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FarmLandWanted

Posted 8/21/2017 20:35 (#6201951)
Subject: A treat for the whole family all summer long.

SE North Dakota

I have done this for three years now and it works so well.

Those old surfactant, def fluid, liquid stater fertilizer tanks. I have used chemical tanks that have been steamed out soaked for a substantial period of time and pressure washed again with ammonia and soap. Here is what I did, cut the top off of the tank about 8 inches down. You will want to cut it fairly straight around it because you will use the top of the tank for a Hot Cap early in the spring. This keeps your seedling plants from freezing or to keep the soil moist for those small shallow seeded seeds like carrots from drying out on top, all you have to do is put a couple bungee cord straps over the top to hold it on from the wind.. After you have the top cut off and the tanks washed out find some screen to place inside the tank over the outlet holes to keep small rocks and sand from getting into your ball valve and preventing you from shutting it off.

I then put about 6 inches of crushed rock you could use pea rock also in the bottom of the tank remember to have your screen over the ball valve outlet. After you have the crushed rock in level it off good and place some road fabric over the crushed rock and let it ride up the side of the tank about 6 inches all around to keep soil from washing into your crushed rock.

I then mixed some good black soil with manure (don't over do it) along with a good 1/3 of the combination of wood chips, mix all together and fill the tanks about 2 inches from the top with this mixture. It will settle as the wood chips start to rot. It would be best to get on this project this fall yet so it is settled down for your next spring garden. I leave the valves cracked open just enough to let excess water drip out but not to much so it drains off fast and the soil has not enough time to absorb the water. You will want to mix some potting soil in the top 4 inches so your small seeded plants like beets and carrots emerge with ease.

The first year I did this I just left the tanks on the goose neck and backed them in the shop at night when risk of frost was present eventually you can take your telahandler or forklift and set them where ever. I started this because my parents were aging and could not kneel down on the ground to care for a garden any more. Now they can walk up to them with ease or even drive by on the golf cart and grab a Tomato, Kohlrabi, carrot, green beans, peppers, radishes, beets, onions, cabbage, romaine lettuce and much more. It makes it very easy to care for and pick your vegetables. I have found that no more than 4 pepper plants towards the corners, no more than two roma tomato plants in the middle towards each end and any other tomato plant just one in the middle is all you want. If you plant more than one, foliage will become to dense and the plants will not dry fast enough in morning and they will get blight. Along with two rows of green beans. At first I was over crowding with to high of population you can produce a lot of veggies with fewer plants. Be sure and mulch your tomato plants and others at planting with 3" to 4" of wood chips or straw or as soon as you can to conserve moisture, this is a must. Place another cage from these tanks on top of your cage with tank in it and you have a big tomato cage to keep your plants from breaking down when tomatoes start to weigh the plants down. I have place as many as two on top for tall tomato plants as you will see in the pictures.

Any questions e-mail me at [email protected]. Your spouse will love you for this. I have 29 of these tanks I grow veggies in and depending on your soil types and quality of your water you may want to place a tank to catch water to supplement you rain fall. I have a 3000 gallon tanks I run my rain water in off of the shop roof and I put a pump on the bottom of the tank to water these tubs when they need it and I have run out of water this year with a dry July and August. You will have to experiment with the watering depending on how many of these you set up. Oh and I have grown cucumbers also, no more than two plants per tub. I placed a hog panel over the top of the tub for the cucumbers to climb on and all you have to do is reach under the hog panel and pick your cucumbers, most of them just hang down on the underside.

Keep in mind I have harvested a lot already from these so the Onions will look thin and the cucumbers look yellow they are Japanese Cucumbers and have produced all they will this season.

Edited by FarmLandWanted 10/17/2018 22:11