Raybo's (Leak-proof) InnTainers - Doing It In The Bedroom (pics)

[dustdevil]

Raybo,

I really like your indoor operation...shows a lot of thought. Is the foil to keep moisture in? How do you prevent mildew from forming inside the tote?

Dust

[tam91]

I'm guessing the foil reflects the light. We'll see what he says...

[les matzek]

ray,
where did you buy sunshine #4 mix for 28.00 dollars
for the 3.8 cu. ft. bag ? that is one hell of a buy!!
wholesale it is 26.87 per bag i would really stock up
ion it at that price,regards.

les

[MJACTIVIST]

If you are use aluminum foil as a reflector, you have to use the dull side. If you use the shinny side it will cause hot spots, and may burn your plants. Same reason you can't use mirrors.
L8
MJ

[dustdevil]

If it's dark and moist under the foil, is Raybo growing magic shrooms under there? Come to think of it, those look like silk tomato plants!

[rnewste]

Neva,

Yes, but I put up with all of her Quilting stuff around the house!!

Les,

The "normal" price for the Sunshine #4 Mix is $38.00 here, but this particular Chain told me "they are trying to beat out the Competition, hence the $28.00 price".

I have 3 bags of Miracle-Gro Potting Mix that are going back to Lowes, then I will purchase replacement bales of the Sunshine Mix at the $28.00 price. Interesting thing was that this Chain is having a promotion for new customers where you can buy a $25.00 Gift Card and redeem it for $40.00 in merchandise. Needless to say, after purchasing one, then using it for the $28.00 Sunshine Mix, I have $12.00 remaining on the Card toward the next purchase. It was kind of like getting the 3.8 cu. ft. bale for $13.00 net cost.

Tam and MJ,

Regarding the reflective foil, it is an attempt to reflect both the natural sunshine during the day, as well as the artificial light that I will run from 4:00pm to 8:00pm each evening. As I am only using a 400W HPS lighting system that is covering a 3 ft. by 3 ft. grow area, I opted to put the shiny side up. I'll be observing if this causes any leaf burn, but as this is not a "cash crop", I intend to use the electrical lighting sparingly - - as this is just an experiment in trying to grow tomatoes in the Winter.

Dust,

There is an air gap between the Grow Media and the foil covered lid, with the two 3-5/8" circular openings, so I am hoping with the oscillating fan, it will keep any mold from developing. The lids just pop off in seconds, so I can monitor this pretty easily. I am using those "As seen on TV" Teflon furniture movers under the outer rack so I can open clamshell style to get easy access to all of the 12 plants.

chals,

Your Math is correct. Approx 1.5 cu. ft. or 14 gallons of total Grow Media per InnTainer. This Season, I simply grabbed cuttings of what is still growing in the outdoor EarthTainer "Farm" (Goose Creek, Dona, Big Beef, Black & Brown Boar, Pink Boar, Indian Stripe, NARX, etc). Next Winter (actually about Sept 1) I need to convince Lee and Craig to let me trial 12 Dwarf varieties from their Project. Hint, hint....

Well, off to the Hydroponics store to pick up some Aphid and Whitefly sticky traps to hang from the rack.

Raybo

[chalstonsc]

Raybo,
Thanks...I grow in 5-7 gal. and find it hard to sustain vigorous growth and production of indeterminates over a long growing season....they start out strong and when they get large they start to struggle, especially in the summer here.

When you convince Lee and Craig, I'd appreciate it if you would put in a good word for me also as those dwarf varieties should really also be trialed in a hot and very humid climate like mine, in addition, of course, to your unique climate. Hint, hint....!

[MJACTIVIST]

I opted to put the shiny side up. I'll be observing if this causes any leaf burn, but as this is not a "cash crop", I intend to use the electrical lighting sparingly

Remember the sun is stronger and more intense than any HPS or MH light bulb could ever be. So be sure to really watch for hot spots.

So do you have an easy way to check your ph or ppm? Or are you not going to?
L8
MJ

[rnewste]

Today's progress:

On the 6'th and final Inntainer build, I wanted to evaluate the transportability of an over-Wintered plant, prepared for outside planting in the Spring. I took 2 one gallon containers, cut the bottom out so the moisture could still wick up from the water reservoir normally, and placed them so the tops of the containers were flush with the top of the Aeration Bench:



While the root system of each plant will be mostly contained within each container, I did want to make use of the Grow Media adjacent to the 2 buckets. I planted both Radishes and Carrots in this vacant space:



In a few weeks when the Radishes and Carrots have germinated, I will remove the lid off this one InnTainer for them to get exposure to light.



Rather than trying to adapt cumbersome metal cages, I am trialing Gill Netting with 2 inch square openings, spaced in panels about 10 inches apart.



So the project tomorrow is to adjust the height of the 400W HPS light.



Been a good day....

Raybo

[matereater]

Nice setup Ray, I look forward to progress reports, good luck!

[tam91]

That is a nice setup.

Are those shelves 2 feet deep? If so, where did you find them, all I seem to be able to find is 18".

[rnewste]

Tam,

These shelves are 18" deep. Got them at Lowes on Black Friday for $49.95 ea. I also bought 24" deep metal / wood units that day for the same price. Not as good looking as the chrome ones though. They are in the garage for tools storage.

Raybo

[tam91]

Wow, great deal! They looked wider to me, for some reason.

What a fun setup - I am now finding myself wishing I had room to try that. Well, I'm trying seed starting for the first time this year - for your setup, I guess there's always next year!

Will tomatoes grown indoors like that taste the same as the garden ones do you think?

[rnewste]

Tam,

I am doing this on somewhat of a lark to see what develops. Kind of boreing here in (rainy) northern California this time of year, so this project will give me something to keep interested in.

These Lowes racks worked outperfectly to each hold three 18 gallon InnTainers. Regarding taste, no container Grow Media can ever fully replicate the "in-ground" environment - but compared to the ones sold at A&P this time of year, I'll take container grown ones any day.

My big unknown now is giving the plants the right amount of artificial light - without burning them. "MJ" may have some guidance on this, hopefully related to tomatoes. Next, will be trying to set the right fertilization schedule. On half of them I am using 1 cup Tomato-tone embedded in a centralized fertilizer strip. On the other three, I am going to use liquid applications of FoxFarm GrowBig, then later Big Bloom. Fun stuff!!

Raybo

[dustdevil]

I've seen similiar stainless steel racks at restaurant auctions...often with 5 or 6 shelves and wheels.

It looks like the young tomato plants are already growing quite fast.