Repurposing Brewing Equipment

BOB357

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I've accumulated several fermenters over the years that I no longer feel comfortable fermenting in. I hate to see anything go to waste when it can be repurposed. so I cut the bottoms out of the fermenters and use them as hot caps in the garden. It's nice to get an early start without worrying about frost killing young plants. My wife has put them over her herbs in late fall and has a great survival rate.

Here in the high desert the rule of thumb is not to plant anything but root crops before Mothers' Day, for fear of a late frost. With the mild Winter we've had this year I decided plant a couple of tomatoes yesterday and used old carboys to protect them. I push the carboys about 8" into the ground so the wind doesn't blow them off. You can also use buckets if you cut to bottom out, put them around the plants and secure Saran Wrap over the top.

After growing our own for many years, we don't buy tomatoes. Even the best you can buy in your local super market don't compare to home growns, so an early start means the first BLT will come early.

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Neat little hot house Bob!
Do you take them off when weather gets too hot during the day and still a frost chance, then put back at night? We will get 65f and still freeze down to 25f in early to mid May. June first is our frost free guarantee(most of the time).

On another note, our local grocery store brings in a cherry type variety pack they call wild mix I think? A variety of flavors and not those pithy little hothouse things, they actually taste pretty decent. Not much good for a blt though:D without some fancy slicing.
 
We get a lot of wind this time of year so, if the forecast calls for wind speeds over 15mph and the temp to stay below 75F, I just leave them on. If it doesn't look like any danger of frost for a few days and the winds are mild, I will take them off. Just play it by ear.

Another tip that really helps growth and production: Epsom salt is great for plants, especially peppers and tomatoes. Just sprinkle a couple tablespoons around the base of each plant when you fertilize and water to dissolve. Most soil is magnesium deficient, and plants need magnesium. Someone told me about this a few years ago and I tried it. There was an amazing difference in growth and production over that of my neighbor's garden. We plant within a few days of each other and usually have similar results.
 
We get a lot of wind this time of year so, if the forecast calls for wind speeds over 15mph and the temp to stay below 75F, I just leave them on. If it doesn't look like any danger of frost for a few days and the winds are mild, I will take them off. Just play it by ear.

Another tip that really helps growth and production: Epsom salt is great for plants, especially peppers and tomatoes. Just sprinkle a couple tablespoons around the base of each plant when you fertilize, and water to dissolve. Most soil is magnesium deficient, and plants need magnesium. Someone told me about this a few years ago and I tried it. There was an amazing difference in growth and production over that of my neighbor's garden. We plant within a few days of each other and usually have similar results.
 
Bloody great Idea Bob! Hey do you save your tomato seeds and re plant them? This helps them acclimatise to your growing conditions ive herd.

One of our biggest enemies is pests including tamoto boring caterpillars. We have a plague of butterflies here in SE QLD they are fluttering about by the millions so are their larvae:eek:.
 
Bloody great Idea Bob! Hey do you save your tomato seeds and re plant them? This helps them acclimatise to your growing conditions ive herd.

One of our biggest enemies is pests including tamoto boring caterpillars. We have a plague of butterflies here in SE QLD they are fluttering about by the millions so are their larvae:eek:.

I don't save and replant seeds. Most of what we grow are hybrids and will often revert to different varieties when you use seeds from them. We did have some cherry tomatoes that came up volunteer for several years, but they didn't come up last year. I usually just buy plants because our growing season is relatively short. Seems when I've started from seed we're late in getting any harvest.

Are the boring caterpillars the green segmented ones with the horn on their head? If so, we get those too. Not so much here in the desert, but they were bad where we lived before.
 
I don't save and replant seeds. Most of what we grow are hybrids and will often revert to different varieties when you use seeds from them. We did have some cherry tomatoes that came up volunteer for several years, but they didn't come up last year. I usually just buy plants because our growing season is relatively short. Seems when I've started from seed we're late in getting any harvest.

Are the boring caterpillars the green segmented ones with the horn on their head? If so, we get those too. Not so much here in the desert, but they were bad where we lived before.
Na no horn just green all over.

Another repurposed fermentor project i did last year was making waste water filtration system for dishwater. It was a flunk but turned into a great little spinach growing container in the end.
 
I don't save and replant seeds. Most of what we grow are hybrids and will often revert to different varieties when you use seeds from them. We did have some cherry tomatoes that came up volunteer for several years, but they didn't come up last year. I usually just buy plants because our growing season is relatively short. Seems when I've started from seed we're late in getting any harvest.

Are the boring caterpillars the green segmented ones with the horn on their head? If so, we get those too. Not so much here in the desert, but they were bad where we lived before.

Just about any container works. I replaced the porcelain kitchen double sink last year and will now use it to grow onions, garlic, beats, radishes, carrots, etc. I've actually repurposed old toilet bowls and bath tubs as well.
 
We get a lot of wind this time of year so, if the forecast calls for wind speeds over 15mph and the temp to stay below 75F, I just leave them on. If it doesn't look like any danger of frost for a few days and the winds are mild, I will take them off. Just play it by ear.

Another tip that really helps growth and production: Epsom salt is great for plants, especially peppers and tomatoes. Just sprinkle a couple tablespoons around the base of each plant when you fertilize and water to dissolve. Most soil is magnesium deficient, and plants need magnesium. Someone told me about this a few years ago and I tried it. There was an amazing difference in growth and production over that of my neighbor's garden. We plant within a few days of each other and usually have similar results.
Didn’t know that about Epsom salts. Thanks! We have a cold wind also. Nice reverse igloos.
 

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