Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post

MileHighGuy · February 23, 2012

Planting 33 Varieties of Heirloom Tomatoes this season.

Seeds are being ordered this week.

Here are my preliminary plans, any input would be awesome.

I'm buying 3 Cases of 400 5 Gallon Grow Bags for about $300.00 Total.

I was trying to calculate the cost of building Raised bed gardens and I couldn't justify the expense even If I built them all from pallets.

My soil is rocky, covered in weeds and slightly clay like. I may still consider amending and tilling the soil but I really feel like containers are the way to go for this first round.

My calculations.

5 Gallon Containers x 1000 = 5000 Gallons of soil

202 gallons per yard of soil so I need about 25 yards.

My local soil place will custom mix me a landscaping or planting mix to my liking for $25-$35 per yard depending on the final mix choice.

Thats about $750 plus $75 Delivery.

Let's figure $1,000 Dollars for the soil.

About $300 For the Containers

$300 For the seed varieties.

So Far, I'm liking the 5 Gallon Container Idea as it should also help conserve water.

If I can get my mix hot enough I will only be feeding with Aerated Earth Worm Compost Tea + some other simple organic nutrients. And I already have these supplies.

I have a Large workshop and lot's of indoor lights that I am going to start at least 250 of the plants indoors really early, hopefully seeds will be popping in about 2 weeks.

I'm going to build a deer fence in a huge square on my property and fill the inside with 33 rows of plants. I'll be covering the ground with Hay as a mulch to keep weeds out and also give the tomatoes something to rest on.

I have lot's of wind so I will let the plants just sprawl on the ground.

I'm in Colorado and the season is short, so getting everything started now is huge for me.

Does anyone think I'm crazy to use 5 Gallon Containers x 1000?

Any advice on my soil mix?

I've got LOT's more reading to do.

Thanks for reading!

February 23, 2012	#1
MileHighGuy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Montrose Posts: 52	1000 Plant Heirloom Container Grow Planting 33 Varieties of Heirloom Tomatoes this season. Seeds are being ordered this week. Here are my preliminary plans, any input would be awesome. I'm buying 3 Cases of 400 5 Gallon Grow Bags for about $300.00 Total. I was trying to calculate the cost of building Raised bed gardens and I couldn't justify the expense even If I built them all from pallets. My soil is rocky, covered in weeds and slightly clay like. I may still consider amending and tilling the soil but I really feel like containers are the way to go for this first round. My calculations. 5 Gallon Containers x 1000 = 5000 Gallons of soil 202 gallons per yard of soil so I need about 25 yards. My local soil place will custom mix me a landscaping or planting mix to my liking for $25-$35 per yard depending on the final mix choice. Thats about $750 plus $75 Delivery. Let's figure $1,000 Dollars for the soil. About $300 For the Containers $300 For the seed varieties. So Far, I'm liking the 5 Gallon Container Idea as it should also help conserve water. If I can get my mix hot enough I will only be feeding with Aerated Earth Worm Compost Tea + some other simple organic nutrients. And I already have these supplies. I have a Large workshop and lot's of indoor lights that I am going to start at least 250 of the plants indoors really early, hopefully seeds will be popping in about 2 weeks. I'm going to build a deer fence in a huge square on my property and fill the inside with 33 rows of plants. I'll be covering the ground with Hay as a mulch to keep weeds out and also give the tomatoes something to rest on. I have lot's of wind so I will let the plants just sprawl on the ground. I'm in Colorado and the season is short, so getting everything started now is huge for me. Does anyone think I'm crazy to use 5 Gallon Containers x 1000? Any advice on my soil mix? I've got LOT's more reading to do. Thanks for reading!