There isn't a question here just a strange year observation. I normally plant a few tomato plants very early and protect them with Wall-O-Waters. In the past I have found that this helps a little but that the later plants catch up and produce tomatoes almost as fast as the early tomatoes do. Really I only do this so that I can brag to everyone that I have my tomatoes planted in early March. Well this year I again planted early and it is interesting that the tomatoes on those plants have ripened very nicely but the tomatoes on the later plants are still green. The only thing I can attribute it to is that we had a couple of weeks of hot weather in June that the tomatoes on the early plants were able to develop enough to go ahead and ripen. It will be interesting to see what happens the rest of the year. The local weather reports are that it is supposed to get hot (mid to upper 90s) this week and weekend so we will see if that helps the late plants. Randy

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!

'Preshredded' - niiice. An aside, but related: I'm bending material to make low tunnels to support things like jnfr's gro-film, remay, etc. Some may recall I was looking for a cattle panel supplier and I bought some and started bending it up yesterday, in between fiddling with training wheels and playing lacrosse with little girls, and this is what I'm getting: and some scale: One panel can be cut to 66" length for a smaller tunnel. I'll have a 41" width, 80" length and 21" height structure. You can secure string to the bottom and run it over the top several times and this would secure any material tightly and limit shredding (so the theory goes). I also bent a piece to overwinter spinach and this larger piece will be to overwinter cabbage and greens, after I put two layers of greenhouse film in there and make a vent, and run heavy-duty row cover on the north side for extra insulation. I'll be done with this in a couple days and the soil is warming already, and my peas, potatoes, onions will go out this week and be covered by my hoops. Beware the ides of March! Dan

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.