My Wicking Container Garden set up. Looking great!!

 Cabin trip. Mighty windy some days. Couple of days it was windy AND dusty. Musta been the Chi-Vi blowing in from Mexico about 25 miles to the South. I'm popping my zinc, D and C so not too concerned. Temperatures were nice by late morning. Had some freeze damage, but didn't bring exactly what I needed to fix the damages. Not much variety of parts available in South County. Next trip I'll bring what I need.

I'm trying out a new way of container gardening, and so far it looks mighty promising.!!

I spent about $100 for some soil, peat moss, and composting materials to rejuvenate the existing box gardens from last year. And to get the "Wicking Containers" set up. It's a little bit of work to set up these containers....but you only do it once and can re-use for a few years. Look up "container tomatoes by Leon" on youtube. Good Ol' Country boy gentleman in Oklahoma has a slew of videos out on this method. Oughta be real good in the summertime to avoid watering a couple times a day. 

Big purchase of soil materials

Tilling up with a shovel and adding fresh soil to old box gardens

Easiest way to mix up the soil is on top of a tarp in the  yard

Got this bed loaded (too close together) with Cukes, Zuchs, and summer squash.

Mother Nature ended up wiping out about half of these with an end of March light freeze one morning (even though I had covered them the afternoon prior)

Wish I had taken more pics of the process for the wicking containers. I used water jugs with 1/2" holes drilled around the bottom edge, and a few up higher near the handle level. Next you place some good quality filter fabric over these jugs and press the fabric down to the bottom in those void areas. (about 20% of the bottom area that the jugs don't cover) . Then carefully fill with your nice, fluffy, soft dirt. Can't use just any old soil. Too much clay won't wick.

Oh, one critical note....you MUST drill a hole in the side of the tub, about 5" above the bottom of the tub or container. I did it on both ends of my tubs. About a 3/4" diameter hole. This is the overflow hole. As you add nutrients and water, once it starts running out of this hole. Stop filling. I use an old wooden dowel to check the water level every 3 or so days. When the plants are small I only needed to water every 2-3 weeks. But as they grow it might get to once a week

Don't forget to insert a length of PVC pipe with the bottom edge cut on a 45 degree angle, into one side of the tub, This is where you add your water and nutrients. Notice the white pipes on one end of each tub. One had a small funnel in the top that I move from tub to tub while filling.

My yard slopes so I have to set one end on a block of wood to try to keep it generally level.

I planted these small seedlings on March 10, this pic was from April 5. Not even 4 weeks and I pinched off the first blooms, this gives plants a better root system to get started with. I planted other tomatoes at the same time in a box garden (These in the tubs are doing WAAAY better). But that frost got most of the box tomatoes anyway.

I left out a few critical details related to the fertilizer you add as you are filling the tubs with soil. Also there are two specific water soluable nutrients that are mixed with water for each watering time. All this info can be found on Leon's youtube channel.

I bought some lumber today to rig up some overhead frame braces to support the tomato vines. Five boards of 2x4s was over $50. 

And with the unrestrained govt spending going on....You Ain't Seen Nuthin Yet..!!          Unbelievable Inflation is just around the corner.