Donna, The Rubbermaid containers are not "outdoor certified". They will over time be impacted to UV. If you do some techniques like rotate them 180 degrees each year so the other side other 'Tainer is "exposed" then you will get maximum use from it. Covering the lid section with a 1 inch layer of bark fines will also help protect the cover area. I have seen where someone wrapped bamboo curtains around them, which looked kind of nice. Also, you should store them inside or cover with a tarp when not growing in them to mitigate the UV exposure. My goal is to get 7 years life from the outer container, then I will replace the outer shell, use the old one as a new aeration bench for another new 'Tainer. This will work out to be about $1.85 replacement expense on an annual basis. Regarding fertilizer pattern and frequency, in the Rev 1.8 Guide I am recommending that in addition to the 2 cups in the top layer fertilizer strips, that you mix in 1 cup of Starter fertilizer containing Mycorise at the same time you are adding in the Dolomite Lime. I have also seen some people (justaguy) use a water soluble fertilizer where they put some down the filler tube on a periodic basis. You will need to experiment with amount and frequency to find the optimum results in your specific environment. Raybo

I am about ready to construct my 3 ETs thanks to Ray helping me out with the wicking baskets. I am going to try the removable cages. Home Depot sells the 24" 1/4" threaded rods for $1.47. Unlike bdobs, my local store sells the 36" ones for $5.87 each! , so needless to say I went with the shorter ones. I don't think I am even going to cut them.. I just hope they are not too heavy to adversely affect the cage support system and the aeration bench. The extra length above the soil might help a little for the taller tomato plants too. Then again..with enough twisting patience, I could twist the nut high enough on the bottom of the rod where the reservoir is to give some stilt-like support to the bench. That will give 8 points of 4" extra support in addition to the 4" cut drain pipe pieces for the bench. This might not be a bad idea since I am using the cheaper, thinner Sterlite totes ($7.50 each at Walmart). I don't want that cage system to jab a hole through the bottom of the reservoir, so I'm trying to come-up with a cheap way to add protective 'shoes' to the bottom of the rods. Possibly soda caps from 2-litter bottles of Coke can be 'shoes' glued to them. I bought the Glamos cages a few years ago at Walmart and accidentally took almost double. When I got home and was pulling the cages apart I noticed my mistake. I returned the extras to Walmart, but I bet that happens very commonly, especially when Walmart just asks you to run out and pull the UPC off one of them and run back to the check-out and asks you for quantity. Ooops! My cages are bent at the 'feet' from trying too hard to jam them through subsurface slabs of limestone deep in my garden, so when I get pictures up to share, don't be surprised by the artsy-look of the randomly re-formed shape of my cages.

Dave, Thanks for your kind words. Yes, "mechanically" I think I am done on the EarthTainer. The Lowes folks threw us a curve when they dropped the great Rubbermaid container - - and substituted a cheaper product, with a different mold pattern, hence the Rev 2.0 drilling changes. The one final thing I would like to find an improvement for is to replace the Toggle Bolts that pull in the sides of the outer shell to the Aeration Bench to keep potting mix from leaking down the sides, would be some type of pop rivet, that could simply be inserted. Where most of the remaining "trial and error" will happen over the next few Seasons, is in the area of getting the optimal combination of ingredients for the Grow Media. The 3:2:1 Combo Mix is a huge improvement over the previous straight potting mix, so I think we are most of the way there, but I am encouraging 'Tainer owners to also experiment with various combinations and report their results. Now, time to start working on my next SWC container design which is called the "InnTainer". It is a leak-proof 18 gallon SWC that can be used indoors for growing over the Winter. Similar concept to the EarthTainer - - but no water overflow, etc. leaking on the carpet when you fill it, including a viewable water level indicator system. Stay tuned...... Raybo

Beautiful! Thanks Ray, now I have all the info bookmarked in one handy place! The AWS was my one ? area