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duckfan · July 10, 2010

I'm new to SWC's. I've grown tomatoes in containers before but the results were always less than inspiring. I stumbled upon Ray's Earthtainer System while websurfing last winter. I like to experiment and it looked like it might work so I gathered up enough materials for four of them. I built them as the weather grew warmer. My biggest problem was finding the Rubbermaid containers at a reasonable price. Lowes doesn't sell them on the East Coast but I scored a few that were very similar to Ray's recommended tote for $17ea. at a local store. It looks like I'll have to use Sterilite next year. The cages were also a problem but I used a different support system so I didn't need the super heavy duty ones Ray recommended.(the extra height would have been nice though)
I live near the Atlantic Coast and although it keeps me warmer in the winter, it slows down the warming in the Spring. I rarely plant tomatoes before Mother's Day. This year I didn't do it until May 22. All I can say is WOW! My plants have been in the ground for 6 1/2 weeks, they're all over 5 feet tall and they're loaded with tomatoes. For the sake of comparison, my 'in the ground' tomatoes are very healthy plants but they're only about 3 feet tall and have half as many tomatoes. Anyone who sees my plants is amazed at their size and their vigor. How much can you possibly fine tune this system? It seems perfect to me. I'm still stunned at the difference.
I used a cheapo potting mix from Home Depot mixed with Perlite, lime and standard 5-10-5 garden fertilizer. I'm afraid to think what might have happened if I used a tomato specific fertilizer. The plants would be devouring my house.

The point of this post in intended for those who are researching the idea of using SWC's. I've been growing tomatoes for close to 40 years and I can tell you for a fact that they work. They work better than anything else you've ever tried, save an incredible amount of water and after they're built, there's very little work for you to do. Just water the containers and eat the tomatoes. I think I'll try cukes on a trellis next year, maybe some pole beans.

Thanks Ray. You're a genius.

July 10, 2010	#107
duckfan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Long Island formerly zone 6 Posts: 61	I'm new to SWC's. I've grown tomatoes in containers before but the results were always less than inspiring. I stumbled upon Ray's Earthtainer System while websurfing last winter. I like to experiment and it looked like it might work so I gathered up enough materials for four of them. I built them as the weather grew warmer. My biggest problem was finding the Rubbermaid containers at a reasonable price. Lowes doesn't sell them on the East Coast but I scored a few that were very similar to Ray's recommended tote for $17ea. at a local store. It looks like I'll have to use Sterilite next year. The cages were also a problem but I used a different support system so I didn't need the super heavy duty ones Ray recommended.(the extra height would have been nice though) I live near the Atlantic Coast and although it keeps me warmer in the winter, it slows down the warming in the Spring. I rarely plant tomatoes before Mother's Day. This year I didn't do it until May 22. All I can say is WOW! My plants have been in the ground for 6 1/2 weeks, they're all over 5 feet tall and they're loaded with tomatoes. For the sake of comparison, my 'in the ground' tomatoes are very healthy plants but they're only about 3 feet tall and have half as many tomatoes. Anyone who sees my plants is amazed at their size and their vigor. How much can you possibly fine tune this system? It seems perfect to me. I'm still stunned at the difference. I used a cheapo potting mix from Home Depot mixed with Perlite, lime and standard 5-10-5 garden fertilizer. I'm afraid to think what might have happened if I used a tomato specific fertilizer. The plants would be devouring my house. The point of this post in intended for those who are researching the idea of using SWC's. I've been growing tomatoes for close to 40 years and I can tell you for a fact that they work. They work better than anything else you've ever tried, save an incredible amount of water and after they're built, there's very little work for you to do. Just water the containers and eat the tomatoes. I think I'll try cukes on a trellis next year, maybe some pole beans. Thanks Ray. You're a genius.