A week later, and I am happy to report that neither the EarthTainer III with the upper anchor bolts, nor the worst case test unit without the upper anchor bolts failed the 175 pound weight test. In removing the unbolted Aeration Bench to look for any deformities in the support assembly, it looked as new: Even examining the bolt holes themselves where stress would have occurred, everything looks fine: So, my conclusion is that securing the Aeration Bench to the outer container with just the two upper bolts as in the current Guide is more than sufficient. Raybo

Once you are happy that the lawn has been saved from the fungus, I would suggest reinvigorating the soil with a very light dusting of compost. There are tens of thousands of beneficial fungus species needed in the soil. When you apply the fungal suppressants mentioned above, especially repeatedly, you can deplete the populations of the beneficials. However you can quickly restore any damaged species with compost. You don't need much. I would suggest 1/2 cubic yard per 1,000 square feet. Put that down about 3 weeks after your last app of the fungicide. At the same time you could feed those microbes with organic fertilizer like alfalfa pellets at a rate of 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. That should bring you back to a good starting point in the fall. By the way, no argument for sodding in the summer - maybe not ideal, but it is better than seeding. Once the roots knit into the underlying soil, you'll want to back off on watering frequency until you get to once a week. Then you'll be watering for as long as it takes to get enough water for the rest of the week. For some people that is 20 minutes, for others it is hours and hours. It depends on your sprinkler system or hoses/sprinklers. Make the transition gradually to give the roots time to grow in and take advantage of the deeper watering. Then after the temps cool down, you can back off further on frequency toward a minimum of once a month.

I think we agree with each other, Eastpenna. I'm not a fan of Milorganite in the fall, for just the reason you pointed out. And I'm the one who has taken a little flak, over the years, for being in love with the stuff. I do think that, comparing Milorganite with synthetics, that the numbers are accurate, as far as 'delivery' of those specified nutrients to the lawn. You put down Milorganite, you will get a 6 (because it's 6-2-0). You put down Lesco, or Scott's, or urea, you will get 20, or 24, or 35, or 40. (I'm not trying to be confusing here: some fertilizers are 24-3-8, some are 35-10-8, and urea is 40-0-0. This stuff is NOT mixed for a given climate (yours or mine) it is a function of some factory manager saying 'how can I make it cheaply, and then convince people to buy it?'. He will figure out that he can mix A, B, and C, and come out with a fertilizer that is, coincidentally, 24-8-12. He says 'hey, i've got a fertilizer', he does not say 'hey, i've got to re-mix this, because I want to be at 24-2-6'. No. He will sell the first batch, because it's cheaper. I'm confused by the 'grains' people: they have pointed out, with impressive results, that spreading soy meal, or corn meal, or several other meals, is relatively cheap, is relatively devoid of 'chemicals' or heavy metals, and something often overlooked is quite true: when these meals, these grains, rot (I'm sorry, I meant to say 'naturally decompose'), they release nitrogen, through the rotting/naturally decomposing process. Did you say nitrogen? Weren't we talking about....hey, are we on to something here? You betcha. So 'grains' or 'organic' has it's place. But you are quite right: if that lawn needs BIG nitrogen, why would we use grains or Milorganite? Even if one has a prejudice against 'chemicals' (I don't), do you really want to put down 400 pounds of Milorganite (in 40 pound bags), rather than 1/10 that amount of material from Scotts or Lesco, in the fall? And save a lot of money by buying the Lesco? You are quite right, it makes no sense. None. Buy the Lesco. But summer? Late spring? August? The lawn still needs a regular dose of nitrogen, and if you don't put it down, the lawn will look quite the worse. The organics, and Milorganite, and the grains, are perfect for that time of year, and perfect for the lawn. But you'd have to put down a ton of Milorganite, or a ton of soy, or corn, or cottonseed meal, rather than just a pound of Lesco or Scotts, to get that big dose of nitrogen in the fall. Hence, my advice: put down the synthetics in the fall. A big first number, like a 22, or a 26, or a 40. Milorganite won't cut it. You got to get 24 to 30 on that lawn, in the fall. You wanna use Milorganite 5 times? Or Lesco just once?

Hello Tom, The first average frost date for my area is November 30th. A big advantage for me is the climate in which I grow which yields a very mild winter season. It does freeze here but usually for a very brief period of time....anywhere from a single night to maybe a couple or so. It's an extremely rare occurance to get numerous nights or days in succession where the temps go below freezing. The hoophouses I originally had were built quite well - more like a greenhouse but got ripped up by strong winds. Early this year, I had to construct some simple, basic hoophouses to get through a night or two of early spring freezes. Let me look through my photos and see if I have a decent photo of the original version. I built the ones earlier this year from scratch. Components would included: rebar, PVC plastic, PVC pipe and thats about it for the basic hoophouse. I generally keep an eye on the weather and when we begin to see consistent temperatures in the low sixties, I begin to set the hoophouses up. That has to be hard growing in soil with Bacterial Wilt. How much room do you have to garden in? Would you be able to rotate where you grow your tomatoes each year? That would help with the BW. I think your idea on using the soil amendments could work as long as you knew how much NPK you already have in the natural soil. You may need to adjust accordingly. I grow 98% of my plants from seed and I try to avoid using flourescent lights completely...only natural sunlight. I used to use flourescent lights on the seedlings but to me, it's an extra, unneccessary step - my climate allows me to do this though. If I lived further north, I would have to use flourescent lights to grow the seedlings to a proper stage of growth before planting outside. Not many earlies this fall but some would include: Clear Early Pink, Extreme Bush, Bush Goliath and Bush Champion. I'll post throughout the season of the progress and I'll also see what photos I have of the original hoophouse I had. Regards, Jay