WOW (no pun intended ;) I'm surprised your search didn't pull up all the discussions on them for you - there have been some recent ones here with photos.

I prefer using tunnels instead but some that have posted swear by them and have even posted pictures of them buried in snow. The main negatives I can recall discussed is that they can fall over and smash your plants and that you have to monitor them carefully so that excess heat doesn't build up inside. So if you are gone all day for example you can come home to a cooked plant.

Here's some links that might help you.

Dave
Wall O Water

Wall o' waters in Minnesota

Wall o water in Wisconsin

Wall o water Rocky Mountain gardening froum

They will protect down to the upper teens F. Here I used them 5 weeks before my normal frost date and they worked as advertised. In controlled tests they didn't produce earlier fruit here than the control plants but in your area they certainly will be worthwhile.

Two tips:

Use a 5 gallon bucket and spread the WOW's around it and then fill the tubes. Makes it much easier

Add a few drops of bleach to each tube to heep the water clear.

Thanks for those links, Dave! I like the ideas a couple folks had for setting them up using the 5 gallon bucket inside, and the other poster that suggested using a tomato cage to support the WOW. The water-filled milk jug idea, that someone suggested as an alternative, would be okay when the seedlings are small, but once they are taller than the jug, I don't see how you would have any frost protection. Maybe I'll experiment a bit, using the WOW on just some of my plants, and see if I notice any difference between the two.

Bonnie

using a tomato cage to support the WOW...Bonnie do not use a cage. Just shove 3 stakes (like paint sticks) inside the WoW. If WoW is on rather level ground, it will not fall over with the stakes in place.

Reg

There are some things to consider when using W-O-W. First, you need to consider the size of the plants you are putting in them and how long you intend on having to close the W-O-W because of cold weather so you don't wind up with plants so tall that they outgrow the tee-pee before the temperatures are warm. Secondly, you can get earlier harvest with them, but in my experience, only with extremely early or cherry tomatoes. I only grow 4th of July and Sunsugar in them, nothing else has ever come on any earlier for me--and I have tried several other varieties over the years. Finally, remove them as soon as the weather permits and be prepared to stake or cage the plants because the stems will be a little weak because they have not had any air currents on them. A set-up tip: Tape the handle (bail) to the side of the bucket you will use to set up the W-O-W so that when you lift it off, the handle doesn't swing down and strike your plant.

I've extended my season by 5 weeks like they claim...the plants do grow fast and look out for slugs and bugs that are also attracted to the warm micro-habitat...

You should place the WOWs out a week before you plant to thoroughly warm the soil...

After looking at all the mess and potential problems with the WOW falling into the plant, I came up with this solution (free) using 1 Litre water bottles. I simply gathered 6 refilled bottles around a 7'th in the middle and used clear packing tape to bind them all together. Then I removed the center bottle, cut off the top 3" and drilled a couple holes in the bottom for moisture / ventilation. The center unit can slide up and down to accommodate the plant as it grows. I bury the cap ends into the soil to warm the area surrounding the plant.

Raybo

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I've used the WOW's here in Wisconsin for 8 years or so.
Yes also tend to suffer with weak stems, and blossom end rot, catfacing, all possibly attributed to getting them in too early.
I started using cones now, haven't seen a problem yet but too early to tell. Everything else others has said is true. I stick a metal stake or two in the WOW's to prevent them from falling on the plants, and yes the bucket handle has swung down and wacked a plant or two. In May start opening more and more day by day to let more sun and wind in.

Raybo, that's a very creative set up. The only concern I have is that it doesn't seem like it would be tall enough. Have you used them before, and if so, how tall can the plant get before you have to remove your bottle thingy?

Daddylonglegs, where did you find those cones? You got me to thinking, could orange traffic cones work if the tip was cut off to allow airflow?

Hmmmmm......
Bonnie

Bonnie,

You can extend the center (hollow) bottle upwards to have about 15" inside. You just need to be careful that it doesn't get too warm inside there from the sun in the daytime. When the tomato plant grows taller, I simply take off the center bottle completely, and leave the 6 filled bottles surrounding the plant.

As the plant grows and it gets warmer out, just make a vertical cut in the tape at one of the bottles, and it peels off the plant like taking off a life jacket.

Raybo

Bonnie,

Interesting idea about the traffic cones! I never thought of that, good idea. You can pile dirt or rocks around the base to keep them upright, and if you cut part of the top off you could cut it at an angle and face it south. Letting sun in from the south and blocking wind from the north.

I got my cones from a guy who got them from a guy... so I don't really know where they came from. This will be my 2nd year with them

I'm getting tired of the WOW's. They grow algae, fall over, take forever to fill... The more I'm typing the more I'm liking your traffic cone idea.

Walmart has a product called Guardian Plant Protector manufactured by Consolidated Foam Inc,Northbrook,IL 60062. It comes in various sizes(Standard-Super-Maximum).I purchased 40 of the Standard for small plants and Shrubs which is 12'x12'x14" and .38 thick and is rated for Freezing.Their Super is16x16x18x x.5" Thick and the Maximum is 18x18x20x.75" thick.The Super is rated for Sub Zero temperatures the Maximum is Rated for extreme Temperatures.
I purchased the Standard for $.50 each,Normally $2.00. You might want to check it out.
Jim

You can go to www.consolidatedfoam.com and click on Plant Protection to see the Guardian Plant Protection items I referred to in my Previous message.
Jim

I have already planted my toms in WOW, but it snowed today. I live in Northern Utah. I did not do the Teepee thing but used the tom cages. There fore the tops of the WOW are open. I did put sheets over the tops of them. Will this be enough protection if it gets really cold tonight and tomorrow night as predicted?

Thanks

I'd put several layers of sheet or even an old blanket, maybe over cardboard, to trap as much of the warmer air inside as possible.

mewste

I like your creative use of those bottles. You could also use 2-liter soda bottles for your setup -- then the inside would have more room and the outside walls would contain more water.