Re: Cheap plastic 2x3 boxes

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!
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**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

morganfam7 3/24/2012, 7:14 pm

I guess this is a soft sided version:
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Gardman Reusable Grow Bag, 38" x 15" $11.99

I like the hard sided ones better - bigger and more sturdy. Just thought I would throw this one out there for someone who might need to store it elsewhere during the off season. MM in a bin and fold up the bag.

Chopper 3/24/2012, 7:50 pm

I love the idea of the plastic containers. I think however you will find that being frugal on the mel's mix is ultimately going to cost you more. But you really scored on those tubs. I am going to go to Lowes now and see what I can find and price out for table top purposes.

**walshevak** 3/24/2012, 7:59 pm

how about this

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kay

yolos 3/24/2012, 8:35 pm

I like that Kay. Cedar stain and some wheels. Great fall/winter/spring box to roll in or out of the garage as the weather changes.

B maier 3/24/2012, 8:56 pm

@Chopper. I disagree because where I'm standing ANY produce is a good beginning. I only have 12 squares and I will say that I have stuck with the MM formula by about 90%. Perhaps it won't be as productive as other people's garden's... but I can live with that.

dianamarie03 3/24/2012, 10:04 pm

I found those concrete mixing tubs at Home Depot tonight for $13, and seeing that little table top, I'm imagining a nice little strawberry box Smile

Chopper 3/24/2012, 10:47 pm

B maier wrote:@Chopper. I disagree because where I'm standing ANY produce is a good beginning. I only have 12 squares and I will say that I have stuck with the MM formula by about 90%. Perhaps it won't be as productive as other people's garden's... but I can live with that.

Ok.

Chopper 3/25/2012, 2:15 am

So I looked at one from Lowes and I noticed that the sides were sloped. So you could attach a pipe strap to it and put in a pvc trellis at an angle - that would be ok. But I am wondering if it would cause it to tip over or if the weight of the water and MM would be enough to compensate?

boffer 4/1/2012, 4:39 pm

My wife has been wondering when I'd get around to putting a SFG on wheels. The tubs made it happen.

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One tub has a soil heater cable in it; both tubs are planted with the same seeds. It should make a good side-by-side comparison.

The cart is a little overkill, but it's odds and ends that I had around.

**RoOsTeR** 4/1/2012, 4:42 pm

WoW! That looks fantastic boffer Cheap plastic 2x3 boxes - Page 2 3170584802

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