"Plant It And Forget It" Gutter Gardening System

Plant It And Forget It Gutter Gardening System CROPS Miscellaneous Whether you’re a farmer truck driver or business owner who travels a lot Larry Hall says with his rain gutter garden system there are no excuses not to grow a vegetable garden     “Plant it and forget it ” he says “You don’t have to weed or water for 4 1/2 months and the plant decides when it wants water ”     At first he planted tomatoes in 5-gal buckets set inside other buckets But he needed to add water every morning and night     “I loved the results but it was too much work ” says the Brainerd Minn gardener     After research and experimenting he developed his rain gutter system which holds nine 5-gal buckets self-waterers and costs less than $65     In a step-by-step YouTube video with nearly 105 000 views he shows how to frame standard 10-ft vinyl rain gutters with end caps inside treated 2 by 4s Hall drills 2 7/8-in holes in the bottom of each bucket or pot so that a 3-in net cup used in hydroponics fits snugly It allows water in the rain gutter to be drawn up into the potting mix to water the plant Water is constantly available thanks to adjustable plastic floats $9 connected to the end of the rain gutter When the water drops to a certain level the float opens to add more water With additional plumbing several gutters can be connected to one water source     To ensure that the buckets stay in place on the rain gutter frame Hall suggests zip tying them to stakes driven in the ground     “I have over 100 buckets that are filled with all types of vegetables ” Hall says He appreciates the results - both for the food he grows for his family and for the feedback he gets from his YouTube fans     A charter high school in New York built nine systems A UK gardener sent him photos of her system with lush tomato plants growing Older gardeners write him that gardening is fun again Plants are at a good height there is little - if any - weeding and they don’t have to guess when plants need watering     With a following of gardeners all over the world Hall has posted a number of YouTube videos of his gardening ideas that include details of products he uses and where he finds them Just type Larry Hall into YouTube com     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Larry Hall 12276 State Hwy 210 Brainerd Minn 56401 ph 218 232-9448; larrylhall@charter net

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