October 05, 2015

Main tomato harvest is over for the year, although I have started to plant fall tomatoes in Waterboxx plantcocoon®, hoping to protect them through the winter. In the end, I chose not to give the plants any additional water. They (three tomato plants) are still alive and producing very modestly. 

Star tomato plants this season ...

Waterboxx plantcocoon® number 1 had 2 plants – 2 varieties:
Sun Gold: 442 Fruit, 6.48 lb / 2.94 kg
Juliet: 981 Fruit, 35.51 lb / 16.11 kg

1,423 Fruit 41.99 lb / 19.05 kg from one Waterboxx plantcocoon® in one season

As you can see by the numbers, these plants bear small fruit, yet managed to produce high yields -- Juliet producing quite a bit higher than Early Girl in the other Waterboxx plantcocoon® (26 lb harvest).

As I point out in the spreadsheet, none of the Waterboxx plantcocoons® received any fertilizer after planting, and no manual watering after early to mid-June. Temperatures for the most part were extreme. (What a surprise here in California, big parts of our forests are on fire for months now.) I gave the plants no protection from the afternoon sun. I should have. So what pulled them through tough times? It could only be the moderating effect of Waterboxx plantcocoon® as a mulch to keep the soil cool and capillary water flowing. Of course I kept the Waterboxx plantcocoons full of water for their cooling effect. 

Ideally I should have begun giving regular water by August 1. Higher production, larger fruit, and longer harvest period would have resulted. Nevertheless they produced for another month and a half in our sandy soil. The experiment was worth it. 

Speaking of wicks, I will collect rain water this winter for use in Waterboxx plantcocoon. I'm guessing the wicks would continue to work well beyond 90 days if I used rain (distilled) water. I do think it an excellent idea that you send 100 wicks now with the 10 Waterboxx plantcocoons® so that users have wicks for 10 years. 

Also, to make the wicks work longer, rain water or not, I'm investigating various water filters (not water softeners) capable of removing most of the lime scale from our hard water. We need a good water filter for the house anyway, to improve the quality of our drinking water. 

Watermelons did great, eggplants produced a huge amount of fruit, the peppers did very well initially, would have fared better later in the summer with some afternoon shade. 

August 12, 2015

The tap water in the city of Hemet, California, is extracted from local wells. Therefore, the water is very hard and full of minerals. Not very suited for urban farming. From his experience, Bill McNeese knows that this causes a thick white crust in for example water hose attachments, which results in quickly clogged holes and pores. Therefore, he wasn’t surprised when the wicks in the Waterboxx Plantcocoons® completely stopped working in about 90 days. However, the good news was that the tomatoes and melons grew so fast, that by the time the wicks clogged, the plants were able to find their own water and kept growing and producing. Urban farming could continue.

Bill McNeese had very little precipitation during the time of his urban farming experiment. This wasn’t enough to make a difference. Additionally, Bill started with nursery transplants, so the taproots never grew as deeply as they otherwise would have done. However, with the help of the Waterboxx Plantcocoon® and the mycorrhizae that were used, the plants found enough water to survive.

The statistics of the watermelons in the Groasis Waterboxx Plantcocoon® on April 1, 2015:

Bill added 10 gallons of water (37,85 liter) to the soil the day before he planted with the Waterboxx Plantcocoon®, and he added 4 gallons of water (15,14 liter) to the Waterboxx Plantcocoon® reservoir at the planting time. Six times after the planting date, Bill added 1 gallon (3,79 liter) of extra water to the plants.

Bill used one Waterboxx Plantcocoon® with three wicks and two plants (Crimson Sweet). On July 19, he had 5 organically grown melons with a total weight of 68 lbs (31 kg). The largest melon was 22 lb (10 kg) and the smallest melon was 8.6 lb (4 kg). The average weight of the melons was 13.6 lb (6,2 kg).

If you want to start urban farming in your own garden with the Waterboxx Plantcocoon®, Bill McNeese has a couple of tips for you:

• Always use new wicks! When replanting, throw away the old wicks and put in new ones to ensure the longest lifetime.

• If you want to grow vegetables, one wick is not enough. Two or three wicks per Waterboxx Plantcocoon® is perfect for any vegetable in any climate. For vegetables in very hot and dry climates, it might be advantageous to start with three wicks. This will facilitate the start of the root development. The only time you should use four wicks, is when growing giant pumpkins. 

• If you used mycorrhizae and your wicks degraded in 60 till 90 days, the roots of your plants are probably big enough to find water on their own, just like the plants of Bill McNeese. In case of doubt, water can be poured in the center hole of the Waterboxx Plantcocoon®.

• When planting, use mycorrhizae and a good organic fertilizer such as Nature Safe. Bill uses sometimes certain amendments like worm castings as well. However, you should not overdo it. Bill forgot to add fertilizer to a box this year, so it only got mycorrhizae, and his tomatoes did just fine. 

• If you prune your plants, and the fruits are fully exposed to the intense sun and heat, they can develop sun scald. In order prevent this, you can use a shade cloth with 30% light blockage.

• If you know the plants will grow big, place just one plant per box. Bill McNeese learned through his experience that even though the plants produce well with two plants per box, pruning can be more difficult (see picture below)

In areas with a long growing season, like Bill’s, a well tended and healthy tomato plant can keep growing and producing for 7 months or longer (consider the Stupice and Juliet varieties). In that time, a plant may have used most of the available nutrients in just two, three of four months. In that case, Bill would consider feeding the plant with compost tea, seaweed or fish emulsion combo, poured directly in the center of the Waterboxx Plantcocoon®.

Bill McNeese did not add additional water to the boxes since June 22nd. It has rained one week (about 2 inches), which was very positive for the growth of the plants. Also, the only (organic) fertilizer gives was at the planting. 

In total Bill McNeese has harvested 114 ripe fruits from his Juliet tomato plant. The plant shows no sign of slowing down. Look like it might produce another 200 fruits!