Walls O'Water

One way to give cold intolerant plants like tomatoes and basil a head start in Flagstaff is by using walls o'water. Walls o'water are made out of either clear greenish or reddish plastic tubes connected together in a big threaded circle. One end of each tube in the threaded circle is open. Water is then poured into each of the tube openings. The water, which is heated by the radiant heat during the day, tempers the air within the water walls to protect fragile seedlings against the cold frigid nights.

Getting the walls o'water to stand upright is a comedy of errors. There is no surefire way to get them to stand. But once they are upright, they are fairly stable. We usually plant the basil and tomato seedlings first, then surround the walls o'water around the young plants before filling the tubes with water. Although you can do this task alone, it's less destructive to have someone hold the walls o' water in place while the other one fills each tube with the water. I have found that supporting the walls with soil at the base helps to keep the walls more stable. Also, loosely closing the circle on the top so that it looks sort of like a retro teepee provides more stability. As long as there is water in each tube the walls o'water will remain stable. See Planet Natural for alternative detailed set-up instructions. As this article suggests, setting up the walls o'water a week before transplanting may prevent the seedlings from going into shock. Hmmm...I learned something new and may give that approach a shot this season.

Cold intolerant plants inside walls o'water will triple in size and double the yield compared to the same plants living (surviving more like it) outside the walls. They are worth every dollar.