Basic question about a self watering container

[TomatoDon]

I always enjoy Raybo's posts and his enthusiasm and expertise with SWC. I know he and others here have experimented a lot with containers and have found what works and why, and what doesn't work and why. So, my question.

I know the wicking sytem of the SWC requires an additional "tote" that provides the bottom section for the wicking system. What is the reason why more people don't just use one tote, drill drainage holes a few inches up, fill with potting mix, and let that me it? Seems to me the water will naturally wick upwards doing it this way also without the elaborate wicking system with the basket, having to (buy and) cut an extra tote, and so on.

I also wondered why no one seems to like to use the really large containers, such as the large ceramic (or molded plastic) pots that look to be 20+ gallons and sit in the watering saucer. This method has been used for ages and obviously works. I can understand why the smaller containers wouldn't be suitable for growing vegetables, but I never understood why more people don't use the very large ones for tomatoes, etc.

Countless nurseries use the standard black plastic containers with drainage holes in the bottom and water as needed. As long as you water consistently, wouldn't that work as well as a SWC?

Just curious why these things are done as the are. Would be interested in any insight why certain things are used and other methods are not used by serious tomato container gardeners.

DS

[danwigz]

I think one reason is to save water. In the methods you described, you'd be losing a lot of water to run off/seeping through. A SWC is basically a closed loop, so the water loss is much less than the traditional methods you described.

Dan

[TomatoDon]

I had heard that the container would stay too soggy without the wicking tray and reservoir system. Not sure I fully understand why.

There's something about buying an extra container just to cut it up and use only the bottom part for the wicking tray that seems too wasteful for me. Seems to me an inexpensive sheet of plywood, cut to size, would serve the same purpose, and less expensively.

I just want to learn more of the reasons behind the methods so I'll understand the whole system better.

Thanks for the relpy.

DS

[saltmarsh]

Hi Don, I only started using SWC last year. The container in the picture is 30 gallons with a 6 gallon water reservoir. Last summer with 2 tomatoes per box (better boy) they were using 4 gallons of water per day. If you want to stop by sometime, let me know. Claud

[John3]

I am no expert on this but from what I remember about this

I know the wicking sytem of the SWC requires an additional "tote" that provides the bottom section for the wicking system. What is the reason why more people don't just use one tote, drill drainage holes a few inches up, fill with potting mix, and let that me it? Seems to me the water will naturally wick upwards doing it this way also without the elaborate wicking system with the basket, having to (buy and) cut an extra tote, and so on.

is for aeration. Not sure if it's aeration for the water or the roots.

[Chucker]

Originally Posted by TomatoDon

There's something about buying an extra container just to cut it up and use only the bottom part for the wicking tray that seems too wasteful for me. Seems to me an inexpensive sheet of plywood, cut to size, would serve the same purpose, and less expensively.

I thought about plywood last year, but figured it would rot quickly, so I went with eggcrate on top of pvc pipes (and nylon window screen on top) - worked well for my situation, but it may be more expensive than just buying an extra container. But I'm sure with some more imagination, there are probably many options that would work.

http://tomatoville.com/showpost.php?...5&postcount=26

Also, in the EarthTainer, I think one of the important aspects of the second container inside is that it gives you something to mount the cages to. If you use some other sort of "floor", you will need to come up with a different way to mount the cages.

[TomatoDon]

That looks really nice Chuck. Where did you find the egg crate? I like the way you did the PVC pipe also.

Saltmarsh, (who I just learned recently is my neighbor only a few minutes away) said his two Better Boys used four gallons of water a day. That would take a mighty large reservoir unless it's filled every day. If you have to do that, why would it not be better to just water everyday, or run an automated drip line with a timer? Run a main line down the edge of a row of containers and then use spaghetti tubing with no emitters? I would think a few minutes of that every night would replinish the water requirements.

With each post I read here I learn something.

DS

[Chucker]

You can find the eggcrate in the fluorescent lighting section of your local big-box hardware store. (or in the ceiling tile section, can't remember)

[rnewste]

Don,

To be sure, throwing away the upper half of the second tote may sound wasteful, but as was pointed out, the second tote's base serves as an anchor for the cage system, as well as provide aeration to the root system. Yes, there are less expensive ways to make an alternative aeration bench, but at $9.97 for the totes, what is your time and alternate material costs worth to not use the second tote?

Chucker, what was the cost of all that PVC, eggcrate, etc. and how many man-hours did it take to fashion this? How did you finally come up with a cage system mount? Was all this really worth it to save $9.97?

One person on another Forum came up with the idea of taking the unused top portion, cutting the top 1 inch off all the way around where the handles are, and using it as a "sleeve" inside the container to add strength and a layer of insulation. An alternate to that is to use it as an external "girdle" slipped on the outside of the EarthTainer which adds a layer of UV protection as well as keeping the roots cooler in the Summer. This way, virtually no waste.

Raybo

[bughunter99]

Originally Posted by TomatoDon

I had heard that the container would stay too soggy without the wicking tray and reservoir system. Not sure I fully understand why.

There's something about buying an extra container just to cut it up and use only the bottom part for the wicking tray that seems too wasteful for me. Seems to me an inexpensive sheet of plywood, cut to size, would serve the same purpose, and less expensively.

I just want to learn more of the reasons behind the methods so I'll understand the whole system better.

Thanks for the relpy.

DS

Don you can do it without cutting up a second container. I made mine by making the platform from the lid cut out and then putting plywood legs on it. The legs held up all season, thru the winter and I'm using them again this year. Here's my blog link that tells how I diverted from the usual directions.
http://gardenmutiny.blogspot.com/200...container.html

Stacy

[Chucker]

Originally Posted by rnewste

Chucker, what was the cost of all that PVC, eggcrate, etc. and how many man-hours did it take to fashion this? How did you finally come up with a cage system mount? Was all this really worth it to save $9.97?

Raybo -

I really can't remember the cost, but I think one panel of eggcrate is probably $9.97, so no, there wasn't any savings for me. I was just determined to take your ideas and make them work in a plywood box - which I'm not sure I'd do again due to the amount of time and labor involved . But hopefully I can get a number of years out of these.

For the cages, I bought some angle iron with holes and mounted it to the top of the wood. Then I anchored them with cable clips and some really strong zip-ties.

Here's some pics (sorry, these are still in my shed and not very photogenic at this point) :

[rnewste]

Chucker,

Glad to see you experimenting with the Pond Liner, and the metal brackets to support the cage system in a custom wood box, but I know someone who wanted to do the same thing to make it look "nice" and he ended up just building the EarthTainers in the standard 31 gallon totes, then making an attractive 3-sided lattice fence, about 2 ft. tall to go around the exposed 3 sides of the 'Tainer.

A heck of a lot less time consuming, and with his folding hinge approach, they could be stored flat on a shelf in the Winter.

Raybo

[Chucker]

Originally Posted by rnewste

Chucker,

Glad to see you experimenting with the Pond Liner, and the metal brackets to support the cage system in a custom wood box, but I know someone who wanted to do the same thing to make it look "nice" and he ended up just building the EarthTainers in the standard 31 gallon totes, then making an attractive 3-sided lattice fence, about 2 ft. tall to go around the exposed 3 sides of 'Tainer.

A heck of a lot less time consuming, and with his folding hinge approach, they could be stored flat on a shelf in the Winter.

Raybo

Lattice fence is a great idea - now you tell me .

Well, it was a fun project anyway, and a good excuse to get the power tools out.

[TomatoDon]

If your going to do all that, buying two containers and cutting one to fabricate the wicking tray and then finding ways to use the rest of it by nesting it back in the main container, then why not just set one container inside the other to start with? Use the bottom of the second container that nests inside the first one, add the wicking basket, and let the bottom container be the reservoir. You could have a much larger reservoir that way, the strength of the whole thing would practically be doubled, and you could use all 31 gallons in the top container for the soil mix. Seems to me you'd have less fabricating, more strength, more water capacity, and more soil capicity.

I'm sure this has been tried and wonder why it's not the preferred way. The only thing I can think of is the appearance might not be as nice as the original method.

Hope to hear some input. Still getting familiar with the whole operation.

DS