Maybe someone should tell Gurneys that we've found a substitute and will no longer be ordering their Pea Fence. They could get stuck with a pile of them next year. Or maybe not.

Rev 3.3 New EarthTainer III Guide Now Available - June 23
 

The revised Rev 3.3 EarthTainer III Construction Guide is now available at this link:

[URL]http://earthtainer.tomatofest.com/pdfs/EarthTainer-Construction-Guide.pdf[/URL]

The key addition is the option for the taller 76 inch cage from Burpee, versus the Gurney's 60 inch cage system. I've also simplified the cage mounting and removal process, as well as some other enhancements.

[IMG]http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af179/rnews/IMG_3611.jpg[/IMG]
Four rung 32" Gurney's cage foreground; Five rung 40" Burpee base cage background


[IMG]http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af179/rnews/IMG_3443.jpg[/IMG]

I recommend the Burpee cage over the Gurney's product as it is not only taller by 16 inches, but is made of a thicker gauge galvanized steel. The Gurney's cage is 9/64" while the Burpee cage is 10/64". While 1/64" may not sound like a lot, if you do the Math - - it is 11% thicker.:yes:

As most of my plants are growing even taller than the 76" cages, the increased strength of the Burpee model will be added comfort:

[IMG]http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af179/rnews/IMG_3615.jpg[/IMG]

(Goose Creek foreground; Brandywine from Croatia background)

Raybo:D

Wow, the visual has so much more impact. Makes a real difference!!

Earthbox AWS advice. Ok. It has gotten to the point where the tomatoes are drinking water fast. So, I will be adding the Earthbox AWS. What I am wondering is, do I need to buy the $50 "Two Box Starter Kit" or can I just buy one [URL="http://store.earthbox.com/Automatic-Watering-System-Expansion-Kit/productinfo/1010097/"]$15 Expansion kit[/URL] per Earthtainer.

Ray: I would definitely recommend removing Gurney's from your guide. Not only was their service in dealing with the backorder bad, they were not even interested in feedback about the poor service -- or the fact that I would not order from them again. By contrast, I ordered from Burpee's and there was a delay getting the fences shipped and when I called to ask about it they volunteered to overnight them to me.

Wow, That was EXCELLENT service by Burpee!!:yes: While I am inclined to remove the Gurney's link, there are some folks who only want a single height 30 inch cage for Peppers, or the dual height 60 inch for tomatoes - - and do not need the 76 inch capacity of the Burpee cages - - so you see my dilemma.:?!?:

For the AWS, you will need the Pressure Regulator as well as the "T" connections, tubing, etc. so the 2 unit kit would be the minimal I would purchase. As I KNOW you will be building additional 'Tainers in the coming years, why not just order the 6 unit kit for about $99.00 and be done with it.....

Raybo;)

A couple of questions about training/controlling tomatoes.

My cages use Gurney bases and a Burpee extension. So, I guess they are about 72 inches tall. It looks like some of the tomatoes will overtake the top in a few weeks if the rate of growth continues.

Do you do anything to add additional support when the tomatoes outgrow the cage?

Do you recommend removing suckers from the plants or do you recommend more or less letting them go. I have been removing most but not all of the suckers and things are getting kind of dense inside the cages.

Do I understand correctly that you only need to use the horizontally-oriented trellis netting up to the first level of the extension cage?

When you use the AWS, do you have any way of gauging the water level? I.e. if you want to make sure that everything is working right?

Thanks,

Edward

p.s. I can't believe how much water the tomatoes are sucking up at night. I am needing to refill the 'tank' every other day.

Edward,

One 4 rung Gurney's cage plus one 5 rung Burpee cage total 68 inches assembled:

[IMG]http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa322/raybo2/IMG_3806.jpg[/IMG]

Two Burpee cages (the 2 to the right): combine at 76 inches:

[IMG]http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa322/raybo2/IMG_3805.jpg[/IMG]

Right now, I take my hedge trimmer to the tops of the cage once per week, as they seem to be adding about one inch per day:

[IMG]http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa322/raybo2/IMG_3803.jpg[/IMG]

I do this to encourage fuller development of the lower stalks within the cage.

In doing a "back of the envelope" calculation, the volumetric area immediately within the cage, plus the 4 to 6 inches just outside the skeleton frame equates to approx. 40 cubic feet of supported grow space. That is plenty for even the largest Heirloom tomato plants to produce a bountiful crop. Darn if I will be getting up on a ladder and trying to pick fruit that is 10 feet off the ground.:shock:

I use the 7 inch trellis netting at rungs: 2, 3, 4, and 6. These 8 vertical channels which the netting creates will evenly spread out the stalks within the entire area of the cage.:yes:

Raybo

p.s. The AWS is the BEST garden investment I have EVER made!!! It saves me hours and hours of manual watering every week. Once you install the AWS, you will wonder why you didn't do it the first day you built your EarthTainers.

Awesome, thanks.

One more question: When you use the AWS, do you have any way of gauging the water level in the 'tainer? I.e. if you want to make sure that everything is working right? I assume that one can't have the cork float in there and the AWS.

Thanks again for your great design and advice.

Best,

Edward

Edward,

The manual Float Indicator is not useful anymore. The best thing (if you doubt it is working) is to pull the AWS valve up and out of the Filler tube all the way. The bottom 1/4" of the black plastic pressure sensor "bell" should be wet. If it is completely dry, then it may not be functioning and filling the water reservoir properly.

About once a month when the water timer is "ON", I go around to each 'Tainer and pull up the AWS valve about one inch. You should see water tricking out of the top outlet of the valve and down the Filler Tube. Then simply re-seat the AWS back into the Filler Tube and you're done! Just a simple check method to make sure the valve isn't stuck closed.:yes:

Raybo;)

Ray, these containers really do need to be made out of those rugged Rubbermaid containers, don't they? Didn't have your instructions with me, but stopped at wally world to pickup razors for my son, so I went to look at their stock of containers and it was the cheaper stuff. Will have to look elsewhere if I want to make one as those others they sell don't have the "lip" that I see in your photos and the plastic itself is harder, doesn't seem to have much flex in it.

lakelady,

Save yourself a lot of grief, and just go to Lowes and buy the 31 gallon Rugged Tote that I recommend in the Guide. They carry a Lifetime Guarantee, so spending a few more Dollars initially is well worth it. Out here in San Jose, they now cost $13.26.:yes:

Raybo

^Good to know, just got a gift-card from there and I'm planning on building one or two of these as a nice winter project.

Hi All,

I was looking into purchasing 7 sets of 2 40" Burpee cages from their site to accessorize my EarthTainers next season. I note there is a "Promotional Code" field on the site, and I'm wondering if anyone has seen various deals or promotions that would apply to these. I'm looking at a cost of around $225 for 7 sets. That's a lot of money for fencing! I'm also considering whether it would make sense to purchase an item from the store and wait and see if they follow up with a coupon, as I often see deals like that from similar sites, such as Wayfair. Any hints/tips?
Thanks,
Naysen

Burpee cage alternatives
 

I'm wondering if anyone has come up with a cheaper alternative to the Burpee cages? I tried using 3.5' x 7' remesh panels with small u-bolts for joining panels and ends. I used the same pipe idea to bend as needed to fit to the Earthtainer. It's a work in progress but seems promising.

z_willis,

If you subscribe to the Burpee e-newsletter you will get coupon codes. There was a good 20% off code that was included in the last email, but it expired Oct. 24 :(