As you've seen on the national weather reports this week, Arizona weather is in Chicago while we had some snow in our desert yesterday afternoon. I'd figured the cold was done. Wrong. We'd had ten days of over 70 degrees so I put my tomato plants out(9) under those Wall-O-Water protectors. I expected some 40 degree nights but no freezes. Well, it went down to 29 degrees here. When I looked out the window, the plant protectors were frozen solid. I nearly cried. I finally got the courage to check the plants around eleven this morning, the protectors had started thawing out and the little tomato plants looked great. I only lost one leaf that was touching the side walls. I'm thrilled. I had no idea they'd work that well.
I have heard that they will protect to even colder than that...I just hope I don't have to find out for real. I am so glad your tomatoes were saved.
Wall of Water Love them. Tomatos & peppers in the ground. ( photo / image / picture from Donna S's Garden )
Yes, same ones I have. I've ordered more for peppers even though I probably won't need them this year. I see you also have your garden right outside your door.
Just wondering......Do you buy Wall O' Water brand or anther brand such as Burpees? Or have you tried both? Does one hold up better than another over the years or do you need to replace them every couple of years? We have some red ones and I am not sure who the manufacturer is, but they are holding up much better than the green burpees brand. This year I bought some Wall o Water brand and a few of them fell over, over night. The weather has been SOOOO nice they haven't been needed, yet, but all are filled and on most of the plants, but I was wondering about the difference in the quality of one over another. Since they are a little expensive to buy some of each, I really have no desire to buy all the brands just to see, so, does anybody have more than one brand in your garden stash? other than me?
I ordered all of mine from amazon.com. I like the quality of them, they are well made. They are wall o water brand. Made in the USA I read so where to use bamboo steaks to keep them from falling over. So far mine seem to be standing on their own.
Calin, I just posted a couple of pictures of wall of waters with plants. They can be closed up if a cold front in happening, they warm the ground and plants and allow you two plant at least a month earlier. They work wonderfully.
LoL Donna, I see the pics, beautiful lawn, house and something blue... and I understand everyword you are writing but I just have no idea what these are and how they work. I guess I'll just google and see what results come up.
I googled, and got it. Isn't it a a bit costly to use such a wall for each plant? Or you use it just for a few? To get some veggies before your neighbot does? How much do these cost???
Many, many garden things are sold here with the sole intention of gaining the upper hand on mother nature, and thus looking better than your neighbor. Patience is fast going out of style, LOL. Personally I try to "have my cake and eat it too" by raising an extra set of plants to set out at the earliest time I dare. Then if all goes well I can dump/sell/give away the backup plants when they're just too big and troublesome. Amazing (it's another topic really) how hard it is to give away good plants. They want me to come and plant them, I suppose it would be nice if I fertilize and water them too??
Calin, I grow to sell the fruit at a farmers Market. We are to sell what we grow. We are not to buy and resell the produce. So for me to get earlier tomatoes is well worth the investment of about $3.50 a WOW. The tomatoes sell for $3.00 a quart. I can get many quarts off each plant and then re use the WOW for next year and the year after and maybe a few more years. My tomatoes, right now, are about knee high inside my high tunnel and they have blossoms. Yipee!!!! Some are even taller than the WOW's so I'll have to remove them soon and cover the plants with a row cover. Rockhound, You are correct, you need to go weed for them, too. and till, and water and mulch at your expense. "why do it yourself if you can get the guy who gave them to you to come do it?"
I use the Wall-O-Water brand. I got mine online at Amazon. I have a small garden compared to many who post here. Example: nine tomato plants, six bell peppers, 2 eggplant, four chili peppers is all I need the protection for. I want my tomatoes early because I live in a hot climate. Tomatoes like heat but not this searing desert sun. I plant half my tomatoes in the shade. I've had a couple WOW's fall over too. It was because I wasn't careful to have them sitting level on the ground. I set them back up and used aluminum poles to keep those two in place. (I knew there was a good reason not to throw out old tent poles).
I still love my wall of waters. My tomato's are 3 - 4" above and in bloom. I had to cover them two nights this last week, so I just set pots upside down on top of wall of water and they were fine. My peppers are also blooming and looking great. I was at Walmarts this last week and saw them dump flat after flat of peppers and tomatos that the frost got. Made me sick, especially when they could have put them under cover.
