top 4 inches and Tomato-Tone in fertilizer strip. I planted two "Sweet Million" cherry tomato plants in each. I have never had a garden so reading everything I can. I chose Sweet Million hybrid because heat and humidity tolerant (Mississippi is awful all summer) and resistant to many diseases. And cherry tomatoes fairly easy for first crop. I started from seed and planted in EarthTainer the week of Apr 11 (last frost day here). The plants are thriving, growing like on steroids. First blossoms this week. We had unusual cool spell last week and have torrential rain every 3 days or so. This week we had high winds gusting up to 60mph. My plants all cozy in cage and wind and rain didn't do any damage. Plants are almost 3 feet tall.

My biggest concern is heat and humidity all summer. Thinking I might try sunshade cloth from 10 to 2. Maybe wrap EarthTainer with bamboo shades. Water is cheap here so thinking maybe a light misting with fan. Will that help? Any suggestions for Deep South EarthTainer growing appreciated.

April 29, 2017	#1
NewbieGrower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Ridgeland, MS Posts: 68	First EarthTainers Help Please for Deep South EarthTainer Potting mix. Home Depot here doesn't sell the pine bark fines and cannot find anywhere. Here in MS, pine lumbar big business so don't know why can't get here. Impossible to get ProMix. Would have to pay more on shipping than the mix. The local nurseries use "MetroMix" and they all have some soil and compost in them. So I built my first four EarthTainers and filled with 5 parts Miracle-Gro Potting Mix to 2 parts Perlite. Added Espoma Garden Lime to top 4 inches and Tomato-Tone in fertilizer strip. I planted two "Sweet Million" cherry tomato plants in each. I have never had a garden so reading everything I can. I chose Sweet Million hybrid because heat and humidity tolerant (Mississippi is awful all summer) and resistant to many diseases. And cherry tomatoes fairly easy for first crop. I started from seed and planted in EarthTainer the week of Apr 11 (last frost day here). The plants are thriving, growing like on steroids. First blossoms this week. We had unusual cool spell last week and have torrential rain every 3 days or so. This week we had high winds gusting up to 60mph. My plants all cozy in cage and wind and rain didn't do any damage. Plants are almost 3 feet tall. My biggest concern is heat and humidity all summer. Thinking I might try sunshade cloth from 10 to 2. Maybe wrap EarthTainer with bamboo shades. Water is cheap here so thinking maybe a light misting with fan. Will that help? Any suggestions for Deep South EarthTainer growing appreciated.