looking very good!

this looks great but one question in the strawberries what do you do with the runners and is that all the plants you will have in that box

Looks great...

Wow! Is there a space at the bottom of each container where the water goes? How heavy is each container? Can you move them for optimal sun exposure? Do you move them for optimal sun exposure? After multiple hail storms, I wish I had planted everything in containers I could have moved to a protected area!

Thanks for the comments. I am just growing my green thumb and still very new to this.

bigfoot839, I don't know about the runners. Might be a problem and yes there are only six plants. The strawbrries are an experiment.

yauigrande, yes there is water under the soil in a resivoir. They are heavy suckers weighing over 50 lbs. so where you make them is where they stay. Google homemade earthbox and you will find easy instructions by a guy named Josho.

Here is a link that might be useful: Josho's Instructions

EW73,
Thanks for the very informative instuctions, I might just make a few. It is my understanding by your directions, that every box will take 2 totes to make, is this correct? And where can i purchase the pond strainers you are useing?

thanks
Mark

gardenman101,

You may want to try doing a search here at gardenwen for "earthtainer." A few people have modified Josho's design to work for them.

Someone had a design that used the lid cutout for the bottom which would remove the need to cut up a second box. That design used drainage pipe cut in 4 inch lenghts.

Here is a link that might be useful: Container tomato PICs

I used Judy's take on Josho's bins myself. Anything that gets you from point A to B works.

I got my materials from my local big-box store and used the end for a downspout that was slotted because the pond basket was too big for my 18 gallon containers (IMHO).
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Here is a link that might be useful: Judy's SWC Instruction Page

I've made the version that takes two boxes and made the one's where the lid is cut out using just one box.

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"I've made the version that takes two boxes and made the one's where the lid is cut out using just one box."

Wyndell,

Which version do you like best? Any noticible difference in their performance?

Mark

Which do I like better? Thats kinda a tricky question. I think both perform the same. However, I could make twice as many if I use the lid. I do have to make bench supports for that version though. I think the one which requires 2 boxes may be more sturdy. But most of mine are the one lid type as they seem sturdy enough as far as just growing tomatos. There is one reason I might use the 2 bucket version. Raybo (mewste) in the tomato forum has very nice looking boxes with tomato supports that probably wouldn't work well with the lid version.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0520212210624.html?3

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0321401028869.html?2

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden on May 28

I should have posted this link

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg032104014727.html

Wyndell, which one do you like the most?

Performance wise they are the same. I built more one lid types because they were cheaper and I could build more. They work well with the net staking system I have on the concrete. If I was going to build them where they could be moved and money wasn't an issue I would use the 2 box type. I may try the version raybo has built sometime just for the staking though. I do have the plans for the version using the lids which most of mine are. I also have the other plans I think. The only version I don't think I like is the one where one box (14 gal) fits inside the other box (18 gal). That one seems a little unstable but I did make 4 of them.

That help?

Here is a link that might be useful: My Garden as of 5-28-08