emak,

Lowes in the U.S. is where I purchase my Rubbermaid 31 gallon containers for the EarthTainer. If you can't find them in Canada, any sturdy 28+ gallon light colored container can be adapted to work (stay away from clear ones as well as black). Stores like ACE Hardware usually carry containers in this size range.

Raybo

5 gallon buckets will work, 18 gallon Rubbermaid works, etc... smaller the container, less plants. you don't need ot go huge. I am using mostly 18 gallon, and a few 30 gallons that I had in the closet that I emptied :)

The benefit with using a container in the 25+ gallon range is that you can comfortably grow 2 tomato plants per container. Thus, you need only one wicking basket per 2 plants, only one filler tube, and if you are going to use an Automated Watering System, only one unit to water both plants. I also find that the 31 gallon containers are less prone to tip-over as compared to the 18 gallon ones.

But again, anything over 5 gallons will work - - just my observations....

Raybo

Found a Rubbermaid Roughneck 25 Gallon at a different walmart.

It's at 15$can so going to look few more different places if can't find any better will go with that.

Sould be not bad to grow 2 plants of tomato in there.

EmaK

EmaK,

I didn't think Walmart carried Rubbermaid totes. I recall reading an article last year where Walmart reportedly insisted that Rubbermaid "cheapen" their product - - but the Company refused to do so. Then Walmart switched to Sterlite (sp) as their supplier. Maybe they kissed and made up. In any event, my personal recommendation is to only use the Rubbermaid brand totes as they hold up better than anything else I have found.

Raybo

Ray,

This holiday season Wally World in Fairfax had Red and Green Rubbermaid totes and closed them out at $5 each for the 28 gal ones. I picked up 5 green ones as the red ones might drive my neighbor mad from their deck view. Our HOA might consider the Totes and Eyesore waiting to hear from them once the weather warms and they start making their rounds to inspect the community. LOL

George

George,

If you are handy doing woodworking, think about making a closely spaced picked fence, 20 inches high to go around the 3 "exposed" sides of the EarthTainer. This would both help with the HOA issue as well as extend the service life of the 'Tainer by the fence blocking much of the UV radiation. You'll make your wife happier too......

Raybo

Ray,

I have never worked with wood so I'm reading up on this suggested project. Think it would appease those that don't want to look out in the backyard and see green plants growing out of Rubbermaid totes. LOL Neighbors and wife think I'm wacky to grow tomatoes in plastic totes. Hope I'm half as successful as you are so I don't get more ribbing from them this summer. already hearing comments like just pack them dam totes and send them to goodwill....its a tough life for a tender chicken in this part of VA.

George

George,

Building the 'Tainers requires a moderate degree of hand / eye coordination (so you don't drill through your hand holding the pieces). If you follow the Rev 1.5 instructions and just go slow with the saber-saw cutting and hole drilling, you shouldn't have an issue - - but always be mindful of where your idle hand is at all times - remember that blood in the 'Tainer doesn't make tomatoes grow any faster....

Raybo

I found 31 gal At Target! 7 or 8 bucks US. Checked out the usuall diy stores seems 30 + gal going for around 16 bucks now ?????

rawb,

Great Deal!!

Were they the Rubbermaid brand, or another brand?

I just paid $14.97 each at Lowes.

Raybo

Raybo

I was already running late when I was passing by the container isle and said oh !! And quickly stopped to see what they had. This was around a week ago, Being in a hurry .... I wanna say RubberMaid but I really don't remember... sorry. But I do remember that I thought they weren't flimsy, and I am going to pick some up. Should get by this weekend. They were a golden brown color.

Yes depot wants $18 and lowes $14 For 1/2 the price I'll make 'em work LoL

rawb,

Well, the golden tan color is the right one for the Rubbermaid brand ones. That would be a tremendous deal.

Last year, I was paying $9.97 at Lowes for these, then with the oil price spike in July, they shot up to $14.97. But now, with oil back down to year ago levels, is Lowes reducing the price back to the $10.00 range - - NOOOOO!

Raybo

Checked them containers at Target. Sorry for the false hope, they are sterilite, golden brown $8.99. But they have some green 50% recycled material container, really sturdy. Made by homz $10. Think I'm going green!

Is black still bad if you are doing something that requires warm soil temperature, like eggplant? There might be a point in shading it during times where evening lows never get below 80 degrees.

This doesn't apply to Canada, but on the US Eastern Mid-Atlantic area, Home Depot has 18 gallon black containers on sale for $3.50 right now. Not a name brand or anything, but for that price an new gardener doesn't have as much up front costs.

I was also planning on taking my white 5 gallon buckets, and using colored electrical tape or duct tape, making stripes on the buckets.

For large tomatoes, I will take additional 5 gallon buckets, sawing about the top half off, then stacking it on top of the other buckets as the plant grows. When tomatoes get their stems buried, they grow additional roots.

Alice

rawb,

Keep us posted on the "Green" containers (I'd be interested in knowing what they are composed of). I personally would avoid the Sterilite containers as they broke up in pieces after only a few years in the Sun's exposure in my yard.

Alice,

I would really avoid using black containers, even in Alaska. You will cook the plants roots with any degree of direct sunlight on the container. I have found a light color even gets quite warm in the sunshine. You could build some form of sun-screen around the exposed sides of the container to shelter it when the sunlight gets extreme. You could put reflective duct tape on them - - but that looks kind of tacky....

Raybo

I hope this gets to Rnewste,
i wanted to know if you have possibly use your container idea for seed starting. Last growing season i purchased the ulitmate growing system from burpee( it has the sponge idea in mind)and i was not really happy with it. but when i saw you Earthtainer i got to thinking, what if someone used you idea but on a much smaller scale. since watching you videos on Tomatofest.com and think about this for two days i have come up with a plan on how to do this. but before i make one up, i wanted an ok from you since this is your idea to begin with and did not want anyone to get upset.

East

Hey East,

Please use any of the ideas and design concepts - - free of any charge, etc. All I am currently doing is Trademarking the "EarthTainer" moniker so that someone doesn't rip off people on eBay using this name. Be sure to share your results re: your seeding tray idea as it develops.

Raybo

Ok, so here is what I came up with and this is the things you will need. Like ray did I used what I had.

3 seed starting tray
1 pipe ( it was about 5 inches long and inch in size. I guess at what I needed.)
1 wicking basket ( I made mine out of fine mash bag I had and it was a little smaller or same size as credit card.)

Step one: I took one of the tray and cut it down so that is was 1 ½ inches tall and this tray had air holes in it so I put non in. but if your tray has a solid bottom I would put holes in it.

Step two: in the middle of the tray that I cut down I made a hole in the center for the wick basket and a hole in the corner for the pipe ( I put it here because it was easy cutting than in the middle).

Step Three: at this point is it like the earthtainer set up. but with my set up i had to use a third tray to hold the dirt. So taking the third tray and i cut the holes to match the hole for the wick and pipe in the tray below it.
Note about the wicking basket: this basket is very small if it is to big the seedling will be water logged or it will be far to wet for germination.

At this point things are finished and time to put the dirt in. first fill the wick basket with dirt, than at the water through the pipe until the wick is wet. Then add you dirt and that is it it ready to plant. in the next week i well be starting seeds and seeing how it works out.

Here is a link that might be useful:

East,

Your project sounds really intriguing! Can you post some photos of the key steps? Le me know if you need help in uploading the photos to photobucket and copying the HTML links.

Raybo

raybo, i do have pictures of how this all went to gether. but for the life of me i could not figure out how to post the pictures. i uploaded them to yahoo photo's but when i tried putting them with my post it did not work. i just computers and me just don't mix lol.

I have been using 5 gal. buckets for about 3 years filled with composted grass and oak leaves mixed and find that anything I have tried to grow in them is a successful, so I will soon be starting my 4th garden in the same buckets and same soil and am looking for the same luck this summer. Wish me luck as I am in my 90 year and can use all the luck I can get, and have no thoughts of stopping this thing called gardening in a bucket any time soon. lol. DAN.

Hi dangsr,
Seems like you are enjoying yourself growing stuff in buckets & that makes you luckier than many people.
I always thought your posting name was just a take on Dan. But now that you tipped your hand, it looks you might also have been kidding us as the forum's "dang senior".
Any way & every day, here's wishing you a lot more luck.

I am planning to build 3 Earthtainers for my tiny backyard. The best deal I have found in Central Kentucky are blue Sterlite 30ga. totes that were on sale at Meijer 3 weeks ago for $8.99 (had to get a raincheck because there were none left with lids). Is it worth it to keep looking for the Rubbermaid version in tan? If the Sterlite ones act like an oven and deteriorate after 3 years from UV it sounds like they aren't the best and most cost-effective type to purchase. We need a thread on this forum for a lookout alert for regional sales of the Rubbermaid ones. :)

In addition to the 'standard' Earthtainer..
I have a TON of kitty litter buckets and am wondering if a small version of Earthtainer can be created with them to grow pepper plants.

Here's what my garden looked like last summer. My soil (if you can call it that) is compacted 'cement hard' with rocks and boulders of limestone everywhere. It's difficult to dig, so I want to try this container type planting and not spend so much time hand-watering from my rain barrels if at all possible. {{gwi:2662}}From 082008

Looks like you have an ideal location for developing an "EarthTainer Farm" - - trust me, it is contagious!!

Yes, buy the Sterilite 30 gallon ones, as that is a good price. Two options to make them last longer. The simple thing is to just rotate them 180 degrees after each season - - that will about double their life.

If you want to put some effort in, wrap the side(s) exposed to the Sun in an insulating wrap of some sort. This will also keep the soil cooler in the Summer.

Third option - - as the above is not very neighbor friendly with all the reflections, etc. Build 2 foot high picket fences around the 'Tainers. Closely space the pickets so that they block out most of the Sun. This option is most visually appealing.

You can even get away with building a 3 sided fence so you can get easy access to the 'Tainer by just sliding the fence out from the 'Tainer. One could even put hinges at the 3 corners to fold it up at the end of the season and store them.

Take some photos when you get all set up as we would then like to see your "Farm".

Raybo

I still want to use the garden space you see in the photo, but the idea is to not have to put as much effort into creating more growing space in the difficult ground in my back yard. The back yard only gets 6 hours of sunlight in 90% of the area around the deck, so perhaps I can put one of the Earthtainers on the decking and two to the other side. I don't have a whole lot to spend, so I think going with the Sterlite raincheck ones might be my entry into giving it a try. Perhaps some white paint would even work to decrease the absorbed heat of the containers. The mini fence would definitely make it look more aesthetic. Thanks for the idea and your comments.

You can even get away with building a 3 sided fence so you can get easy access to the 'Tainer by just sliding the fence out from the 'Tainer.

The better half saw my completed SWCs (18 gal Sterilites) and decided that they would be much better realized with some sort of screen around their base. She is, of course, correct and I'll be doing some sort of attractive short fence, and I expect this to shade the containers to prolong life and control pot temperature. This may, unfortunately, likely block the little flags I made to indicate water depth in the containers, but the obvious aesthetic improvement and resulting happy demeanor will more than make up for it. ;o)

Dan

Dan,

Be sure and post some photos of your project, both in the construction as well as the finished fences.

Remember: "A Happy Wife - - Means A Happy Life!"

Raybo

"A Happy Wife - - Means A Happy Life!"

I have a buddy in Vacaville who has that as among his favorite sayings, and that phrase is what is between the lines in my comment above.

I'll post some photos of the "cost-optimized" materials and construction when everything is approved and completed, Raybo.

Dan

Currently at Target, there are Sterlite tan containers for $5 for an 18 gallon and $3 for a 10 gallon (I think). The 18 gallons are no longer available cheaply at Home Depot but I think there is a 30 gallon one on sale there for reasonable prices.

Also, as a cheap version of the pond basket and PVC supports, I am using plastic glasses from the dollar store. Drilled some small holes in them.

Now I just need to get busy with a) starting seedlings b) cleaning out buckets and the storage containers so I can start building the SWC's.

Alice

I am planning for (8) 18 gallon earthtainers this year, I will be using fox farms liquid fertilizers. If I do so through the water resevior, do I need to make a fertilizer barrier in the soil as well???

A few deals I found: Home Depot 18 gal 3.97 (purple or green) or dollar general for $5 or Big Lots has 35 gallon super duty sterilite for $10