Tuesday Garden Party - Earth tainer

I was going to feature my container flowers, but upon seeing how well my daughter-in-laws tomatoes plants are doing in her Earthtainer this year I was motivated to share.

My son made it last year and it grew the biggest tomato plants on the property with tomatoes hanging on till frost..

We started all our seeds at the same time and depending on the soil and subsequent transplanted area, the plants now range between 1 and 4 feet high. The 4 ft. high ones are the plants in the EarthTainer.

Here is her Earth Tainer

close up of the healthy plants

           EarthTainer this year

This is a picture of Ray Newstead's container garden.
courtesy of  slate.com 

The price to construct one varies, depending on what the price of your supplies are. Hers cost around 45.00 last year.

If you can do it though it is well worth it.

What is an EarthTainer?
Best described on its web site:
"The EarthTainerTM Project is intended to bring sustainable, organic gardening to both rural and urban gardeners worldwide with a 100% self-contained eco-system design that does not waste water.  The closed-loop watering system concentrates all of the water to the plant - and not to weed production nor run-off.  Water reduction of up to 75% can be achieved.


The EarthTainer is not a "Product" - - there are none for sale.  Rather, it is a "design concept" that is made available as "Freeware" for your private use and enjoyment.  Just remember to please make a donation to the Feeding America Organization if this design does bring you happiness." 

Why spend the money and the time on building an Earthtainer?
***Higher yield
***Less care (you focus your time on the plants you want not weeds)
***Less watering
***Efficient use of better planting medium in that the soil and feed used does not spread out over a large area
***Excellant drainage
***Smaller footprint (making them an excellent apartment choice.)
***Newstead estimates it grows tomatoes with 75 percent less water than you'll need for in-ground planting
***Newstead says that because plants in the EarthTainer sit up much higher than in-ground plants (their roots get warmer, which produces fruit much earlier as well as going later in the season)

Why chose the EarthTainer over conventional container gardening?
***The soil remains exactly as moist as the plants desire.
***The soil sits atop an "aeration bench" that allows oxygen to reach the plant's root system, mimicking the function of worms in the ground.

In other words, Newstead has combined the best parts of in-ground and container gardening in the EarthTainer and eliminated the worst.

To learn more About Newstead and his EarthTainer click on-- EarthTainer
Here is a link to a PDF file on How to construct one for yourself. 
Here is a link to a PDF file on the InnTainer, a smaller version of the EarthTainer
Here is a link to Ray Newsteads you tube video on the construction.