I have been using W.O.W. for years with great results and I have tried 2 liters bottles with not so good results. I need a bunch more wow's for this year and will try making my own.

Thanks Lar.

I think the commercial WOW's are taller and that, I think , is the only advantage.

Another way to make your own WOW is make them from clear vinyl. But it cost more money and it is time consuming. But then you can make it taller.

I make another thing : I wrap small cages that I make from rabbit fence with bubble wrap. They are 24" tall. But again, there are costs and time involved.

Sey

Bump

The season is approaching and some of us are getting itchy to get it started. But mother nature might not be helping us. So we have to do something on our own.

I have already made suggestions. Here is one more: Might be a repeat but worth mentioning again.

Do you have any of those cheap 3-ring cages laying around ? Maybe you can make a use of them. If not, you can just buy some for 3 bucks a piece.

HOW YOU DO IT ?

Simple. Just wrap them with bubble wrap, any clear plastic or kitchen wrap and and put it around your plants. You can further cover the top same way, for a bigger bang.

BENEFITS:

A) It will keep the winds away: Plants and soil lose more heat by winds (convection) than normal cooling (conduction).

B) It will create a kind of "Micro Greenhouse" effect, warming up the soil and the air inside.

C) Fill 2 or 3 2-liter soda bottles with water and put them inside, next to the plant. In a sunny day the water will get warm and at night it will dissipate heat.

I cannot /would not do these things for all my plants ( 30 +) but I do it for a dozen or so. I will wait and plant the rest of them few weeks later.

Sey

I do something like this to protect my melons when they are tiny. I fill gallon plastic jugs with water ( however many I have, more the better) set them around the planting bed without their tops. then drape agri-cloth over the bottles and secure the fabric using the screw on tops for the jugs. Then use rocks or ground staples to secure the edges of fabric. I also use this to help harden-off my transplants...

Good idea , rhoder... cucurbits are even more cold sensitive than tomatoes. I might try it on cucumbers.

Spring is right around the corner ; ie, couple of months. lol.

So I am getting ready to do some season pushing. here are the things to do:

FIRST: cover the beds with black plastic, early Feb. This will do couple things: One to keep the rain water away and two, start warming up the soil. .

SECOND: wrap my cages with bubble wrap or clear plastic and have them ready:

THIRD: Cover my mini hoops nicely w/ clear plastic also.

FOURTH: inspect and recondition my cold frame. I can start a lot of vegetable in it or shelter my tomato plants while I am hardening them off.

I am also collecting clear plastic soda/water bottles. I am doing my homework, you know ! In a couple of weeks I will start germinating and growing under lights.

What is up with you ?

Sey

UPDATE: spring is here.

Now I am preparing to plant out in a week or so. Everything is on schedule. Beds are warming up under plastic. And I am getting some small cages ( $2.50 a piece) I will wrap them with plastic and stick them around the plants. I have also collected a lot of 2-liter soda bottles to be filled with water and placed inside the cage, next to the plants.

Long term forecast looks good. Lows are over 40F right around LFD. Couldn't be any better.

How is your weather is cooperating ?

Sey

" KEEP YOUR FEET WARM AND YOUR HEAD COOL !" (G. Bernard Shaw)

That advice goes well with tomato plants. They like warm feet but don't mind cool head. So as a gardener, pushing the envelope , you can do something towards that end . Here is how; first the picture

Once they get nice and warm (~55-65F, or warmer ) do this:

--put half of the warm soil in the hole.

-- put the plant in the hole .

-- fill the hole with the rest of the soil, around the plant.

-- water the plant with warm water.

That should be nice and warm to keep the plant's feet (roots) warm. Prior to this you have already warmed up the soil a bit too, by covering it , for over a month , with black plastic.

Now as long as the soil temp is ~50F , it does matter less if the air lows go down , occasionally down to (say) 37F. Florist keep their cut flowers in a cooler at temps around 40F . And they always look very fresh.

Sey