The New EarthTainer III "Convertible" Guide Now Available - Page 14

ArcherB · March 18, 2012

I have two this year and plan on building at least two more next year. I hope to build at least two a year and use them to slowly replace my in ground beds as these actually make better use of space than my current set up. So far, my only experience with SWC's has been with a 5-gallon bucket and it has yet to do as well as anything in the ground. This year, my container plants are doing at least as well as my in ground, even the 5-gallon bucket SWC. It helps to plant a small plant in those. Guess I'm applying what I've learned.

I try to compensate for my lack of engineering skills by employing skill bartering. For example, the guy that lives across the street from me is a "wood shop" kinda guy. You know the type; has two of every tool you could possibly would ever want, builds his own work bench complete with peg-board and dead tool silhouettes and created his own man-cave in his garage complete with window unit AC (literally built a room inside his garage... took him about a day). This year, I fixed his computer when it was infected with a virus, installed Linux on it to prevent it from happening again and taught him how to use it, gave him several seedlings that I had started for him and printed out the EarthTainer guide (on recycled paper, of course) so he could build his own. Next year, we plan on pooling our resources and building them together. With his tools and knowledge, your instructions and my plants, we might get something accomplished. Although, he did poke fun at me when he saw me using my wife's pink hammer to do some work in the garage this evening, he still offered to loan me one with a manly colored handle to protect my manhood.

Don't get me wrong, the instructions are simple enough for guys like me to follow, but unfortunately, no amount of quality instructions can help a mouse-jockey like me saw a straight line with a jigsaw or even know which blade to use for plastic. My point is that it's guys like you and my neighbor that help guys like me complete tasks I would never dream up on my own. I guess this is a long and convoluted way of saying thanx for teaching guys like me to fish. If your daughter ever puts a virus on your based notebook, I will gladly install Linux on it for you. :-)

ArcherB · March 18, 2012

By the way, I do have some landscaping fabric and it seems to be pretty good stuff. What I have is stuff I pulled from a bed I gave up on. I started the bed a couple of years ago because I couldn't get grass to grow there. None of the shrubs I planted there grew either. However, the Bermuda was doing great through the fabric. I have figured out that this is because Bermuda grows best when you try to kill it or keep it out of a bed. I figured if it didn't stop the Bermuda, it wouldn't stand a chance against fibrous roots which is why I didn't use it. It has also been under a few inches of mulch for the past few years with Bermuda poking holes in it.

I noticed Costco has "Professional Landscaping Fabric" at bulk prices. I don't remember the cost ($30 maybe) but I believe it was about 250 feet worth. Probably not a bad deal, but I don't know if something like that would work? To me, it looked like the same stuff that the Bermuda made holy, but I didn't open the roll to take a look.

KenNashua · June 3, 2012

Just placed an order for 2 at Burpee, $28 each.

Use coupon code bsten for $10 off $50
Use coupon code FORFREE for free shipping.

Comes out to $23 each!

rnewste · June 3, 2012

Ken,

That is a fantastic deal! Thanks for posting the codes.

BTW, I once lived just down the road from the FAA Center there on Dunstable Rd. up behind the Catholic church, if you know the area.

Raybo

JamesL · June 5, 2012

Just ordered some more Burpee cages as well.
Found another code BURPEE2080 - 20% off $80 good till the end of June.

Chrissykin · June 5, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArcherB

I have two this year and plan on building at least two more next year. I hope to build at least two a year and use them to slowly replace my in ground beds as these actually make better use of space than my current set up. So far, my only experience with SWC's has been with a 5-gallon bucket and it has yet to do as well as anything in the ground. This year, my container plants are doing at least as well as my in ground, even the 5-gallon bucket SWC. It helps to plant a small plant in those. Guess I'm applying what I've learned.

I try to compensate for my lack of engineering skills by employing skill bartering. For example, the guy that lives across the street from me is a "wood shop" kinda guy. You know the type; has two of every tool you could possibly would ever want, builds his own work bench complete with peg-board and dead tool silhouettes and created his own man-cave in his garage complete with window unit AC (literally built a room inside his garage... took him about a day). This year, I fixed his computer when it was infected with a virus, installed Linux on it to prevent it from happening again and taught him how to use it, gave him several seedlings that I had started for him and printed out the EarthTainer guide (on recycled paper, of course) so he could build his own. Next year, we plan on pooling our resources and building them together. With his tools and knowledge, your instructions and my plants, we might get something accomplished. Although, he did poke fun at me when he saw me using my wife's pink hammer to do some work in the garage this evening, he still offered to loan me one with a manly colored handle to protect my manhood.

Don't get me wrong, the instructions are simple enough for guys like me to follow, but unfortunately, no amount of quality instructions can help a mouse-jockey like me saw a straight line with a jigsaw or even know which blade to use for plastic. My point is that it's guys like you and my neighbor that help guys like me complete tasks I would never dream up on my own. I guess this is a long and convoluted way of saying thanx for teaching guys like me to fish. If your daughter ever puts a virus on your based notebook, I will gladly install Linux on it for you. :-)

L

Lol about the hammer. I have the same issue. There is no way I could get my hubby to build me some earthtainers. I was fascinated by Raybos pics and really wanted some. He could if he wanted but he doesn't like to do those kinds of things. I bought Earthboxes

KenNashua · June 5, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chrissykin

L

Lol about the hammer. I have the same issue. There is no way I could get my hubby to build me some earthtainers. I was fascinated by Raybos pics and really wanted some. He could if he wanted but he doesn't like to do those kinds of things. I bought Earthboxes

Lol..I was thrilled when I ended up with an one more pepper plant than I had space for (though I found after the fact that I can probably do 4x peppers per earthtainer) that I'd have to build another one.

Having just done a bunch of cleanout and refurbishing of my first 3 ET mk 2 containers with the built-in tomato cages, I was pretty excited about the mk 3 version with the removable trellis (though seems a little pricey compared to the tomato cages).

rnewste · June 5, 2012

Ken,

While the Burpee cage system for the EarthTainer III is more expensive versus the old circular cages, you now get 20 cubic feet of grow space within the new cages, so your production per plant should be much better over the Season.

Also, the ease of clean-out and storage is priceless.....

EDIT: As mentioned in an above post, at $23.00 per EarthTainer III cage system, according to my calculation this actually comes out cheaper than the equivalent 4 Glamos cages used in the old EarthTainer II system.

Raybo

macaugardener · October 1, 2012

I've seen another set of plans called TeraHydro. Claims to grow 6 plants in 32 gal container. So is he being over-optimistic since you say EarthTainer can only do 2 plants. Any thoughts ?

rnewste · October 1, 2012

I can't speak for the TeraHydro design, but I have 5 years experience with my EarthTainer design, and from this I recommend 2 full sized tomato plants per 'Tainer maximum. In my view, it is all about the cubic area which you give the plant to grow in, on a relative basis. Yes, with certain hydroponic systems you can get higher densities but the nutrient requirements escalate accordingly.

This Season I crammed 5 Pepper plants into each EarthTainer and this was a big mistake. While lots of foliage and numerous fruit, the Peppers were small. Next Season I am going to plant only 2 Pepper plants per 'Tainer and give each of the plants room to fully develop.

Raybo

macaugardener · October 1, 2012

Thanks for clarifying. For your reference here is a link to TeraHydro box construction. He's using a 14 gallon and 6 plants!!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Ulti...HEAP/?ALLSTEPS

By the way, I see you travel to China. If you ever get to Macau, contact me and I'll show you around.

rnewste · October 2, 2012

macaugardener,

Thanks for the invite. I've not been to Macau as I spend my time in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen on business. An old acquaintance Sheldon Adelson has built a casino in Macau, so I may look him up during a future trip to China.

Regarding the planting density shown in the TeraHydro photos, these are freshly planted seedlings. What I would REALLY like to see is the density of the plants at maturity - that is the important metric. At best, 2 full sized heirloom tomato plants would do well in a container of this size - not 6.

You can build a comparable sized mini-EarthTainer using an 18 or 14 gallon Rubbermaid container by simply adjusting some of the dimensions downward from the EarthTainer 31 gallon design. Here is a link to the indoor version Guide which can be used for reference.

http://earthtainer.tomatofest.com/pd...tion-Guide.pdf

One of the advantages of the new design is that it employs a double wall construction which keeps the Grow Media protected from the direct heating rays of the Sun.

Again, there are a number of D-I-Y designs on the Internet, so you have lot's of ideas and design concepts to evaluate.

Raybo

Riceloft · October 2, 2012

Pssst.... Ray....

We miss your season updates!

rnewste · October 2, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riceloft

Pssst.... Ray....

We miss your season updates!

Sorry, but lot's of other stuff has been going on this Summer. Our Company was acquired by another in August, so there has been much turmoil, etc. I'll be posting some photos of my Fall tomato / cuke, and snow pea 'Tainers in the next week or so.

Raybo

Dewayne mater · March 27, 2013

Raybo

I think I slightly cracked the tub on one of my oldest earthtainers when moving it into the garage to protect the plants from a late spring freeze. It already has one foot tall plants growing in it, so I don't want to disturb those plants if possible. Have you ever repaired a base/tub to fix a water leak? If so, what worked? I was thinking I'd look for an epoxy of some sort that I could apply to the outside to work as a barrier, then perhaps duct taping over that. I would imagine some epoxy's would work on that type of plastic, but, on the other hand, I have concern about the water reservoir always have epoxy leaching into the plants' water source. I would rather like to avoid unintentionally exposing the plants and mostly the fruit to toxic materials.

My other thought was to build another one, get it up and going and try to transfer the plants. That would take at least a week because of the grow medium needing time with the lime before planting. Still, I could refill the leaking tainer frequently in the mean time. I suppose I'm asking if there is a lazy and safe solution here? Any thoughts? Thanks.

Dewayne Mater.

June 3, 2012	#198
KenNashua Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 18	Good deal on pea fences Just placed an order for 2 at Burpee, $28 each. Use coupon code bsten for $10 off $50 Use coupon code FORFREE for free shipping. Comes out to $23 each!

June 5, 2012	#203
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	Ken, While the Burpee cage system for the EarthTainer III is more expensive versus the old circular cages, you now get 20 cubic feet of grow space within the new cages, so your production per plant should be much better over the Season. Also, the ease of clean-out and storage is priceless..... EDIT: As mentioned in an above post, at $23.00 per EarthTainer III cage system, according to my calculation this actually comes out cheaper than the equivalent 4 Glamos cages used in the old EarthTainer II system. Raybo Last edited by rnewste; June 5, 2012 at 09:29 PM.

March 18, 2012	#196
ArcherB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Austin TX Posts: 200	I have two this year and plan on building at least two more next year. I hope to build at least two a year and use them to slowly replace my in ground beds as these actually make better use of space than my current set up. So far, my only experience with SWC's has been with a 5-gallon bucket and it has yet to do as well as anything in the ground. This year, my container plants are doing at least as well as my in ground, even the 5-gallon bucket SWC. It helps to plant a small plant in those. Guess I'm applying what I've learned. I try to compensate for my lack of engineering skills by employing skill bartering. For example, the guy that lives across the street from me is a "wood shop" kinda guy. You know the type; has two of every tool you could possibly would ever want, builds his own work bench complete with peg-board and dead tool silhouettes and created his own man-cave in his garage complete with window unit AC (literally built a room inside his garage... took him about a day). This year, I fixed his computer when it was infected with a virus, installed Linux on it to prevent it from happening again and taught him how to use it, gave him several seedlings that I had started for him and printed out the EarthTainer guide (on recycled paper, of course) so he could build his own. Next year, we plan on pooling our resources and building them together. With his tools and knowledge, your instructions and my plants, we might get something accomplished. Although, he did poke fun at me when he saw me using my wife's pink hammer to do some work in the garage this evening, he still offered to loan me one with a manly colored handle to protect my manhood. Don't get me wrong, the instructions are simple enough for guys like me to follow, but unfortunately, no amount of quality instructions can help a mouse-jockey like me saw a straight line with a jigsaw or even know which blade to use for plastic. My point is that it's guys like you and my neighbor that help guys like me complete tasks I would never dream up on my own. I guess this is a long and convoluted way of saying thanx for teaching guys like me to fish. If your daughter ever puts a virus on your based notebook, I will gladly install Linux on it for you. :-)

March 18, 2012	#197
ArcherB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Austin TX Posts: 200	By the way, I do have some landscaping fabric and it seems to be pretty good stuff. What I have is stuff I pulled from a bed I gave up on. I started the bed a couple of years ago because I couldn't get grass to grow there. None of the shrubs I planted there grew either. However, the Bermuda was doing great through the fabric. I have figured out that this is because Bermuda grows best when you try to kill it or keep it out of a bed. I figured if it didn't stop the Bermuda, it wouldn't stand a chance against fibrous roots which is why I didn't use it. It has also been under a few inches of mulch for the past few years with Bermuda poking holes in it. I noticed Costco has "Professional Landscaping Fabric" at bulk prices. I don't remember the cost ($30 maybe) but I believe it was about 250 feet worth. Probably not a bad deal, but I don't know if something like that would work? To me, it looked like the same stuff that the Bermuda made holy, but I didn't open the roll to take a look.

June 3, 2012	#199
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	Ken, That is a fantastic deal! Thanks for posting the codes. BTW, I once lived just down the road from the FAA Center there on Dunstable Rd. up behind the Catholic church, if you know the area. Raybo

June 5, 2012	#200
JamesL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 1,992	Just ordered some more Burpee cages as well. Found another code BURPEE2080 - 20% off $80 good till the end of June.

October 1, 2012	#204
macaugardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Macau-Zone 10 Posts: 11	I've seen another set of plans called TeraHydro. Claims to grow 6 plants in 32 gal container. So is he being over-optimistic since you say EarthTainer can only do 2 plants. Any thoughts ?

October 1, 2012	#205
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	I can't speak for the TeraHydro design, but I have 5 years experience with my EarthTainer design, and from this I recommend 2 full sized tomato plants per 'Tainer maximum. In my view, it is all about the cubic area which you give the plant to grow in, on a relative basis. Yes, with certain hydroponic systems you can get higher densities but the nutrient requirements escalate accordingly. This Season I crammed 5 Pepper plants into each EarthTainer and this was a big mistake. While lots of foliage and numerous fruit, the Peppers were small. Next Season I am going to plant only 2 Pepper plants per 'Tainer and give each of the plants room to fully develop. Raybo

October 1, 2012	#206
macaugardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Macau-Zone 10 Posts: 11	Thanks for clarifying. For your reference here is a link to TeraHydro box construction. He's using a 14 gallon and 6 plants!! http://www.instructables.com/id/Ulti...HEAP/?ALLSTEPS By the way, I see you travel to China. If you ever get to Macau, contact me and I'll show you around.

October 2, 2012	#207
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	macaugardener, Thanks for the invite. I've not been to Macau as I spend my time in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen on business. An old acquaintance Sheldon Adelson has built a casino in Macau, so I may look him up during a future trip to China. Regarding the planting density shown in the TeraHydro photos, these are freshly planted seedlings. What I would REALLY like to see is the density of the plants at maturity - that is the important metric. At best, 2 full sized heirloom tomato plants would do well in a container of this size - not 6. You can build a comparable sized mini-EarthTainer using an 18 or 14 gallon Rubbermaid container by simply adjusting some of the dimensions downward from the EarthTainer 31 gallon design. Here is a link to the indoor version Guide which can be used for reference. http://earthtainer.tomatofest.com/pd...tion-Guide.pdf One of the advantages of the new design is that it employs a double wall construction which keeps the Grow Media protected from the direct heating rays of the Sun. Again, there are a number of D-I-Y designs on the Internet, so you have lot's of ideas and design concepts to evaluate. Raybo

October 2, 2012	#208
Riceloft Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Parma, Ohio (6a) Posts: 299	Pssst.... Ray.... We miss your season updates!

March 27, 2013	#210
Dewayne mater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 1,212	Raybo I think I slightly cracked the tub on one of my oldest earthtainers when moving it into the garage to protect the plants from a late spring freeze. It already has one foot tall plants growing in it, so I don't want to disturb those plants if possible. Have you ever repaired a base/tub to fix a water leak? If so, what worked? I was thinking I'd look for an epoxy of some sort that I could apply to the outside to work as a barrier, then perhaps duct taping over that. I would imagine some epoxy's would work on that type of plastic, but, on the other hand, I have concern about the water reservoir always have epoxy leaching into the plants' water source. I would rather like to avoid unintentionally exposing the plants and mostly the fruit to toxic materials. My other thought was to build another one, get it up and going and try to transfer the plants. That would take at least a week because of the grow medium needing time with the lime before planting. Still, I could refill the leaking tainer frequently in the mean time. I suppose I'm asking if there is a lazy and safe solution here? Any thoughts? Thanks. Dewayne Mater.