Today in the 80* heat, I set out four of my super early tomato seedlings. They have grown into such nice little plants. I planted one Cherokee Purple, one Box Car Willie and two Ultra Early Beaver Lodge plants.
I set-up Wall-O-Water plant protectors for the first time. Not so bad to set up. But I had a few problems.
First, I don't normally space tomato plants out as much as is needed to fit the wall-o-water's. I realized this after planting the whole row of plants and I had to dig them and space more.
Second, I don't know why I can,t remember that you have to turn the hose valve the to the left to turn it off. I repeatedly turn it to the right and soak myself, which was nice in the heat- but muddy. Suppose I can't blame the wall-o-waters for this!
Third, it took me at least 15 minutes to fill up each, so setting up four took a while. And leaning over them was hard on the back. Time for some Advil.
The spacing can be problematic in many of our gardens. I had mine tip on me a couple of times during rainy/windy weather since the bases were not laid out perfectly due to space constraints. This year I might drive a stake in the middle when I put them out.
ReplyDeleteKathy, how much space do you need around them? Is it more than 1 square foot? I was thinking about getting some but I'm not sure.
ReplyDeleteLooks good Kathy. And, yep, it is 600mg ibuprofen for me when I put them out. Getting those tubes to open up given the electrostatic nature of plastic is also a bother. But, your plants will thrive no matter how hot (or reasonably ) cold it gets now. They love it inside the walls. Perfect tomato environment.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we have these in the U.K., or at least I haven't seen them. Is it a slow release water mechanism? With added protection?
ReplyDeleteMarian (LondonUK)
I have the same problem with water valves. Glad to learn that I'm not alone in my soaked state.
ReplyDeleteI have heard about the wall of water and have been curious about them.
ReplyDeleteI am interested to see how they work for you.
I didn't think they would keep your from planting your tomatoes as close as you would like. I find that when I give my tomato plants plenty of elbow room they do much better and get more sunlight.
Looks very expensive!
ReplyDeleteI gave up on them, I'm too lazy.
ReplyDeleteMarion, they're plastic gizmos that surround the plant and contain water for insulation purposes. You have to fill up each section, and if I remember correctly there are like ten or so sections. And it's floppy when you're filling it.
My neighbor cut the bottom off a 5 gal bucket and uses that as a frame to support the WOW while filling. He said it works well and will keep the WOW standing straight for filling. We will try the WOW next year as we have a very short growing season and need all the time we can get. Hope this helps.
ReplyDelete