Container Makeover, Denver

[PureHarvest]

Man it gets hot quick in a hurry for you.
Hail sucks dude.
You should build medium tunnels. Not a high tunnel or low tunnel, just high enough to stoop under to tend and harvest. No end walls and don't run the cover all the way down the sides to the ground.
It'll keep the rain off the leaves but most importantly block the hail.

[PureHarvest]

Ricky check out Bigvan's mini tunnel:

http://tomatoville.com/showpost.php?...5&postcount=80

Brace/frame the end walls but don't cover them to keep the heat from building. Probably stop the plastic down the sides at the hip board for the same.

[Ricky Shaw]

I totally need something like a mid-tunnel for shading and hail. I'll have time over the winter to plan and construct on that, and also work on an fertigation system. I need more time, some helpers, or speed up, there's just not enough time in a day.

[Ricky Shaw]

The trellis for the cucumbers went up today and will transplant those outside tomorrow along with some zuch and squash that have been germinating inside.

Planted 16 seedling today bringing the total to 27 tomatoes. Now water and wait, we'll see how many I can keep alive.

5 Brandy Boy
4 Big Beef
3 Rose de Berne
2 Paul Robeson
2 Sungold
2 Cosmonaut Volkov
2 Moskovich
1 Chapman
1 Malachite Box
1 Cherokee Green
1 Crnkovic Yugoslavian
1 Orange Russian 117
1 Rebel Yell
1 Elgin Pink

[AKmark]

Great list Ricky. I just got done eating a Rebel Yell, you will be glad you have one. My Crnkovic I ate last night was very good too, you will be glad you have it also. LOL

[Ricky Shaw]

Appreciate the advice and encouragement Mark. I had so many more heirlooms that didn't make it with the plant-out 2 weeks late for the wet, 40 degree weather. Should have started later, but I got what I got, and it's not bad.

Some cuke planting today. I'd never had much luck germinating squash and cuke inside, but the suggestion was given to use the plantable cups. After tearing the bottoms, in they go. The wire cages are made from fence. The sparrows don't like prongs, but they always like my tender young cuke and squash seedlings. They styro top is for the first day or two, it's a little intense this week.

[Ricky Shaw]

Not much to report this week, things continue to fill in and it's been hot. Cooled off into the 80's yesterday and today, but the rest of the week it's going back into the 90's.

The squash and cukes germinated inside all made it. I believe those plantable paper pots were the key, can't remember who on here suggested that, but thank you.

[Ricky Shaw]

Hot and cloudless, been in the 90's for a week and calling for high 90's all next week. The kids are drinking about 1.5 gals a day, I'm going to try and cut top loss with some foil covers, but very happy with the coolness of the container sides from the evaporation process.

Plants are overall in excellent shape, although the Malachite Box is showing some signs of heat stress with minor leaf roll. I'm sure the high 90's will take it's toll next week.

[AKmark]

Hey Ricky, I am impressed, you don't even have a wood chip out of place, you get the trophy for the most perfect looking garden ever. Hey, if you ever want to scale down to a greenhouse workers wages, you have a job waiting for you in Alaska, maybe I could coerce you with some fishing stories. LOL
No seriously, you have a great looking spread going there.

[Ricky Shaw]

I have the utmost admiration now for those that do several hundred plants. The thirty something containers I maintain have my back maxed out. The bending and lifting you guys do in a day is 20x mine. I'd be dead, but thank for the compliments and job offer Mark.

[Ricky Shaw]

pic1....fabric pots with top reflectors 70 F

pic2....polyvinyl grow bags 82 F

Both get full sun and temps taken from sunny side 6" down and in at the end of today, a plus 90 day.

[Ricky Shaw]

Getting lots of blossoms, but all this 90 degree heat I doubt many are setting. Every plant is healthy, I'm stunned how well this container thing is going. It could all fall apart tomorrow and I'd still do it again next year, there's plenty of positives to build on.

[PureHarvest]

Your plants look really great Ricky.

Time heals all hail wounds lol

[Ricky Shaw]

The heat has continued, but everything remains healthy. Got small maters on all the cherry's and a few of the heirlooms. The F1 Big Beef (4) and Brandy Boy (5), back-ups from the hailstorm are loaded with blossoms. They've almost caught up despite being planted 2 weeks later than the heirlooms.

Pic 2 is my beautiful Elgin Pink, huge blossoms, and a stalk like wood.

Pic 4 is a 20gal white poly grow bag inverted over a 15gal fabric pot. Cucumber Row, along the back fence, is especially hot. Those covers dropped my soil temps 5 degrees and watering by 50%, evaporation is intense here.

[AKmark]

Very nice Ricky, I wish the best for you.