A very kind person compiled the list of components and tools necessary for the EarthTainer build. I will be adding this list in the next Rev change. Here it is for now:

EarthTainer Materials List

Rubbermaid 31 gal Roughneck 2
9x9x6 Pond Filtration basket 1
#8 x 1/2 Self-tapping screws 4
1 1/2" Sch 40 PVC 19"
Coat Hanger 20"
Aerosol Can Cap 1
Cork 1

FOR TOMATO CAGES
18" x 54"x 3/16" Hvy Duty Tomato Cage 2
1/8" Wire Rope Clip 15
3/16" x 1 1/4" Fender Washers 8
Zip Ties
30 Gal Trash Bag 1
Plastic Clothespins 4
3/16" x 2" Toggle Bolt 2

2nd Story Cages
18" x 54"x 3/16" Hvy Duty Tomato Cage 2
1/8" Wire Rope Clip 1
Zip Ties

Tools Needed
Sabre Saw
Drill
Adjustable wrench
Flat & Phillips Screw drivers
Scissors
Safety Goggles
Marker
1/8" drill bit
3/16" drill bit
3/8" drill bit
1/2" drill bit
2" hole saw

Raybo

You can either watch it "real time" from their Server, or better yet, you can download the 3 Chapters to your PC for viewing or skipping ahead, repeats, etc. Make sure you have a DSL link as the 3 files total 240 MBytes (about a 15 minute download time).

Be sure to also download the new Rev 1.3 Construction .pdf as there have been some enhancements since the Video was made. As always, please remember the Feed The Children Organization.

http://www.tomatofest.com/tomato-earthtainer.html

Note: Mel Gibson doesn't have anything to worry about as I doubt I will be making the trip to the next Cannes Film Festival. Anyway, it was a lot of fun building an EarthTainer with Gary Ibsen - - and thank goodness for digital Video Editing!!!

Ray

http://earthtainer.org/Home_Page.html

Here is a link that might be useful: EarthTainer Construction Video Links

Al's Mix is actually really cheap to make, and quite easy. Bags of bark are cheaper than potting soil ($3.50 for 1.5 cubic feet) and my local bulk bark place lets you pick up cubic yards for about $27. That would definitely be the way to go for you, since you're filling big pots. (My rule of thumb is "you always need a lot more mix than you think you do!)

It's easy to get overwhelmed by the big long thread, but here's what it distills down to: bark, peat, perlite & nutes.

Everything can be found at Home Depot. Look for "soil pep" bark and bales of peat by the potting soil. The perlite is by the houseplants. The fertilizer aisle has lime and osmocote. The only thing you won't find is the micronutes, but you can water with Miracle-Gro containing those. Be sure to pick up a big tarp & shovel for mixing if you don't have one.

Here's your proportions.
2 bags soil pep or other bark (or 4 5-gallon buckets)
5-gal bucket peat
5-gal bucket perlite
2 cups dolomite lime
2 cups osmocote

* Watering technique is very under-rated in container culture and can easily make the difference between success and failure. To illustrate: When an apprentice goes to Japan to study under a bonsai master, he will often spend 6 months or more doing nothing but learning how to water before he is entrusted with any work on the master's plants.

Ask a greenhouse plantsman what he feels is the most important job in the successful rearing of a crop, and his answer will be "proper watering".

* A generalization - the more often your planting needs water, the healthier the roots will be, as long as you don't forget to water. The need to irrigate frequently indicates good aeration and drainage, which insures that air is returning to the soil before anaerobic conditions cause the death of fine rootage. Watering also forces old, CO2-rich air from the soil and pulls O2 rich air in behind it.

* Don't water on a schedule. Water when the rootzone is first dry to the touch. This can mean watering new plantings (shallow roots) when the lower parts of the container are still wet, but for established plantings, water when the soil at the drain hole feels dry - or use the sharpened dowel trick. Your sense of touch registers 'dry soil' when soils are still about 40% saturated. Plants, however, can still extract water from conifer bark and peat down to about 30% saturation - after that, water is held too tightly for plants to access.

* Your soil should allow you to water at every watering so that water drains freely from the drain hole. The best way to water a container is: Wet the soil until you 'feel' the container is about to start draining from the bottom and stop. Wait 10 minutes and add additional water until about 10-15% of the total volume of water applied in both applications exits the drain hole. The first water allows dissolved solids to dissolve into solution, and the second watering flushes them from the soil.

* If you cannot water as described above w/o risking root rot, your soil is inappropriate. You may be able to correct by adding a wick through the drain hole of the container to remove excess water in the PWT until the planting is mature enough to do it on its own.

That should give you something to think about until others arrive with their own tips. ;o)

Al

Growing blueberries in large pots is a great idea though, it's easy to adjust and keep the soil as acid, (lowbush likes a ph of about 4.0 to 5.0) as it likes, without effecting your other soil as much.
It's also great to be able to cover the whole large pot with fencing or netting or rowcover etc, to protect from frost, birds etc.
When they start producing- you'll get 5 or 6 pints per plant.
The pots I use are from Lowes, Home Depot etc- they are off white (best for not frying the soil, about 20-24 " across, only about 20" deep, but are supported with welded wire fence round cages that I can cover when needed, and that add to the stability of the pot. By the way, the pots come with removeable saucers. I take them off and use them for birdbaths and micro mix growing of lettuce. I drill new holes, about 1/2" all the way around the bottom of the pots about an inch up from the ground. I cut circles of metal screen or landscape fabric to fit into the bottom and up the sides past the holes which keeps out the critters like sow bugs etc.and stops the soil from leaving the pot. I mix in Soilmoist (best price I've found is at LIroots.com), in all my pots. Not cheap, but lasts in the soil for years and years and really helps the pot watering scenario.
Lastly, put the pots in full sun, and make sure they get an inch of water a week, add an extra 1/2 inch a week when they start producing berries.
Don't be put off by the extra work to get going- blueberries are one of the most satisfying long term crops you can have in your garden.Good luck to you.
Rebecca