Thread: Tomato Help
View Single Post
  #10   Report Post  
Old 23-02-2003, 12:33 AM
Anne Lurie
 
Posts: n/a
Default Tomato Help

Hey, MJ!

When it comes to starting tomatoes from seeds, I don't have anything to
offer about the merits of various pot sizes, repotting, etc. as I've never
repotted any seedlings before putting them out in the garden (I gotta
confess here that it's just laziness on my part) -- I just use APS
starting kits & potting soil that I buy online.

However, I feel responsible for a little detail on the Wall-o-Waters (WOW),
http://www.wallowater.com since I may have been the one to bring up the
subject here in tri.gardens in the first place several years ago.

Despite the name, WOW's primary purpose is "season extending" rather than
water conservation. They are made of heavy plastic film in 2 layers that is
heat-sealed(?) in a way that produces numerous vertical tubes that you fill
with water. (Think of a kid's inflatable pool, but with tubes that are
upright & filled with water instead of air).

It can be an art to fill the WOW with water, especially if it's cold & windy
outside -- trust me on this one -- but, once filled, it can be
manipulated to allow as much exposure as you want. By that, I mean that you
can "teepee" it to make the top nearly close if you're expecting frost, or
open the tube to get maximum sunshine -- or both! ("Open by day, closed
at night" -- easier for some of us with small gardens, I admit).

Also, since there is no "ceiling," you could theoretically leave the WOW
around plants that are taller than the wow, although I never have; I usually
just lift them off, still full of water, & resettle the WOW on another
deserving plant.

As for water conservation, my garden is very, very sandy, so I often use the
WOW as a water conservation device. I water the plant inside the WOW until
I can see that that water is 4 or 5 inches deep; the WOW "confines" the
water so that it soaks down gradually to the plant's roots, rather than
spreading out into other areas of the garden.

BTW, as for WOW being green or clear; the first ones I bought (15 years ago,
maybe?) were clear. It's my understanding that the plastic was changed to
green because of problems dealing with algae build-up (remember, we're
talking about about standing water exposed to sunlight).

As for durability, WOW can probably be re-used for years -- I think I'm
still using some I brought with me from Vermont 4 years ago, and I bet
they'd last a whole lot longer if I brought them in & stored them in the
garage instead of leaving them out to weather all year round! (I got as far
as emptying them & sticking them in a 5-gallon bucket, but they're still
outside, sigh.......)

Ah, that reminds me: speaking of 5-gallon bucket -- I read that the
easiest way to fill a WOW was to put it around a 5-gallon bucket, to support
it until all the tubes are filled with water. I highly recommend this
method, as it is much easier than finding helpers to support the WOW while
it's being filled!

Anne Lurie
NE Raleigh



"MJC" wrote in message
...
I am determined to grow some decent tomatoes this year. I have learned

that
the best way to start them is in small pots gradually re potting them into
bigger pots before they go into the ground. I purchased 3 sizes of plastic
cups at the grocrey store to do this. I poked holes in the bottom and
planted the seeds. Husband comes home and asks if they will be alright in
clear plastic cups ( the cheep ones).
So that is my question. Will the clear plastic bother the roots?

Thanks to everyone in advance, you guys always come through for me.
MJ