Re: Cheap plastic 2x3 boxes

B maier 3/21/2012, 7:15 pm

I'm not sure I would go with either option. Although these are not full 4x4 boxes and are not as heavy, both of those tables look rather flimsy.

If it were me I would use a couple of wide milk crates. They might not be as tall as a table without stacking them but would be allot stronger. It wouldn't be all that hard to stack them though... get 4 instead of 2 per box. (a stack of 2 at each end)

Bonus! - the "table" could become shelves if you stack them on their sides (melting or cementing them together to prevent sliding)

Buy direct site http://www.idairycrates.com/pricing-orders

Lindacol 3/21/2012, 7:20 pm

B maier wrote:I'm not sure I would go with either option. Although these are not full 4x4 boxes and are not as heavy, both of those tables look rather flimsy.

If it were me I would use a couple of wide milk crates. They might not be as tall as a table without stacking them but would be allot stronger. It wouldn't be all that hard to stack them though... get 4 instead of 2 per box. (a stack of 2 at each end)

Bonus! - the "table" could become shelves if you stack them on their sides (melting or cementing them together to prevent sliding)

Buy direct site [url=http://www.idairycrates.com/pricing-orders

http://www.idairycrates.com/pricing-orders[/quote[/url]]

Cinder blocks would also be good for 'legs'.

**sfg4uKim** 3/21/2012, 8:50 pm

Thanks B maier for this idea.

A little while back I posted that Mel was looking for ideas to get new gardeners interested in SFG. Mel mentioned that they were talking about "kits". I told him about your idea of the cement mixing pans.

I think this would be FABULOUS to carry a book, grid and bags of soil.

B maier 3/21/2012, 9:06 pm

Glad to help, throw in a few seed packets and a 2x3 section of trellis for a lid and you have an all in one set up. You could even market it as a theme... "the complete salad garden" "the complete salsa garden" "grow your own soup"

stuff like that.

B maier 3/22/2012, 12:43 pm

I forgot to mention... they do have smaller tubs for $6

mageice3 3/22/2012, 1:02 pm

Wow been looking for a cheap way to make movable 2x2 beds, after looking at this and doing some calculations I think this would make a wonderful choice for my movables, and the price is very good! Thanks so much for posting these I hadn't thought of looking for cement tubs even tho I've used them before!

Time to hit up Lowe's and get some tubs and a drill bit to make drainage holes, do you think these would slip onto a wood frame of 2x4's if the bottom was supported by cross beams to make a deck like foundation at the 2ft range? I'm not sure how heavy these would be when wet any guess?

James

AvaDGardner 3/22/2012, 1:15 pm

Two things to consider...

You'll need support in the middle too if you raise it. There's a lot of weight in the tub.

The tub may get warmer than a wood box. If you have high heat, it's something to consider. Plastic retains heat, wood doesn't. Being dark or black, it will also absorb all rays of the sun (that's why it is dark. White reflects all light.)

Maybe you can spray paint the outside & rim first?

PS: @B where did you find the dancing banana? It is my favorite emoticon. When my lad was little he would immitate it to make me laugh...and it still does. I just showed it to him, he laughed, jumped into position with his lanky body and 10 years later remembers the moves. What a riot!

lisaphoto 3/22/2012, 1:16 pm

2 questions: How deep are these and does the material seem like something that would withstand the elements for at least a couple years?

boffer 3/22/2012, 1:22 pm

mageice3 wrote:... I'm not sure how heavy these would be when wet any guess?
James

35-50 pounds when filled to 6 inches with saturated MM.

daryl.weaver 3/22/2012, 1:39 pm

Thank you! I need a few extra squares and didn't want to build another box. This will be perfect!

B maier 3/22/2012, 1:40 pm

8 inches deep... I filled mine to the 6 inch mark. They are very durable, they are designed to hold cement during the mixing process on a construction site.

PS back at ya - the banana came from a google search "animated gif banana" will pop it up on the first page. Cheap plastic 2x3 boxes - Page 2 53366

B maier 3/22/2012, 1:45 pm

BANANA DANCE PARTY!
Cheap plastic 2x3 boxes - Page 2 Animated-smileys-bananas-006

**sfg4uKim** 3/22/2012, 2:04 pm

B maier wrote:I forgot to mention... they do have smaller tubs for $6

Yep. That's what I thought would be great to start out with. A "starter" kit with the book and you can add more boxes as you want.

lisaphoto 3/22/2012, 2:16 pm

I'm thinking these may be perfect for my raspberry plants I just bought, keeping them contained

**RoOsTeR** 3/22/2012, 2:17 pm

See my post and pic one the first page of this thread. My tubs are dropped into a frame with NO bottom support. I've used them for several years, full of water everyday. During winter I use drop in tank heaters so the ducks can still swim. So I can vouch for durability. I get mine from home depot. Masonry tubs. I use the large size.
I think using these as planters is a pretty creative idea!

AvaDGardner 3/22/2012, 4:23 pm

B maier wrote:
BANANA DANCE PARTY!

We love it! Now he's trying to sneak up on me with his Lego rubber rocket cannon (he can adjust the angle of the cannon, swivel head, base looks like something from the military...very cool).

I'm armed with a nerf ball shooter...

**gwennifer** 3/22/2012, 4:32 pm

walshevak wrote:I'm not sure either will support the weight. A fully loaded and soaked 4x4 weighs somewhere between 250 and 300 pounds.

Is my math right? A 4'x4' is 16 squares. These tubs are 2'x3' so 6 squares.

300 lbs / 16 squares = 18.75 lbs per square.

18.75 lbs per square * 6 squares = 112.5 lbs when filled with saturated Mel's Mix.

That's working off the high end of walshevaks quote for weight above. Now for fun let's see how much Rooster's tub weighs when filled 6" deep with water:

2' * 3' * 0.5' = 3 cubic feet of water. There are 7.48051948 US gallons of water per cubic foot.

7.48 gallons per cubic feet * 3 cubic feet = 22.44 gallons of water in the tub. Water weighs 8.35 lbs per gallon.

8.35 lbs per gallon * 22.44 gallons = 187.374 lbs when filled with water.

Wow! That doesn't even seem right! I wouldn't even be able to lift that little tub if it was filled with water. Somebody stop me...

boffer 3/22/2012, 4:35 pm

boffer 3/22/2012, 4:47 pm

gwennifer wrote:Wow! That doesn't even seem right! I wouldn't even be able to lift that little tub if it was filled with water. Somebody stop me...

I did the same math, and decided not to post it. One of the things you're omitting is removing the weight of the box. When we did the math last year, we were talking about TTs using 2x6s and 3/4 ply for the bottom. I forget what the weight for the box and dry MM ended up being. I usually use 200-250 pounds. No matter either way if one looks at a table as to whether it will safely hold a good size man. If it will, then it should hold a 4x4 TT.

Last year Furbalsmom measured the amount of water necessary to saturate a 4x4x8inch box of MM. She came up with 25 gallons; for a six inch box that's about 19 gallons, or a little over a gallon per square. So, 6-7 gallons of water, plus dry MM, plus a few pounds for the tub.

**gwennifer** 3/22/2012, 4:50 pm

By the way, I was not even looking for this and stumbled across this company that sells waist high garden bed kits using these cement tubs. Co-ink-e-dink!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tQbGud35N4

**gwennifer** 3/22/2012, 4:59 pm

boffer wrote:... One of the things you're omitting is removing the weight of the box. When we did the math last year, we were talking about TTs using 2x6s and 3/4 ply for the bottom...

...Last year Furbalsmom measured the amount of water necessary to saturate a 4x4x8inch box of MM. She came up with 25 gallons; for a six inch box that's about 19 gallons, or a little over a gallon per square. So, 6-7 gallons of water, plus dry MM, plus a few pounds for the tub.

Thanks boffer. I wasn't intentionally omitting the weight of the box. I was operating under the assumption that the weight given was of the Mel's Mix alone, and was calculated by someone who was wanting to make sure they built a table strong enough to hold it.

But hey, my point was comparing the water weight in Rooster's tub with the Mel's Mix weight. Did I calculate the water weight correctly? Because if so, Rooster's tub filled with water weighs much, much more than a tub with Mel's Mix would. And so if his needs no bottom support than they certainly won't when used for a SFG.

**RoOsTeR** 3/22/2012, 5:28 pm

Hehehe (evily rubbing hands here) I'm half tempted to play a little game... Twisted Evil

B maier 3/22/2012, 5:36 pm

Wow, it amazes me how some people just want to gouge others for money. That video of the "garden rack" sends you to a website that is selling the PLANS to build a TT using the cement tubs for 30 dollars.

They call the package "plans, instructions and 2 e-books" but I'm willing to bet that everything was copied from something else... like the rack for the tubs... I've seen stuff like that in old copies of popular mechanics.

Maybe that's why I'm so poor... I give all my best ideas away for free. hmmmm....

boffer 3/22/2012, 5:41 pm

RoOsTeR wrote:Hehehe (evily rubbing hands here) I'm half tempted to play a little game...

If it's what I think it is, everyone should remember that water doesn't weigh as much at your altitude. Razz

shannon1 3/23/2012, 1:09 am

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Cheap plastic 2x3 boxes