Plastic Tub Gardening
Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2021 6:25 pmAfter several tries at planting lettuce (and spinich, and cilantro, and cabbage) in the ground (and having the plants vanish a day or two after they came up) I decided to try "Plastic Tub Gardening" using inexpensive (about $8.48/each) Sterilite clear plastic tubs from Walmart.
https://www.walmart.com/grocery/ip/Sterilite-66-Qt-Latch-Box-Stadium-Blue/202840819
For this to work, the tubs need to be clear plastic, because you need to get sunlight on the plants, and these tubs act like kind of a "mini greenhouse", even with the lid on.
Currently, I am putting the lid on at night in case of a frost, I cover the tubs with a semi-transparent garden cloth during the day. This cloth lets the sunshine in, and keeps birds, bugs and other varmints out.
This is a 66 Quart tub - the dimensions are 24"L x 16"W x 13.78"H
Looking down into the tub, getting ready to drill drainage holes in the bottom. I put the tub right-side-up (bottom down) and drill into the block of wood that can be seen in the photo. Putting the tub bottom up and trying to drill tends to make the plastic break
Drainage holes drilled
Since I didn't have any gravel to put in the bottom of the tubs, again for drainage, I used some scoria (a type of volcanic lava rock) that I had gathered at the side of the road up at the Medicine Lake Volcano a couple of years ago. The metal item you see is a metal post pounder. I used the top of it to pound the rock to break it into smaller pieces.
Two tubs set up with scoria in the bottom.
Planting mix added on top of the scoria, with lettuce seeds planted.
About a week or so the lettuce is thriving! This photo was taken several days ago, the lettuce is now getting quite tall. Probably this evening I will go out and cut some of the outer leaves of each plant and have myself my first nice salad!! Yum!!
Clear plastic tub lids on the tubs. I put the lids on at night (we still might get the random frost here) and if it looks like rain (the planting mix really holds the water, with even a light rain there is a risk that the plants will be over-watered). Again, the clear tub and the clear plastic creates a kind of "mini greenhouse"
Four tubs in all, so far! I cover the tubs during the day with the garden cloth that you see to keep birds, bugs, and rodents (a lot of squirrels here - other kinds of rodents too
- out of my yummies!
Close-up of a tub covered with garden cloth. The cardboard is around the base of the tubs at the soil line, in order to shield the soil - and the roots of the plants - from sunlight and heat. Some like it hot!!
Lettuce likes it cool!
This is a really easy, and inexpensive, way to grow some healthy munchies. I have a couple tubs (also clear plastic) larger than these that I am going to try with carrots - might even start my tomatoes and other veggies in there, too.
These size tubs cost about $8.48 from Walmart. Miracle Grow potting soil is about $6.99/bag. One bag is enough for one tub; and when the lettuce is finished the tubs and the potting soil can be re-used for another crop!
If anyone has any questions, please ask!!
Anne
https://www.walmart.com/grocery/ip/Sterilite-66-Qt-Latch-Box-Stadium-Blue/202840819
For this to work, the tubs need to be clear plastic, because you need to get sunlight on the plants, and these tubs act like kind of a "mini greenhouse", even with the lid on.
Currently, I am putting the lid on at night in case of a frost, I cover the tubs with a semi-transparent garden cloth during the day. This cloth lets the sunshine in, and keeps birds, bugs and other varmints out.
This is a 66 Quart tub - the dimensions are 24"L x 16"W x 13.78"H
Looking down into the tub, getting ready to drill drainage holes in the bottom. I put the tub right-side-up (bottom down) and drill into the block of wood that can be seen in the photo. Putting the tub bottom up and trying to drill tends to make the plastic break
Drainage holes drilled
Since I didn't have any gravel to put in the bottom of the tubs, again for drainage, I used some scoria (a type of volcanic lava rock) that I had gathered at the side of the road up at the Medicine Lake Volcano a couple of years ago. The metal item you see is a metal post pounder. I used the top of it to pound the rock to break it into smaller pieces.
Two tubs set up with scoria in the bottom.
Planting mix added on top of the scoria, with lettuce seeds planted.
About a week or so the lettuce is thriving! This photo was taken several days ago, the lettuce is now getting quite tall. Probably this evening I will go out and cut some of the outer leaves of each plant and have myself my first nice salad!! Yum!!
Clear plastic tub lids on the tubs. I put the lids on at night (we still might get the random frost here) and if it looks like rain (the planting mix really holds the water, with even a light rain there is a risk that the plants will be over-watered). Again, the clear tub and the clear plastic creates a kind of "mini greenhouse"
Four tubs in all, so far! I cover the tubs during the day with the garden cloth that you see to keep birds, bugs, and rodents (a lot of squirrels here - other kinds of rodents too
- out of my yummies!Close-up of a tub covered with garden cloth. The cardboard is around the base of the tubs at the soil line, in order to shield the soil - and the roots of the plants - from sunlight and heat. Some like it hot!!
Lettuce likes it cool!This is a really easy, and inexpensive, way to grow some healthy munchies. I have a couple tubs (also clear plastic) larger than these that I am going to try with carrots - might even start my tomatoes and other veggies in there, too.
These size tubs cost about $8.48 from Walmart. Miracle Grow potting soil is about $6.99/bag. One bag is enough for one tub; and when the lettuce is finished the tubs and the potting soil can be re-used for another crop!
If anyone has any questions, please ask!!
Anne
