Hi tnkrer: --- NO SOLDER OR GLUE IS USED The cans have drainage hole punched in the bottom of the first can. both the second and third cans have the top and bottoms removed. I use a furnace workers crimping tool to decrease the diameter of the lower rim so that it fits into the can under it. the cans have an edge seam on each end of the cans. when the cans are pressed together they snap into place and do not come apart. the 3 cans amount to about 2 and 2/3 gallons. This should suffice. As long as I keep the plant to a moderate size and keep it well watered it should do well. Watering in the morning allows the plants surface to dry out so mold doesn't set in. This is my first year of this and I am doing this with tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, squash, and watermelons. This will boost the plant's foliage above the soils splash distance and will control things like fusarium wilt from setting in. I will be able to garden with out sprays and poisons. Only the peppers and eggplants will have bottoms on there towers. The others will be bottomless so the roots can pass through into the main soil bed. The system will be improved and will be done to the specs called for from this experiment. Over view of the solderless assembly dimple caused by crimpers that allow the cans to snap together 4 of 5 figs visible on my hardy chicago fig tree Fig tree in 5 gallon bucket left to right nagami kumquat, meiwa kumquat tree grown from seed 300+ holes 1/10 inch to aerate the root base. Just run your hand lightly around the pot. This depresses the wall a small amount the replace stale air and hold down molds.

ThatÂs a very nice, organized little garden you have. Give it some time. Most vegetables take a couple of months or more to produce. Patience is what gardening has taught me. Although that fence is providing wind protection, it may be shading your plants too much. They need AT LEAST 6 hours of sun. The more, the better. The exception is lemon balm which likes the shade. You may want to gently move the peppers and tomatoes back into pots if theyÂre not too big and try a container garden that can be moved to a sunnier spot in your yard. You may also want to invest in a moisture meter (Home Depot or Lowes usually has them). How much water they need depends upon how much light, heat and wind exposure your plants get. Also, IÂve seen many forum members on various sites complaining about chilly spring weather. That may have slowed growth. Tomatoes (and peppers) donÂt like cold weather. IÂd take it easy on the fertilizer until theyÂre a bit bigger. Too much ferts can fry a seedling. Good luck!

All your plants look very healthy and happy. Keep up the great work and I envy your talent for growing fruit trees. Most fruit trees that want to live run screaming from me! LOL

Dottie- you could always very carefully cut the pot away from the soil of the rooted thru plants. I've had that happen before, but it's never been where i wanted to leave something, so i end up yanking it up. One poor viburnum did it like 3x, til i got wise and put the pot on cement where it couldn't do that anymore until i could get it in the ground. Shame on me it took me that long. Ryan- you're getting a good start. I've not had issues with my oregano in red clay, but it's in a raised, well drained bed which has reverted to clay, so maybe that makes a difference. At one point it was amended but the clay long ago gobbled all the good stuff. Everyone knows sand gobbles compost, but clay does it almost as bad. I find that many things will grow in the clay as long as it's been amended once when you plant and then mulched each year after (which keep working down into the soil). So long as clay can stay moist, not soggy or dry, most plants do fine in it. It does hold nutrients and water better than potting soil mixes or sand either one. In droughty years that is a huge plus. Mulching seems to be key to keeping the clay evenly moist- and not too thickly, either, or it will repel too much water. I lay down a very thin layer of well composted horse manure or home compost and then mulch on top of that with about an inch or so of double shred or whatever i can get my hands on once or twice a year as i get to it. The compost seems to really help fertilize and make the clay more amenable to moisture- it's amazing what such a thin layer does- and the mulch keeps it in. As for seeds, i really like the winter sowing technique, and for other things like veggies, cell packs better than jiffy pots. I've always had trouble with the jiffys wicking or getting too dry and being hard to rewet and then being too restrictive in the soil. If you have to peel off the pot, the point of doing the jiffys is moot, so why not use cells or slightly larger plastic pots. Most things can handle being handled a little- for the things that can't you can try making newspaper pot or something similar. You absolutely have to feed seedlings with a weak solution of plant food or they just sit there. Easiest way i've found is to put a dilute solution of whichever brand you prefer in a spray bottle and spray them lightly once or twice a week- let the seedlings' stage and growth be your guide. That gives them a gentle foliar feed, which gets them going fast. You do need to wait til they have true leaves to do it, but that doesn't take long for most things. I don't fertilize my winter sown stuff unless i want to grow it big before i set it out- most things that do well with winter sowing can go in the garden at small sizes and fare well that way. You can use potting soil that has some food in it for those seeds too- i put it in the bottom of the containers so the roots reach for it, but it doesn't burn them when they first emerge. There's a whole forum for & about winter sowing, if you're interested. Highly recommend reading the FAQ's and going from there. It's much easier than any other way i've tried and there have been plenty!