Can using tomato water teepee's extend season?
I was wondering if the water teepees protect the plants enough to be able to plant a week or two before first frost day? Would they help in an unheated greenhouse?
-
applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 30541
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
I tried the wall-o-water brand a couple of years ago and my impression was that they definitely work as advertised, especially if you set them up earlier -- a week or so before planting -- with the top secured to warm up the soil first.
There WERE several disadvantages though --
(1) you need to prep the ground extra early -- as much as a month before planting
(2) they take up a lot of real estate. I normally plant cool weather crops in the bed prior to planting tomatoes or plant faster finishing crops in between tomatoes that will be harvested and gone by the time tomatoes need the space. Can't do that when those things will squash existing plants or are sitting there for the duration taking up room.
(3) the tubes need to be filled with water when the hose is still essentially put away.
(4) they created dandy places for the slugs to hide.
(5) Later on, it's tricky to remove them if you don't have a helper and you cannot put up tall stakes while the things are still in place and need to be removed later.
There may have been other issues. Oh, you need to remove them before hot weather sets in or the plants fry, and you need to remove them before the plants get too big or you'll break the plants -- and they flop from lack of support, so now you need THIRD set of hands.
It was really difficult to get at weeds inside and underneath the teepee that were absolutely thriving and mocking you.
There WERE several disadvantages though --
(1) you need to prep the ground extra early -- as much as a month before planting
(2) they take up a lot of real estate. I normally plant cool weather crops in the bed prior to planting tomatoes or plant faster finishing crops in between tomatoes that will be harvested and gone by the time tomatoes need the space. Can't do that when those things will squash existing plants or are sitting there for the duration taking up room.
(3) the tubes need to be filled with water when the hose is still essentially put away.
(4) they created dandy places for the slugs to hide.
(5) Later on, it's tricky to remove them if you don't have a helper and you cannot put up tall stakes while the things are still in place and need to be removed later.
There may have been other issues. Oh, you need to remove them before hot weather sets in or the plants fry, and you need to remove them before the plants get too big or you'll break the plants -- and they flop from lack of support, so now you need THIRD set of hands.
It was really difficult to get at weeds inside and underneath the teepee that were absolutely thriving and mocking you.
Good list of specifics, AS.
I was amazed when I read (somewhere; can't remember if it was a book, a newspaper article, or on the Web) that Mel Bartholomew, Mister Square Foot Gardening Himself, recommended the Wall O Water brand.
If it's a space pig, why on earth would I want to use it in my raised beds? I have a grand total of 96 sq ft (not even 10 sq meters) under cultivation at the house, and I'm going to give up a large % of that space to plastic water-holders?! Very weird, even if I were to have frozen soil to consider. I can't create more space!
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
I was amazed when I read (somewhere; can't remember if it was a book, a newspaper article, or on the Web) that Mel Bartholomew, Mister Square Foot Gardening Himself, recommended the Wall O Water brand.
If it's a space pig, why on earth would I want to use it in my raised beds? I have a grand total of 96 sq ft (not even 10 sq meters) under cultivation at the house, and I'm going to give up a large % of that space to plastic water-holders?! Very weird, even if I were to have frozen soil to consider. I can't create more space!
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
I have had good luck with wall-o-waters. My only complaint is that a good freeze can burst the separations between the cells and the wall-o-water becomes a bag-o-water. A more substantial set-up can be made with a circle of soda bottles filled with water and a plastic bag over the top. I also like to use plastic milk jugs filled with water and covered with a sheet of plastic.