I plant out tomatoes into my high tunnels at the end of March 25-28th. I am in Zone 5. I double up the row cover and I haven't had any problems. The only problem I had was when it got down to 18 degrees and the wind was blowing at 35-40 mph. I lost 15-20 plants (this was due to the row cover touching the plants. I thought I had it higher than it was. Those plants never were dead, they just got nipped hard. Since I had replacements, I just replaced them. As far as not ventilating, you will have to watch out. On a bright, sunny day it has got as high as 115 degrees. The building was all closed up. Nothing was planted in it. I am afraid the plants would get stressed.

Hi All, I love WOW. I live in Lafayette, Colorado, which is on the high plains near Boulder and the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It can get way cold at night and way hot in the day - especially in the spring and fall - and then way hot in the day in the summer - especially now with climate change. Yep I've found that WOWs can fall over if you don't fill them evenly, but are fine if you do fill them evenly. (I've done both!) A guess about the variety of experiences described in this thread may have something to do with where the gardens are - could anyone who follows me identify their garden geography? The bucket idea as a prop sounds great - thanks! I've used/asked my honey husband to help and hold the WOWs while I fill them and that works great too. I use the kind that are pale green, and thanks to advice from another gardener, open the tops (and put a small stick in to keep the sides apart) to let air get in when it's warm or hot. It's June 13th and I'm just now taking them off my tomatoes and they look fabulous and huge compared to last year at this time without using them (I forgot last year). WOWs are great in the heat as well, since they keep the temperature even inside (holding the night cold during the day so it's temperate all the time). I just wish I could find WOWs that were taller so I could use them in the fall to extend the season when my tomatoes have gotten huge. I decided to take them off now because the tomato plants have grown so tall their tops are growing way above the WOWs. All good to you all in these times!

A couple of questions and suggestions: (1) No one has answered the question of how to get the WOW off the plant. I am afraid that I will have to cut them off my plants. (2) I used two kinds of WOW protectors this year, both from Burpee. Some were clear and had interconnecting tubes. The others were green and had individual tubing. The clear have been the most successful, although one was punctured and the tubes on another ran together. Four, however, remain supporting fairly large and healthy plants. The green ones, however, all collapsed on days when the temperature reached into the high 70s and low 80s. (3) Instead of putting up the WOW before you plant, why not heat the soil by putting down black plastic? This seems to have worked for me, especially since early April temperatures vary so much. I just waited for a couple of warm days and then planted the plants. (4) I have heard that you are supposed to use small plants but have been most successful planting 10-week old, fairly large plants that I had started in the cellar.

I lay black plastic down and it seems to warm the soil enough for me. I think a colder area would want to place the WOW out in advance. Advance set up will also allow the water to warm before planting. I planted on a cloudy, cold day and the WOWs were not able to adequately heat before the sun set. Those plants did not survive. I have used WOWs for 8 years now. I bought extras this year to perhaps replace the oldest ones. My garden is not as flat as it should be, so my WOWs tip from uneven ground. 2' bamboo does wonders to prevent tipping. To fill, I bought a 5 gallon bucket from HD and removed the bottom, making a "tube". I dig the hole, plant, place the "tube" over the plant and then place the empty WOW around the "tube". I found long neck funnels in the lawn mower maintenance area at HD and place 3 or 4 in the WOWs. The funnels help with the filling. Once all WOW tubes are filled, I tug the top of the WOW to insure all tubes have adequate water and then lift the "tube" bucket out. I also use this bucket to remove the WOW in the spring. The funnels also assist in watering the plants. A tomato plant top that gets chilled has never killed the plant, in my experience. If the plant is too tall at planting, I bury deeply, trenching if necessary. I never use the ice cold hose water to water in after planting. I truck warm water to the garden, so the plants do not suffer from extra stress. One year, Walmart had WOWs on clearance - $3 for a pack of 3. They had SO many packs, I think the manager has since learned how to order.