My First Time Growing Dwarfs...Outdoors

[z_willus_d]

My first experience with Raybo's Tainer system was this past Fall/Winter when I built six of his InnTainers and loaded each up two New Dwarfs per. You can read all about that saga in several other threads. Around a month ago I exported the InnTainers outdoors. On one rack of three, I cut down the vines to 8" stubs and waited to see what might come back in the warm Spring outdoor weather. I also planted several corn seeds in the front half of the Tainers. (You can see the current result of that in the second set of pics below). I've been harvesting some pretty gnarly tomatoes from the vines in the second set of three Tainers. Well, today I ripped out that second set of vines, sacrificing some dozen or so extra gnarly, likely to rot, immature green tomatoes.

As it turns out, I had six handsome Dwarf seedlings that Marla, Heritage Steve's sister, generously gave me a couple weeks back. I was expecting the planting to be a simple matter, but it turned out to take 2-3 hours. It became clear that I'd need to remove all the old grow media and excise the roots that had riddled the InnTainer. That wasn't easy. I pretty much used the same stuff going back in after adding more perlite, garden lime, and some crab shells. I was surprised to see how many worms had taken up residence in my InnTainers from just a few handfuls of home-fresh worm castings tossed in the mix last Fall. I'm undecided as to whether they are good squaters to have or not, as they do produce a lot of leachate, and perhaps that can lead to harmful anaerobic bacteria in the SWC environment. Has anyone else introduced worms into their SWCs? What are your thoughts on the matter?

I decided to top-mulch with some of the same small decorative bark that I had added to the mix originally. pH measured a bit low around 6.0, but I'm hoping the garden lime will help with that. Well that's about it. My thanks to Marla and Steve for the plants. I hope they do well here in my outdoor InnTainer systems. BTW, left to right I have 2x Yukon Quest, 2x Iditarod, and 2x Perth's Pride.

-naysen

[Mlm1]

Naysen, that look beautiful. Those have got to be some happy plants.

I did add worms to all of my pots last year and when I cleaned them in the fall it was like I had a bunch of miniature worm farms. All of the pots had dozens of worms. I haven't quite figured out the tainers but I am guessing they are a more closed system than pots so maybe it is different but it seems like the worms would be a benefit.

Looks like a beautiful day here today so hopefully I get the last of my plants in the ground. If I get a chance I will post a picture of the garden.

Marla

[z_willus_d]

Hi Marla, miniature worm farms indeed -- my thought exactly. There were so many in the Tainers that I was readily relocating them to my main raised beds where I believe I could use more worms; yet still plenty remain in the SWCs.

Yes, the weather has been spectacular this weekend save for the onslaught of some pretty heavy winds here. I put a good number of skinny bamboo stakes to the test yesterday. I noticed many of the larger leaves on my healthy growing plants (not shown in this thread) were fringed damaged around the edges, and I believe this was a result of getting batted around by the violent winds. Hopefully today lets up some.

Best of luck in the garden, and please do post pics.
-naysen

[rnewste]

Naysen,

If you are going to leave your InnTainers outside for the Summer, I would wrap the lower 2 feet of the rack in a strip of bamboo or rattan to protect the Rubbermaids from UV destruction.

Alternatively, I would spray all of the exposed sides and lid rims with 303 Aerospace Protectant.



"SPF 40 for your Stuff" as they claim on the label.

The bamboo curtain "skirt" is a less expensive solution.

Raybo

[kurt]

For all the growers out ther be careful with bamboo poles.I you can use the treated ones.I bought some ten years ago.Got some grey mold about a year after then again for about 3 more years, found out not treating them with bleach each year carried the mold each season.After treating them never had problem again.I usually bleach and coat with linseed oil each year.Also the bottom 1 foot I dipped into a can of liquid rubberized roof cement since they start to decompose and rot.

[z_willus_d]

Ray, thanks for the suggestions caution. I've also got a load of the thinner walled PVC setting unprotected in my beds. I need to cover up with mulch for that same reason. Do you know if the same UV damage applies to the Lowes 31-gallon Rugged Tote containers, or are they designed to withstand UV better than the other? I've had a number of these containers setting out since Winter, mostly gathering rain-water. I've been lazy in getting to the EarthTainer construction I had intended.
--naysen

[z_willus_d]

Kurt, I've have a number of rather heinous looking bamboo stakes I've been using to hold up my vines. Now that I think of it, they looked, more than a bit moldy and decrepit. I haven't seen any transference to the vines yet, but suspect I certainly would by now were I in Florida. I try and do better next year, maybe with some metal or synthetic stakes.

Thanks,
Naysen

[z_willus_d]

I ended up wrapping the InnTainers with some left-over cotton (softish) landscaping fabric. I pinned it down on the top and used large stones to weight down the bottom. I'm still curious if the larger RuggedTote EarthTainers are as susceptible to solar degradation.

-naysen

[rnewste]

Naysen,

The main reason I switched recommendation of the Centrex over the Rubbermaid is the fact that the RuggedTote is claimed to resist cracking and is weather resistant - meaning it is OK for outdoor use:



Also, the fact that it carries a Lifetime Warranty is of great comfort. Will any plastic based material last in the Sun forever - - of course not. The Rubermaid for reference, comes with only a one year Warranty. What does that tell you?

In any event, spraying the exposed surfaces with 303 Aerospace Protectant is a good thing to do, regardless of the Lifetime Warranty on the RuggedTotes.

Raybo

[z_willus_d]

Ray, I feel like I've seen your above response to my question elsewhere before (probably in your construction manual), so I don't know why I failed to register it. In any case, thanks for pinning down the concept -- we sometimes need repetition.

I just did a search on Amazon for the protectant, and the price on some of the available options seems reasonable. I'll probably grab some for added protection.

Thanks again.
-naysen

BTW, I saw that pic of you and the 5-lb sweet success. That was a hilarious picture. You should blow it up and frame it for the office.

[kurt]

http://www.dynalabcorp.com/technical...lyethylene.asp If you can track down the actual type of plastic in a particular manufacturer product you have the sites that contain MSDS(material saftey data sheets)for that exact product.The one listed here (above)is for the rubbermaid product.There is a MSDS for each product out there if you want to look,that includes all your garden chemicals,ferts,etc.Sometime it is scary.

[kurt]

http://www.ehso.com/msds.php#H This is where I go to get info.

[z_willus_d]

Ok. Thanks Kurt. I'm not sure I want to go there to be honest. I looks like a whole other dimension of concern that makes me want to stick my head below surface. In any case, I've purchased a gallon of the 303 protectant and a new sprayer to replace my current that will be devoted to this product. I'm hopeful it will sufficiently extend the life of my Tainers.
-naysen

[rnewste]

Naysen,

You will find lots of uses for the 303 Aerospace Protectant - other than for the EarthTainers. For me, it lasts far longer than Armor-All on my car tires, dashboard, etc. For RVs, fiberglass boats, etc. it is a "must have".

Another TV Member tipped me off to it a couple of months ago - - and I'm really glad he did. I am amazed that the Company doesn't do any advertising - nor is the name that memorable like "WD40", etc. Too bad, as it is a great protectant.

Raybo

[z_willus_d]

Hi Ray, yes, based on the various Amazon reviews, this product seems to be very legitimate. It's one of the more unequivocally positively remarked on products I've come across, hence my decision to splurge for a gallon. I'm not much of a car guy anymore -- had to atrophy that innate obsession for family, home, wine, hobbies, etc. -- but it never hurts to keep what you have, no matter how prosaic the object, in good repair.

Thanks for passing on the recommendation.
-naysen