Earthtainer questions for Ray or others

[heirloomdaddy]

I am extremely impressed with the results that these bring.

I have 2 questions however:

First, I thought that tomatoes/most plants don't like 'wet feet'? Doesn't the fact that the roots are constantly saturated hinder their development/health?

Also, I would like to try some of these on top of my garage (best sunlight)

Roughly how much does a filled earthtainer w/ a couple of plants weigh??

Thanks!

[rnewste]

Hey down there in LA Land, 106 degrees up here in San Jose today!!

If you notice in the Construction Guide, I recommend a Combo Mix of Potting Mix, Decorative Groundcover Bark, and Perlite all mixed together in a 3:2:1 ratio. This keeps the plants moist - not wet.

Regarding hauling these up to a roof, I would rent a fork-lift to hoist them up there, as each one weighs in at about 140 pounds when loaded.

Better to try to find a more accessible place to put them. I helped a friend build these as he lives in a Condo and this was his only available sunlit space:



Raybo

[tam91]

Take the containers up on the roof, and then fill them?

Would you tell me why that mix? Isn't it pretty expensive buying the potting mix? Or is there a way to get it in bulk...

I'm probably doing everything wrong (equal amounts of topsoil, composted horse manure, and peat) and not self-watering, but fairly cheap and seems to work.

I was actually eyeing my roof - it gets more sun than anywhere else - but dang, it does have a slant...

[heirloomdaddy]

Well, my situation is this. I have about 100 sq. ft. of usable garden space. The house is rented and I can't go around pulling-up any of the landscaping. The areas with concrete aren't ideal as they only get about 3-4 hours of sunlight per day. The reason I was thinking about my house/garage roof is they are the only spots that truly get 'full' sun, and they are flat.

I was considering filling/watering once they are in their rooftop homes. That being said, the roofs have terra cotta shingles, which probably aren't going to like 140+ lbs spread over only a few sq. feet.....maybe I could lay a big piece of plywood underneath each earthtainer?

The reason I love the idea of an earthtainer is it's self-contained nature, relative isolation of soil-borne pathogens, and most importantly, an even water supply without the enormous watering bill. Here in so cal we are only supposed to water 2x per week.

Thanks for the guidance,
Matt

[rnewste]

tam,

The EarthTainer holds about 3.3 cubic feet of Mix. Sta-Green runs about $3.75 per cu. ft. The Bark is $2.00 per cu. ft. and the Perlite is about $5.50 per cu. ft. So using the 3:2:1 Combo Mix comes out to about $12.75 per 'Tainer, if I've done the Math right. Figuring about 4 to 5 years of useful life, and about $4.00 per year of new Combo Mix to top off the amount pulled with the old root-balls, I don't think this is really too expensive, given that as in the photo above, my friend said of now growing his own fresh vegetables: "PRICELESS!"

Matt, I would be very careful with attempting to put EarthTainers on a terra-cotta tile roof as I am sure your Landlord would have a major issue. As a last resort, you could find some low light Russian variety tomato plants that might do OK with 3 to 4 hours of sunshine that you have.

Raybo

[TomatoDon]

Might as well call it like it is. I can't imagine under any circumstance that anyone should have container grown tomatoes on someone else's roof top. Let's see ten containers in a 100 sq ft times 140 pounds equals....ah....1,400 pounds. Plus how will you get back and forth to water them -- forklift? Who gets sued if you fall? You or him?

I'm just going to take a wild guess here. If it's against the rules for you to alter the ground landscaping on rental property then I'm guessing his blood pressure will set a new record if he catches you farming on his terra-cotta tile roof top.

Don
<Edit> Ray in another thread we have a Lake-Tainer. Nix the Roof-Tainer.

[heirloomdaddy]

I agree with you guys....this is why I asked how much they weigh That is too much weight to put on the roof, and I will not be proceeding with the idea. I don't think the terra cotta would be forgiving of more than 15-20 pounds on each tile.

[rnewste]

Matt,

Think like "The Square Foot Gardener". You have got to have a few locations where you get adequate sunshine for tomatoes. I have several EarthTainers on a deck that only gets 50% Sun due to the overhead lattice, and I still get excellent productivity.

Raybo

[tam91]

Ah, I see Raybo, you use the same mix from year to year. That would cut the cost down a lot.

Mine is quite a bit cheaper I believe, but I dump it out each year and sterilize the containers and get new mix the next year. So maybe it comes out closer in price in the end.

I wonder if yours performs better than mine - I seem to be doing ok with this mix, but who knows...

[rnewste]

Tam,

I am able to reuse the Combo Mix for a few Seasons, as it is a "soiless" mix to begin with. Yes, the Peat will break down over time, as will the Bark Fines. The Perlite is a fired volcanic glass material so it should last a long time.

When re-charging the Mix for Season #2 and beyond, I use a higher ratio of Bark Fines to counterbalance the annual decay of the Peat and Bark from the prior year. A 3:3:1 ratio for the new cubic foot added each year seems to bring everything back into harmony.

If I ever experience any soilborne disease, of course I would dump the entire contents and start with 100% new Combo Mix - - but to date, no problems in this area.

Raybo

[TomatoDon]

Tam do you pile it up and let it sit out a year and then re-use it? Or do you use it on your flowers or have some other use for it? I would think you could have a compost bin and dump it in there and re-use it.

[tam91]

I have the tomatoes roughly on one side of the garden, and the beans etc. on the other.

So I dump the tomato soil out, and it gets tilled in and used for the beans etc. the next year. And the tomatoes move to the other side.

So I basically use it once for tomatoes, then just incorporate it into the garden.

[dice]

Roof tiles are heavy, and one normally has to have the roof
structure checked by an engineer to make sure it will take
the weight before using them. So the roof's supporting
structure is probably quite sturdy if it already has tiles.

But replacement terra cotta roof tiles are not cheap (compared
to 3-tab, wood shakes, etc) if you knock any off there. Goodbye
damage deposit, etc. And it might be very near the limit of the
weight that it can take already, just from the tiles.

Would setting them outside on top of a bar help? Or would that
not be enough elevation to make a difference? Maybe park
an old bus or RV or flatbed in the backyard? Or have somebody
dump several yards of shredded tree branches back there and
put them on top?

[TomatoDon]

Hi Dice. I was a bit confused. Did you mean to use contaniers on top of the bus and/or camper, or in front, at ground level like landscaping? Tractor tires also make unique and eye-catching planters, and the new John Deere 4 plys are quite sturdy and last indefinitely. That, and a couple of pink flamingos, should be quite a head-turning addition to any yard.

[dice]

Originally Posted by TomatoDon

Did you mean to use contaniers on top of the bus and/or camper, or in front, at ground level like landscaping?

On top, to get the elevation. His back yard might not be all
that visible from the street. I have seen people giving away
bars (the portable kind that you haul into a rec room or
whatever) on Craig's List before, hence my question about
that. That would get them up in the air 4 feet or so.

One could build the support structure for a house on stilts
back there, and then just put a 3/4" plywood platform on it
and skip the house. Setting the posts securely is probably
the hard part. After that support beams on the ends, joists
across the top of them, a layer of thick plywood, and one
has a raised platform to grow on. (I would put it together with
nuts-and-bolts, so that I could take it apart and take it with
me when/if I move.)