Building a 25-gallon sub-irrigated tote

This is v2 of the sub-irrigated tote. This one is very simple and easy to build. You could build a couple of them in a few hours. The link of the right has a step-by-step instruction in a easy to use PDF format that you can download.

You will need:

• One 25-gallon tote with lid
• 1 Perforated corrugated pipe 4” x 10’
• 1” diameter PVC tube 2 feet in length
• One 16 oz disposable drinking cup
• 1-2 cubic feet potting mix (not soil)
• Organic fertilizer (7-7-7 or 10-10-10) 2 cups
• If you are growing tomatoes you will need 1-2 cups of hydrated lime to prevent blossom end rot
• 1 Black garbage bag (otional, if you don't have the lid)

Cost:
About $12-15. Cheaper if the totes are on sale. Cut the perforated corrugated pipe to fit the tote. Arrange the cut pipes inside the tote. In this case it was a nice tight fit.

Cut one end of the 1” PVC pipe at a 45 degree angle. A hack saw or a table saw can make a clean cut. This cut is vital. It prevents loose soil and debris from clogging the fill tube.

Cover the top of the corrugated pipes with landscape fabric. This prevents the potting mix from clogging the holes. Cut a 1” hole in the perforated corrugated pipe and the landscape fabric and insert the 1” PVC pipe. Insert the 45 degree end of the pipe into the corrugated pipe through the 1” hole. This tube will act as a feed tube to fill water.

Insert 2-3 holes about 3/8” in diameter to allow for aeration and draining of excess water. This hole should be about 3.5 inches from the bottom. The calculation being the perforated, corrugated pipe is about 4.5 inches in diameter. This gives 1” space for air that will provide aeration to the roots.

Make a hole in the corrugated pipe in the center to insert a 16 oz disposable cup. If the hole is about 3.5” then the 16 oz cup should fit snugly. Now take the 16 oz. disposable cup and make an “X” shaped cut at the bottom. Also make 4 vertical cuts of 3” on the side of the cup. It is through these cuts that water will connect with the potting mix in the tote. Insert the cup into the hole.

Wet part of the potting mix until it is a slurry. And fill the 16 oz disposable cup and the drain holes with this wet slurry of potting mix. Wetting the potting mix will help it cover the holes without falling to the bottom.

Fill to the top with potting mix. If you plan to grow tomatoes add 1-2 cups of hydrated lime when you are about half way level. Add 2 cups of 10-10-10 fertilizer strip when you are about 2” away from the top.

Depending on what you are going to plant make appropriate holes. In this case I made two 3.5” holes to hold eggpants. For a more detail guide on planting instruction for Totes visit http://www.abovegroundfarming.com/journal/2010/8/8/planting-guide-for-tote-sips.html

Alternate Way.

This version does away with the need for a 16 oz disposable cup. One of the performated corrugated pipe is cut short so to provide space for 2 holes. It is through these two holes that water will connect with the potting mix in the tote. Place the 1” PVC (2 feet long) tube in the 1” hole. This will act as a feed tube to fill water. Ensure the end of the pipe that makes contact with the water is cut at 45 degree angle.

Cover the pipe with landscape fabric. This prevents the potting mix from clogging the holes. Wet part of the potting mix until it is a slurry. And fill the two holes with this wet slurry of potting mix.

Insert 2-3 holes about 3/8” in diameter to allow for aeration and draining of excess water. This hole should be about 3.5 inches from the bottom. The calculation being the perforated, corrugated pipe is about 4.5 inches in diameter. This gives 1” space for air that will provide aeration to the roots. When you are half way through filling the bucket spread a cup of garden lime. You will need to do this step only if you are growing tomatoes. Garden lime helps prevent blossom end rotting that’s caused by calcium deficiency.

Now continue to fill the potting mix till you reach 2” from the top of the bucket. Add 2 cups of 10-10-10 organic fertilizer in the form of a ring around the edge of the bucket or the middle depending on what you are planting. For a more detail guide on planting instruction for totes visit http://www.abovegroundfarming.com/journal/2010/8/8/planting-guide-for-tote-sips.html

Now, fill the tote to the top with potting mix. Once filled, cover with a the lid or plastic sheet, or a garbage bag. Shown here 8 sky hot peppers I got from the farmers market. Water directly from the top only the first time around, either when planting seeds or while transplanting. Rest of the time the tote is watered through the fill tube.

Building a sub-irrigated raised bed planter

This was a project I had undertaken 3 years ago and had lost all the photos I took while building the raised bed. Thankfully, after hours of work, I managed to retrive all the lost images. A step-by-step pdf guide is available to download. Look for the how to build a sub-irrigated raised bed planter link on the right.

Raised bed planters have always been easy and efficient way to grow greens and vegetables. With a sub-irrigated raised bed you get all the advantages of a raised bed plus more produce, better water and fertilizer usage, and an almost plant-and-forget convenience.

Total cost was about $225. Potting mix being the most expensive component. You can use the potting mix for about 5 growing seasons before composting it.

The raised bed I built was 8 feet x 4 feet. The drawing below gives you an idea.

Pick a spot where you want the raised bed to go. Ideally, a well lit place that gets a lot of sunshine. Clean the area of stones and weeds etc. The ground under the bed should be smooth, without any projections that could puncture the tarp so you might want to put a layer of some old cardboard carton or a bed of newspaper to provide a layer of cushion. Now lay two layers of landscape fabric. This provides a nice cushion for the water proof tarp that will go on top and also prevent the weeds from pushing through.

If you have a lot of rabbit, mole or ground critter population in your area you might want to get some 4’ x 10’ roll of ¼” mesh hardware cloth. This will prevent the critters from digging in from under your raised bed garden.

Assemble the pieces on a flat, hard surface and ensure they are aligned properly. Set the 8 foot 2 by 6 on its thin side and join it with the 4 foot 2 by 6 piece. It’s essentially what is called a butt joint. I used pocket screws to make the joint nice and strong. Join the other three sides too and now you have a frame that is 8 feet x 4 feet as in the picture below. Lay the frame on the prepared 4’ x 8’ bed.

Place the waterproof tarp/plastic sheet over the frame. The sheet should be big enough for a nice overlap on all the 4 sides. Fold out the overlap so you have created a nice reservoir for the water.

Now build the second bed on top. This will be the 2” x 10” x 8’ bed. Once again I used pocket screws for a strong, tight fit. I then secured the 2 bed together on all four sides. This was done on the outside some spare wood, roughly about 2” x 4” x 6”.

The bottom bed is now lined up with 9 perforated, corrugated pipe. The pipes were 10 feet long and I cut them to the required 8 feet size. The pipes are placed in a such a way that it creates a gap in the middle. This is crucial as this gap will help the potting mix to make contact with the water and wick it up to the roots.

The landscape fabric is laid over the pipes to prevent the potting mix from clogging the perforations in the corrugated pipe. The 4” x 2.5’ PVC fill tube was attached to one end of the corrugated pipe. Fill the bed with potting mix. Taking care to pack the potting mix to fill the gap in the middle.

Fill it all the way to the top.

I took the empty potting mix bags and used it to cover the bed. This prevents rainwater from flooding the bed and also keeps the soil warm in cold weather. Once the plastic sheets were on top, I nailed them. One nail every feet. So I had 8 x 4 = 32 square foot marked up. I looped the nails with nylon thread to create 32 square spaces for me to plant. For more on square foot gardening please visit www.squarefootgardening.org. I planted tomatoes, egg plant, peppers the first season. Water directly from the top only the first time around, either when laying seeds or while transplanting. Rest of the time the bed is watered through the fill tube.

The second season I planted peas and lettuce early in April. I also used some 2” PVC pipes to create a trellis.

After harvesting the peas I aded some Eggplants.

A combination of cherry and roma tomatoes totally took over the raised bed one season.

Hope you will be able to build one this season. It's a weekend's work that will will serve you for many seasons. Good luck.

Look forward to easy to build, a 25 gallon, sub-irrigated tote planter in a day or two. I am just finishing up the step-by-step guide.