New Ebucket thread (we continue) PART III

Hi beckygardener and other friends.
Go here and you will find a whole bunch of people doing just this technique.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1029953/

lonejack,

No good way to say this, but I'm pretty sure eBuckets are not standard hydroponic systems and require a very different set of tools and containers.

It is an interesting thread, though, and just a variation on a theme of watering from the bottom. I do appreciate the link. Thanks.

Geez it's almost embarrassing to say I'm just starting my vegetables, but well . . .. :D

The plants are ready - grown from seed. I have finally put together a number of buckets. I went with Linda's hardware and took that MG soil back to where it came from.

Here's a pic. I had a length of watering hose from where we cut it to repair a leak.

I'll keep at it!!!

Thanks for your help.

A.

WOW! That is a VERY, VERY, VERY nice setup!

How tall are the reservoir containers? Just keep in mind that the height of your reservoir determines the depth of your available soilbed for planting.

I usually go with something that'll leave me a bit more than half a bucket of soil depth for planting. I probably could raise my reservoir a bit, though, and plant in as little as 12" of soil.

EXCELLENT JOB!

You know, only gardeners can get soooooooooooo excited about a basket, a bucket, a tube, and a straw...^^_^^

I used the colander in a slightly larger container than the buckets, this year, and my tomatoes look terrible. I used the dolomite per instructions, and the fert. ring, with coir and about 25% perlite. I'm wondering if they're staying too wet, since the wicking material is packed all around the colander, or if that is limiting the air space. I ate the first tomato yesterday, and it was dry and tasteless. The grape tomato next to this is somewhat better, but still has very few leaves. Any thoughts before I yank them and start over?

A close up of the leaves

OCCAROL,
Did your plant ever grow more leaves than in the pictures? I think there's something wrong with the plant, not the bucket...

No. They just never developed many leaves. They obviously aren't going to make it through the summer, so I will be replacing them soon, but I'm wondering what else I need to change. The grape tomato is almost as bad, but at least they're edible, if a little tough skinned. Both are "Bonnie" plants.

We might need a review before you plant the next tomatoes. I'll stay in touch with you on this one.

Tell me exactly what you used in the eBucket(s): for potting medium. Dolomite (how much?), fertilizer (how much and what did you use?)

Dolomite- about 1 1/2 cups, Fert.- Kelloggs organic Tomato & Veg. 4-6-3, 2 1/2 to 3 cups. Mixed the lime in the medium, made a ring with the fert.
Medium is coir+ 25% perlite. Took off a couple of bottom leaves and planted deep, slowly filling to top of pot. Reservoir holds about 1 1/2 Ga. of water (same as buckets did). Weather here has been exceptionally cool (70s), so I've only needed to top off every other day. I tried a dose of MG Tomato food in the reservoir last week. No results, so far.

I think I read also that water soluble fert is not recommended.

Also - maybe too cool? I have 2 plants other people gave to me. Both developed branches that were yellowish while waiting (and still waiting) for me to plant them. I wonder - does the coir wick the water well enough?

Best let Gymgirl handle this. I am quite admittedly a novice not only with tomatoes but eBuckets too!

Good luck.

A.

Amanda, We are all novices with e-buckets! I did them last year with no problems . Mine show to the street, and the buckets are...what can I say, tacky looking? I'm not on a tight budget, so I decided to do the same thing with more decorative pots. Something went wrong though, and I'm looking for ideas. The coir wicks water very well...maybe too well? I just don't know. I thought it might be the typical May gray, June gloom here, but I have a volunteer from one of last years buckets that is looking really good, in spite of being in too much shade, and getting no water. I'm open to any and all suggestions! This whole e-bucket thread is about learning from feedback.
I'll be the first to tell you "tomatoes grow best in the ground", however if you don't have the ground available, or have seriously bad soil problems, this is a way to have "real" tomatoes, as opposed to those ones you buy at the store. Ha! And these don't come from Mexico! Buy American!

@Gymgirl - the baskets I used for the reservoir were somewhere about 7" or 8" high. The store where I bought them only had 3 (they were at Rite Aid near NCSU and were starting to sell dollar priced items to attract students and compete (?) with the dollar type stores?). They are the perfect size in the 5 gallon bucket. I found a brand new plastic colander on a neighbor's refuse pile after their yard sale. So that's 4 completed buckets.

I really was thrilled/stupefied when the water started coming out of the overflow/straw. Yes - absurd. I'm like "it works, it works!!!" Heh.

Today I planted 2 large maters that a friend gave me - don't know what they are but they took off like rockets together. She had them in peat pots and then again in an 11" hanging basket pot with only about 3" of mulch! And they both were about 2' tall by the time I planted them today. I tell ya there's something to planting in soil-less mix!

I used the scott's topsoil which I had mentioned before. I didn't dress it up at all. I'm adding pelletized fert tomorrow.

I also planted an eggplant a friend gave me called "fingers"? I think they are long-ish and skinny.

I planted 1 bucket with 2 of my butternut squash. One on either side. I think I will make 2 trellis/tee-pee contraptions, one on either side so each plant can grow away from the other. Everyone's comments about the support structures are as concern what happens when I have to move it. Why would I have to move it?!

I sorted my collection of dried bamboo today. I have some that are up to 15' tall. I have a concept for my pole beans so I think I will need the tall poles for them.

I have a good number of pretty thick stalks about 6' tall. They will probably be for my jelly bean tomatoes which are indeterminate. I think the tomatoes I planted today and one other that I have won't get tall tall.

I have zucchini and yellow squash someone gave me and slicing cucumbers which I'm really excited about. I hope by going vertical I can keep the critters from eating my stuff. They have eaten more than their share of bird seed to the point where I have stopped feeding altogether. It's an okay time to do that now - birds have other food sources. Mammals will have to figure it out.

Um, Peppers!!! I am THRILLED because I did find seeds finally for large cherry peppers. My seedlings are only about 3" high, but they look very healthy. Want to pickle some. Yum! Someone also gave me some Thai peppers which I understand are very hot - I eat a lot of Tai food, so I'm not sure how they will go. I wanted to grow some bell peppers and have seeds for some hungarian wax. What would Shoe say about me starting peppers now?!

Beans are sprouted. Bush beans and the purple italian trionfono pole beans.

I guess they will all go in buckets!

Many miles to go before I . . .stop planting buckets. Best get it done ASAP though. Will keep you posted. I might have to do what OCCAROL did and settle for Bonnie plants.

Hope you get that riddle solved.

Going back out there to push stuff around in the dark. :D

A.

I've been reading the posts of recent and I'm wondering a few things, OCCAROL...

The containers that you are growing your sickly tomatoes in ... are they the same containers as was used for last year's tomatoes? Is the soil new soil or left over from last year? Mine have done well this year. I use compost mixed in with my potting mix. The tomatoes seem to love it. I also fertilize with MG liquid veggie fertilizer. We've had a lot of rain lately, but it hasn't seemed to bother my tomato plants, surprisingly. One of my plants produced a lot of tomatoes and then started rotting, so I ripped it out and planted a new tomato plant which is currently doing well.

I am wondering how long most tomato plants last? What temps do they grow best in? And how much sun is enough or too much during the summer heat?

Beckygardner, I did regular buckets last year. These pots are a little larger. I used the old mix for the wicking, and put fresh mix on top.. My tomatoes have bloomed and set plenty of fruit in the 70 degree range, just no leaves. They tend to stop producing when temps get in the 90s, then come back when it cools down in the fall. We're talking indeterminates. Back in the days when I had more sun, and garden space, I planted them in the ground and have harvested on New Years day, but trees have grown and ground has turned to Flowers. We are in the same zone, but I'm a couple of months behind you on summer.We're just coming out of JUNE GLOOM, so sun hasn't appeared before noon. Two days of 80s has fried all the flowers because they haven't had time to adjust to that much sun. This week we're supposed to be in the 80s, but we have been 10 degrees below normal all spring. All that blazing heat in the south stopped at the Ca. border. That is another possible issue with my plants this year, but as I said above, I've got a volunteer from last year, in the ground, that's doing very well.

Hey, OCCarol,
Looking at your planting formula, I might be a little off, but in the last season I was cautioned about using more than 1 cup of fertilizer in the 5-gallon buckets. I had always used 2 cups like the EB instructions recommended, and I never associated overfertilizing with any of the "maladies" I experienced in my tomato plants.

This past season, I almost wiped out 208 perfectly healthy tomato seedlings because I got zealous with the fertilizer. I managed to save 2/3 of the crop.

I think I'd try cutting back on the fertilizer and see what happens.

Linda

Linda - Being in a self-contained bucket or pot, doesn't the fertilizer recycle within the container? It doesn't have the ability to leech out in the soil like it would if it was in the ground. I think that may be why it is best to go easy on the fertilizer and to adjust as your plants appear to need it. That's just my thoughts on the fertilizing part of growing plants this way. I, too, have done a lot of trial and error containers and plants. Still learning ...

Hmm, that's a possibility. I was going on the EB recommendations for "organic" fertilizers, since these pots are a bit larger than the buckets.

Becky, when you put the fert. in a ring, as apposed to mixing it in, you are supposed to remove it before reusing the medium. It's pretty easy to just scrape it up.

OCCAROL - I don't cover most of my buckets with a lid. Only a few of them. I've found that the ones that weren't covered did better. Go figure! I use MiracleGro Organic liquid mixed with Fish Emulsion. I water the fertilizer mix directly into the soil with a watering can. I don't fertilize that often. I still have two tomato plants that look great and are producing tomatoes. As well as all the other veggies and herbs. Everything is doing quite well even in this heat. Everything is producing fruit/veggies continually. So I'm going to stick with my method. I also use the double buckets instead of one just using the colander method. I can't find cheap colanders here as I looked. So the double bucket method is my containers.

I also have a few plants I am just growing in a single bucket with holes drilled in the bottom. I think I might try drilling holes an inch or 2 up the sides if I make more. Water can collect in the inside bottom of the buckets. I keep thinking of a small kiddie pool idea, to sit nursery pots in and just have shallow water in the pool at all times to keep the plants hydrated. That would be good for starter plants like daylilies, canna, etc.

That's something to think about. I keep thinking that I put my drain tubes too high in the reservoir, not allowing enough air space. I'll check that when I change the plants out.

so when my tomatoes are done, what can i plant in my EBucket for the fall or winter?

Here's what I'm going to plant as fall crops in eBuckets:

- Cabbage
- Collard greens
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Carrots
- Parsnips

Here is my garden in ebuckets.

I have 14 tomato plants, 6 different peeppers, and 5 cucumbers all in buckets with an automated watering system. Here are the cukes.

That is a really awesome set-up you have! I'd love to see a close-up of your automated watering system. :-)

Millenden,
That is a fantastic setup you have there! I'd like some pics of the trellis system you're using.

Linda

The watering system is not my original idea. I got it from this thread :

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/917064/?hl=self+watering

It was SOOOOOOO easy to set up and I am not mechanical at all. I am trying to upload a video of my garden, but youtube is being SLOW. I will see if I can find a photo close-up of the watering system in the meantime!

Do post the link for the YouTube link when you get it uploaded, too! :-)

Ok, Linda. I will go snap a picture of the trellis as well. None of these ideas are my own. I got the trellis from the internet also. Here is the link:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=conduit+trellis&view=detail&id=037213CC9A6CF49A5C93E6208BCD75AFC584FDB0&first=0&FORM=IDFRIR

I'll be back in a bit!

Michelle

Linda and Becky,

I started a new thread for the video. As soon as YouTube finishes, I will post a link to the video and pics of the trellis and watering system. My teenagers are begging for food, and YouTube claims says that my video has 176 minutes remaining (my boys claim it will be faster), so it will probably be a couple of hours before I get it all done. Sorry!

Michelle

That's nice work Michelle - also thanks for posting all your links and videos. It's so helpful for us newbees to see others' projects too.

While browsing the link to the conduit trellis I did another search for working with bamboo, and I found mine too!

I appreciate the inspiration and motivation to look just one more time. I'm going vertical with buckets on th concrete drive that runs the length of the house and sits between the house (where it meets the concrete) and the neighbor's retaining wall. :D

Not a lot of space.

I'm psyched! Still dealing with injured hand and now kidney infection/dehydration "issue" so I'm a little farther behind. Keep you posted. One day soon (I hope) I will be posting my pictures too. :)

A.

Amand, watch that dehydration. It can also cause low blood count. My DH was in hospital for 4 days because of kidney failure and dehydration. He had suffered from anemia for years. Soon as kidney were hydrated, the anemia went away along with the kidney failure. Sharon.

Thanks Sharon. I have to remind myself how serious it is/could be/have been.

I will certainly do a lot less tomorrow. Like someone else on a different thread said today-sometimes you get so behind you just HAVE to do something. She was able to get her handyman come and do them for her. I AM the maid, the gardener, the garden staff, the critter keeper . . .. You know what I mean. Been flat on my back since last Tuesday. BF said I did more today than I have in the last 6 days put together.

Anywho. I am sitting here with my 32 oz. Nalgene bottle of water which has been filled and drained at least 3 times since my last post. ;)

Have a good night.

A.

Amanda, I have always been the head of the house. My DH is a very smart, high IQ, but does not believe in manual labor. I finally came to terms with myself that we did not march to them same drummer. He could not even hear the drummer. But that was after 20 years of marriage.

And I made all the income. I guess GOD sent him to the right person. And I think he knows that. But if I could not feed myself, he would feed me every day and visa versa. Going on 38 years of marriage. But gardening and helping in the repairs was never his thing. I finally realized I could hire it done and that ended a lot of evil thoughts in my mind. Now we joke about it. I introduce him to the handy man, always the same one, and tell him the handyman is doing his honey do list so he should thank him when he is done. Keep strong young lady. And take care of yourself.

Well, it's July, and the garden is in full swing now in zone 7a! We're getting ripe cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, snap beans, hot peppers, and lots of lettuce and other leafy greens. Here are a few pictures of my eBucket garden from above. This is the left side of my rear deck. In the eBuckets, from the left, are (1) Red Malabar Spinach (with tripod trellis), (2) Swiss chard, (3) carrots, (4) more Swiss chard, (5) Orach Magenta Magic, (6) New Zealand Spinach, (7) Violet podded stringless pole beans (with maypole trellis), and (8) Teddy Bear Sunflowers.

This message was edited Jul 11, 2011 1:20 PM

Here's the right side of the garden deck. From the right, the eBuckets contain: (1) a Black Prince tomato (white 6-gallon bucket with yellow cage), (2) the cluster of 6 red buckets hold a few peppers and determinate tomatoes, (3) a Serrano hot pepper, (4) a cluster of three more peppers. The four indeterminate tomatoes in the two EarthTainers have grown way past the tops of their cages, and are at least eight feet tall, with lots of large green tomatoes (Big Beef, Black Crimson, Juliet, and Early Goliath). Most of my veggies are a bit slower to grow and ripen this year because I don't get as much sunlight on this deck as I used to. Still, I'm hoping for a good tomato and pepper harvest a little later than usual!

Here's one of my determinate tomatoes, a Patio Princess, and it's got at least 25 good sized fruits on it. This is a great size plant for eBuckets and is doing fine with a single bamboo stake. Next year, I'll start these on a staggered basis about 3 weeks apart for a more continuous harvest. However, I do like that the determinates give up after a big burst of ripe fruit because that will allow me to plant my fall crops earlier in the same buckets. With the indeterminate tomatoes, I just can't bear to cut them down if they still have tomatoes on them. I'll probably have to build a few more eBuckets for the fall garden!

Sharon - you're a strong lady, self-made. What's not to love? :)

When I quit my law practice I used to joke about my BF who doesn't like to be called a social worker, but works with the mentally ill. He works for a private corporation now and has made middle management. Still can't move up any higher without a master's degree. But I tell people that he thought he had himself a cash cow until I quit my job.

His daddy built custom kitchen cabinets and special order furniture for a living. He inherited his daddy's tools, but he's not very handy. He knows it. I know it. I joke about it. He doesn't appreciate the joking. It took me some years and some quiet disappointment in the results of some of our "projects" to figure that out. :)

I joke about the maid coming (when's the maid going to get here?!) which is usually an acknowledgement that I'm behind in my chores. So it is frustrating to be sidelined and watch tumbleweeds of critter hair pile up on the hardwoods. But I will mind my doctor's orders today and get lots of rest and lots of fluids.

Thanks for sharing. Your guy sounds like a good sport. :)

Have a great day.

VeggieMan - when I looked at your first picture all I could say was "WOW."

You have a nice setup. :)