Topic: Do you use wall-o-waters'?

[barleychown]

This was my first year with the wall-o-waters' around some of my tomatoes...have you ever used them? If you have, what do you think of them? 

[Patty S]

I noticed them in your garden when I was there in May, Sarah, & meant to ask you about them.
     
I've never really looked into what they're all about, but my guess is frost protection for new plants in early spring... Right?

I'm wondering... could they be helpful in overwintering plants? (That is, if you're in a zone that gets frost but everything doesn't actually "freeze".) 

[barleychown]

Well, I was very happy with the plants that I had in the wall-o-water things last year. They did very well, and produced farther into the fall than the "naked" tomatoes did.

So, I'm going to try it from the spring end this year...today I bought a few tomato starts, and am going to plant them out soon. We will see if the wall-o-water will live up to their claims of keeping them from freezing.

[Patty S]

They did very well, and produced farther into the fall than the "naked" tomatoes did.

Do you keep the wall-o-water around them all season?
I wouldn't really trust the weather around here... maybe if you throw a gunny sack or a piece of fabric over them at night (something that wouldn't cut off the air flow, so they wouldn't get too hot when [IF] the sun comes out in the mornings), that would insure that they wouldn't get frost bitten, with the tops open like they are. (Just an idea.)

[patches]

Sarah, I think my friend sold them in her garden shop, and I've seen them in calalogs before, so I always wondered how well they work.     Actually, I was thinking that they would probably perform differently depending on what zone you're in, but I don't really know.    

[landofoz]

My mom used to have them in her garden.  It enabled her to put her tomatoes in the ground a few weeks earlier than normal.  She never used them in the summer or winter, strictly in the spring.  But I remember they were a pain to put up, keep up, and had to be opened/closed every morning/night. 

[patches]

Sarah, it seems like a cold frame would be a lot easier. 

[Patty S]

I was thinking that they would probably perform differently depending on what zone you're in, but I don't really know.    

Patti, they'd perform differently in different time zones, only if you planted at the same time!   For example, Sarah & I could probably put tomatoes out now, with protection from a cold frame or wall-o-water, but I sure wouldn't waste my time doing it right now, where Penny lives!

Sarah, it seems like a cold frame would be a lot easier.

Why?

[barleychown]

I got my tomatoes out in the wall-o-waters' this past week. So far, even with a few nights below 32* they are still looking good!

[Wrennie]

Keep us upated Sarah. Are you going to plant any without the W.O.W. to see if theres a difference?

[barleychown]

If I were to have planted any without the WOW, they would be dead. There have been quite a few nights of below freezing temps since I put the tomatoes out in the WOW...and, so far, they look fine!

I do have back-up tomatoes in my greenhouse, should these fail.

[Wrennie]

Oops, I didnt mean now, I meant other tomatoes to plant when its warm enough to have one that you started with the WOW and others started at the 'normal' time without a WOW to see the difference, if any.

[barleychown]

  I have a tomato!  It's about the size of a marble right now. I was so suprised to find it today. 

Amazing to me, because I have yet to get my "regular" unprotected tomatoes even planted yet, do to frosts.

Doing the happy dance...

[barleychown]

This year's wall-o-water tomatoes are peeking out!



This time around, I managed to plant in the wall-o-waters and the raised beds on the same day, so I can see the difference. So far, there were 12 tomatoes in the same bed, the same day. 4 had the wall-o-waters, until I removed them today. The four in the wall-o-waters are each at least 4" taller.

There are 4 more in a seperate bed that I plan to leave the wall-o-waters on a bit longer.