First EarthTainers Help Please for Deep South

[NewbieGrower]

EarthTainer Potting mix. Home Depot here doesn't sell the pine bark fines and cannot find anywhere. Here in MS, pine lumbar big business so don't know why can't get here. Impossible to get ProMix. Would have to pay more on shipping than the mix. The local nurseries use "MetroMix" and they all have some soil and compost in them.

So I built my first four EarthTainers and filled with 5 parts Miracle-Gro Potting Mix to 2 parts Perlite. Added Espoma Garden Lime to top 4 inches and Tomato-Tone in fertilizer strip. I planted two "Sweet Million" cherry tomato plants in each. I have never had a garden so reading everything I can. I chose Sweet Million hybrid because heat and humidity tolerant (Mississippi is awful all summer) and resistant to many diseases. And cherry tomatoes fairly easy for first crop. I started from seed and planted in EarthTainer the week of Apr 11 (last frost day here). The plants are thriving, growing like on steroids. First blossoms this week. We had unusual cool spell last week and have torrential rain every 3 days or so. This week we had high winds gusting up to 60mph. My plants all cozy in cage and wind and rain didn't do any damage. Plants are almost 3 feet tall.

My biggest concern is heat and humidity all summer. Thinking I might try sunshade cloth from 10 to 2. Maybe wrap EarthTainer with bamboo shades. Water is cheap here so thinking maybe a light misting with fan. Will that help? Any suggestions for Deep South EarthTainer growing appreciated.

[dmforcier]

Welcome, and please welcome some advice: CHILL!

If you've never had a garden before, then you - like so many others - worry so much about "Am I doing it right?" The simple fact is, as you'll discover this year, that there's not a heck of a lot that you can do to screw up Mother Nature. Don't worry about exotic brands of dirt; MG Potting Mix will do the trick. As you can see, your plants are going like gangbusters. The biggest threat to them now is your "love", usually in the form of over-watering.

Take a deep breath. Sit down on your patio with a nice cool adult beverage, and recite your mantra, "All is well, and all will be well, in the garden." **

Now as for your climate, there are several growers here in the Deep South that will help. Fortunately I don't have to deal with the humididity.


** as per Chance the Gardener.

[NewbieGrower]

Overwatering won't be a problem with EarthTainer self-watering container.

[rnewste]

Next year, I would work in some bagged material designed for breaking up Clay type soils, if you cannot find bark mulch. I also recommend wraping your EarthTainers in bamboo curtain material to protect the side walls.

Have fun with them!

Raybo

[dmforcier]

Why? He isn't in "Clay type soils", he's in a potting mix.

BTW, when I was mixing 5:1:1 for containers, I bought Pine Bark Mini-nuggets at the local Lowes and screened out the big stuff. Close enough.

And I think you're wasting your $$ on all that Perlite, Newbie. It doesn't hurt but MGPM has a goodly amount already. I mix in some more if I have it, but no worries.

[rnewste]

My suggestion was if he could not find bark nuggets. The clay soil conditioner will simulate the function of the bark mulch for good drainage. Too wet a potting mix is not desired in self-watering systems, hence the perlite plus bark mulch combination.

Raybo

[NewbieGrower]

I put extra perlite because no pine bark fines. The bark mulch we get here at Big Box stores are HUGE nuggets. Wonder if a way to chop it smaller. People mostly use pine straw here for mulching

[dmforcier]

Oh, self-watering. You're on your own there. I consider the essence of container gardening to be knowing when your plants need water etc. I don't see much good coming from trying to automate that. (In MS heat there may be a different equation.)

I tried using a power chipper to grind larger nuggets. I got nugget pieces spread all over the yard. Another guy tried bagging them in a pillow case and running over them with his truck. Non-epic fail.

Look for "mini-nuggets". Average particle size is about what you want.

[NewbieGrower]

BTW. I am 64-year-old female (she) . Just retired from career as academic professor. I DIY small home improvement projects, my own mower repairs, etc. Loved building the EarthTainers. Raybo's instructions were so easy to follow. I bought the SS tube for bending cages from ACE HARDWARE. Not in stock but ordered it online with free delivery to local store.

Gave one to two friends (they paid for supplies, I built them) and gave them my tomato seedlings. Set them up for both. We are all excited sharing "milestones" in our growing. All 3 EarthTainer tomato plants blossomed within a day of each other. One EarthTainer is with a family with 6 kids. The kids love pouring water down the pipe. It's a big adventure for all of us.

I am growing mini sweet peppers in my second EarthTainer. They grow slower than tomatoes.

[rnewste]

Your biggest challange will be fungal and insect pests in MS. You may want to follow some posts from "B54Red" as well as "Ginger" (why am I suddenly thinking about Gilligan's Island?) - both live in your climate region and have been gardening for several years dealing with these two issues.

Raybo

[NewbieGrower]

One other challenge is animals. A coon ate a friend's watermelon. Deer munch on landscsping around the house during the night. I think the cage will protect from deer. Squirrels? I was tempted to get electric fence. Time will tell. We also have possums that might help with pests.

[NewbieGrower]

With the frequent T-storms and drenching rain, will it interfere with pollination. Sweet Million is self-pollinating and we get decent breezes to do that. But if rain washes away pollen, then what? Should I cover cage with plastic tarp when rain imminent?

[rnewste]

I wouldn't worry about covering due to rain. Rain will not have a significant impact on pollination. When the plants are dry you can flick the yellow flowers with your finger to aid pollination if you like. Otherwise, pollination will take care of itself.

I would consider some form of shade cloth to protect the fruit from direct Sun, if they are exposed for any long periods during the day later in the Season.

Raybo

[My Foot Smells]

can you not just rake some bark off a pine tree and mash it down? or does the bagged stuff have something special?

find a lumber mill and bring a truck.......

[franknmiss]

Raybo is correct - don't overthink it, your biggest challenge is fungal diseases down here. I live just North of you in East Mississippi and spray Daconil weekly and after every rain (just like the one we got yesterday).

We haven't had much humidity yet, but when the prevailing winds change to coming up from the Gulf, it will tell on your plants. They will still produce good fruit but not look so good doing it.

If you decide to use the fungicide, start now and buy the concentrate, (comes in a quart size) and dedicate a cheap 1 gallon pump sprayer to use for spraying.

The MG mix is all you really need in my opinion. I have Earth Boxes and I am using the same MG mix for the 4th year now. The attached photo is from 2015 and the trellis support over them is 10 feet tall (My neighbors fence in the background is 8 Ft tall). The Earthtainers and Earthboxes are pretty neat and will grow most anything well.

BTW, I decided to take the trellis down and went to cages because using a ladder to harvest tomatoes was too dangerous!

Frank