A late neighbor gave me a washtub 3 years ago and while it looked great full of sweet basil the first month, I soon learned it would have made a better lily pond . . .
I finally got 2 years of weeds and moldy soil cleared out of it and want to do it right this time-- it's one of the big oblong ones (31/2 feet by 2 1/2 feet?) . . . should I drill it? In the bottom or sides?
Should I prepare the bottom to catch the moisture somehow?
Thanks!!!
(by the way what's an earth box. . . )
You are going to need some holes in the bottom. The tub needs drainage.
maybe fill the bottom 1/3 -1/4 with styrofoam shipping peanuts so it's not too heavy to move
Are those safe? As in non-toxic? I think I have plenty around . . . but I'd like to grow basil again and eat it . . .
i drill all my containes on the side about 2 inches from the bottom. i feel it helps to have a little water at the bottom of the container.
hoa_rd. I use peanuts in all my large pots, but I put them in grocery bags and knot the top so they can't fall out. Depending on the size of the pot being used may need several bags of peanuts. i have used them this way for several years. the bags can be used more than one season .
DonnaS
Why would they be toxic? I have lettuce growing in a small wash tub with Nasturtiums and Johnny Jump-ups. We just ate it for dinner tonight and I really wish I knew why I'm not supposed to grow edibles in there.
Ivy1, if you turn bright purple with lime green stripes, we'll just have to suspect the lettuce and Nasturtiums won't we. ROFLOL. Dotti
Why the ridicule? If you don't know the answer to something it's not that difficult to just not respond.
styrofoam's big problem for the environment is that it doesn't break down easily. 10,000 years if I remember the statistic properly. This is why they work so well in container gardening. It won't affect your food crops to use them. I have used them in the bottoms of my containers for years. I admit I like the bag idea because to reuse them and wash the old soil off is a big chore as they don't like to stay put on a flat surface. They are superior for drainage in a hanging basket or a window box where weight is a real consideration, but they work just fine in any container that you need to take up some space in the bottom as well as provide drainage. If you prefer to wash them off before you use them, as you may not know where they have been, please do. Some people have started seedlings using styrofoam cups or trays. It's the same principle. It's a great recycling use for the peanuts. I have also used small pieces of bubble wrap for drainage while we are on the subject of recycled packing materials, though not for large pots.
Martha
Thanks Martha!
Ivy1, sorry, about that. I didn't mean for it to appear to be ridicule. I thought I was laughing with you, as I thought you were joking when you said you didn't know why you weren't supposed to eat your lettuce, etc. I hadn't heard anything about peanuts being toxic from anyone. I sure didn't mean to hurt your feelings nor was I making fun of you. Please forgive the misunderstanding. Dotti
I have 6 smaller wash tubs that I use every year. I just put pea gravel in the bottom and have never had a problem. I don't want to drill holes because almost all of them have been in my family for a very long time. I can't see myself ever using them for anything else, but just in case, I don't want holes in them. I love your big one, I have been looking for one of those for some time, it is fabulous, lucky you!
Dottick, I took Ivy's post as being scornful, but maybe you're right and it was just good clean fun.
In any event you have nothing to apologize for.
Thanks for the great advice everyone, keep it coming!
This washtub is actually pretty shallow-- I'm more concerned with drainage than filler-- but I noticed some huge planters (24"?) at the dollar store for $8 a piece and I plan to pick up maybe 6 of them-- the peanut tip will definitely come in handy!
Butterqueen, how do you kwwp them from filling with water in heavy rains?
Hi, my containers aren't that heavy and if the weather is going to be bad, I move them into the garage, I don't like for my flowers to get pounded in heavy rain and look ratty. I don't really have that many containers so it works for me now. I hope to have many many more containers next year and I may have to re-evaluate, but they will most likely have drain holes. I have a big plastic container out front with no drain holes and I noticed it had standing water in the back behind a trellis last week. I just tipped it over a little and then put some string in the back and it wicked the rest out. The flowers are doing great despite sitting in that water, I'm not saying drain holes aren't better, but since I don't want holes in my wash tubs, I just think it is worth the extra effort.
Here is a before/after of a mixed container in a new copper beverage tub with rocks instead of drain holes. Although an evil bushy tailed rat destroyed the lilies, it is still thriving 2 months later.
Hi, everybody! I'm sorry I caused a problem. I absolutely didn't mean to be scornful at all! I had planted my tub and had just fed my family the lettuce from it, so I was really concerned that I had just poisoned my four year old in some way that I didn't know. I totally was just asking a question. I always seem to stick my foot in my mouth somehow, and I genuinely don't know I'm doing it. Sorry.
Dottik and Hoa-rd- When I re-read my own post, I can see how it might have sounded snotty. I was just scared and phrased my question badly. Please, no hard feelings?
No hard feelings! The thickness of my skin varies with the changing barometer and my aching joints I guess.
There's lots of stuff that you don't want to grow edibles in . . . anything with lead in it e.g. paint chips from an old fence or solder in an old washtub, chemicals leeching from tires, old motor oil dumped into the soil . . . seems like a fair question to ask about something as synthetic as styrofoam.
We know it's poisonous when the fumes from buring styrofoam are inhaled-- it seems reasonable to think the same bad stuff can leach out.
I'm not arguing that the produce you get at mainstream grocery stores isn't probably full of toxins, it just seems if you're going to grow your own it seems like a good time to make sure you're really boosting your health in the process . . .
So, I guess we'll conclude that the peanuts are safe until someone can prove otherwise . . .
No hard feelings at all. Can understand your concern for your child. Hope your 4-year-old stays healthy. If a problem due to the peanuts does occure, please be sure to sound the alarm. In the meantime, I hope your garden does well and provides all sorts of goodies. Dotti
butterqueen, nice looking flowers and containers. I have no copper containers but always thought they looked so nice. My lilies out in the garden are just starting to bloom. DonnaS
My four year old is robustly healthy, thanks! So the peanut question is solved!
Those are beautiful containers, butterqueen! Favorite colors, too.
Here's my "evil" lettuce from a few weeks ago. It is mixed in with Johnny Jump-ups and Alaska Salmon Nasturtiums which are much bigger and blooming now.
"Made in Mexico . . . Usage of this container for other than it's intended purpose not recommended"
Um . . . you photoshopped that into the picture as a joke, right?
I'm torn as to whether to try to explain that something can be bad for you even though it doesn't kill you in seconds flat, and just keeping this thread afloat until someone with some knowledge on the subject comes along . . .
You know I hate to say I never read that label..... Guess I have to freak out again.....
hoa_rd...In your original post you asked what an "earth box" is. Go to this website to find out all about them (www.earthbox.com). Wy
Also, there is a thread going on all about earth boxes.
O. K. Here is what I 've found out about galvanized metal and planting.
1. Galvanized metal is outlawed for use in food preparation. No reason mentioned on any website so far.
2. Water pipes in houses were made of galvanized metal until the 1950's when they decided to convert to copper because galvanized pipes slowly corroded from the inside. No mention was made of poisoning or leaching of zinc into water supply.
3. Galvanized tubs are sold all over the internet for use as planters, and several sellers suggest using them for herbs. (Not that I trust someone selling a planter to make it safe for my family to eat from....)
4. Galvanized pipes are used for crop irrigation to this day.
5. Galvanized metal is impregnated with zinc, which slowly leaches from the metal when acid or maybe just water comes in contact with it, not sure which.
6. Some people need extra zinc in their diets to be healthy.
7. Too much zinc can poison you.
So far, after 2 1/2 hours on the internet, I have no more idea whether I can eat lettuce out of a galvanized tub or not. Probably should follow the instructions on the tub, and not eat it.
