Tomatoville® Gardening Forums


Notices

Discuss your tips, tricks and experiences growing and selling vegetables, fruits, flowers, plants and herbs.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old June 7, 2017   #1
clkeiper
Tomatovillian™
 
clkeiper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
Default Cool Bot controller

does anybody have a cooler with a cool bot as the main source of refrigeration?
__________________
carolyn k
clkeiper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 7, 2017   #2
BigVanVader
Tomatovillian™
 
BigVanVader's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Posts: 3,099
Default

I don't but when I build a WIC I plan to use it.
BigVanVader is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 25, 2017   #3
clkeiper
Tomatovillian™
 
clkeiper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
Default

Up and working. so... I guess no one who does markets has a WIC? how do you pick and store produce until the market?
__________________
carolyn k
clkeiper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 25, 2017   #4
BigVanVader
Tomatovillian™
 
BigVanVader's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Posts: 3,099
Default

Extra fridge.
BigVanVader is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 25, 2017   #5
Nematode
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: massachusetts
Posts: 1,710
Default

Buddy uses one to keep grapes cool on the way to the winery.
Had to make a trailer of his own because when he is harvesting so is everyone else and no trucks/trailers available.

Seems ok.
Nematode is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 25, 2017   #6
Cole_Robbie
Tomatovillian™
 
Cole_Robbie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
Default

My grandpa has an old wic that he bought used when I was a kid, mostly for peaches and melons, I think. Grandma used an extra fridge or two on the porch for okra, beans, and squash.

That's what is nice about only growing tomatoes, no fridge required.
Cole_Robbie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 25, 2017   #7
clkeiper
Tomatovillian™
 
clkeiper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie View Post
My grandpa has an old wic that he bought used when I was a kid, mostly for peaches and melons, I think. Grandma used an extra fridge or two on the porch for okra, beans, and squash.

That's what is nice about only growing tomatoes, no fridge required.
we have outgrown the fridge size storage.
we grow a bit of anything I think I can sell or know I can sell. fruit is terribly fragile and perishable... corn, grapes, peppers, apples, lettuce, cabbage, cukes, zukes, beans... lots and lots of beans, watermelons, cantaloupe, etc.... and I grow on about 2 acres (1 is corn) so I grow huge quantities that need chilled. AM markets don't leave much time for AM harvesting.
__________________
carolyn k
clkeiper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 26, 2017   #8
PureHarvest
Tomatovillian™
 
PureHarvest's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b
Posts: 1,369
Default

The coolbot is good. Cheap and efficient way to cool a small box. Especially if you can locate the box in the shade.
PureHarvest is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 26, 2017   #9
BigVanVader
Tomatovillian™
 
BigVanVader's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Posts: 3,099
Default

Realistically I need a WIC, but I will have to build one, and I hate building stuff. I keep checking CL but most are either junk or way to expensive. I'm planning to focus much more on salad mix next year for early cash flow so infrastructure is a must to streamline the washing/packing/storing. I'm going to practice with lettuce/salad mix this fall/winter and if things go well I'm going to buy the greens harvester (dam thing is so cool I want one badly) and a old washer for spinning. Baby steps. Not having weeds this year has been a game changer. I have free time & can manage my garden so much better that I need more to manage at this point.
BigVanVader is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 26, 2017   #10
clkeiper
Tomatovillian™
 
clkeiper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
Default

we built the wic. I have a small barn next to the driveway that I use as a roadside stand. we partitioned off a section that we insulated with sprayon foam (we also have two commercial refrigerators). we have been doing this for 8 years now and finally are to the point of "its a necessity". just found an old two basin SS sink from someone who used to do a 26x96 of greens for a market all winter long... whoo whee! he said he did 800.00 of lettuce a week out of it... that is a lot of lettuce, but he is done now and selling off his equipment..I have an old honey extractor I am going to use to spin salad... if it works out, I have no idea, it is just an idea as it is sitting unused in the shed. thought I would try to line the cage with mesh and dump in the lettuce and spin it out. think it will work? I am not interested in another mechanical device. I am not that mechanically inclined nor do I have time to fix things that break.
__________________
carolyn k

Last edited by clkeiper; June 26, 2017 at 08:11 AM.
clkeiper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 26, 2017   #11
BigVanVader
Tomatovillian™
 
BigVanVader's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Posts: 3,099
Default

Idk, definitely be worth trying. If your gonna do salad mix I think the easiest way is an old washer. Put lettuce in laundry bags and set to spin cycle.
BigVanVader is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 28, 2017   #12
FarmerShawn
Tomatovillian™
 
FarmerShawn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Vermont
Posts: 1,001
Default

I built a Coolbot cooler in a shed last year, and my life changed dramatically! I used a fridge before, but the cooler is so much easier and more spacious. I did find it necessary to keep most of my stuff in closed plastic containers, because the cool air is very dry, and can wilt things quickly.
__________________
"Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for you!"
-- Tommy Smothers
FarmerShawn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 28, 2017   #13
Salsacharley
Tomatovillian™
 
Salsacharley's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 2,051
Default

It seems that the cost of running refrigeration would really challenge the break even point of selling unless you have really big volume sales.
Salsacharley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 28, 2017   #14
Worth1
Tomatovillian™
 
Worth1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Salsacharley View Post
It seems that the cost of running refrigeration would really challenge the break even point of selling unless you have really big volume sales.

Depends on how well insulated the container is and how often you go in and out of it.
I just drilled into a commercial freezer and refrigerator for temperature probes.
The insulation was over 4 inches thick.

Not for sure how the coolbot works but it looks like they are just changing the temperature span of an air conditioner thermostat control.????
This can be easily done for way less money if that is the case.
Worth
Worth1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 28, 2017   #15
clkeiper
Tomatovillian™
 
clkeiper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Worth1 View Post
Depends on how well insulated the container is and how often you go in and out of it.
I just drilled into a commercial freezer and refrigerator for temperature probes.
The insulation was over 4 inches thick.

Not for sure how the coolbot works but it looks like they are just changing the temperature span of an air conditioner thermostat control.????
This can be easily done for way less money if that is the case.
Worth
Worth the cool bot uses a unit to override the airconditioners sensor. it keeps the unit running and cooling at the temp you set it at. mine is at 42 and the remote sensors I have in the house read 42 and 39...since it seems pretty consistent I can remove my greenhouse sensors from the cooler and put them back in the greenhouses. we built a walk in cooler in our shed and paid Money and Moses to come spray on insulation. I think we have about 1000.00 in it.
__________________
carolyn k
clkeiper is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:22 PM.


★ Tomatoville® is a registered trademark of Commerce Holdings, LLC ★ All Content ©2022 Commerce Holdings, LLC ★