f.a.q.'sanswered
Q - Are these units made from "plumbing" PVC?
A - No. Although similar in appearance, we use quality furniture-grade PVC which contains UV inhibitors to protect it from premature weathering that is common with standard "plumbing" PVC. We stand behind our units with a five year guarantee
Q - Can I use soil-based material in your unit, such as potting soil?
A - Although possible to do, our units are not designed to use soil-based materials, such as potting soil, due to its weight. However, if you decide to use soil type material, you will need to add extra support for the support tubes to allow for the increased weight and to keep the support tubes from bending and separating from the frame. By design, the support tubes "snap" into their mounting holes and under normal "hybrid hydroponic" use will perform correctly. When heavier soil media is used, the extra weight will bow the tubes and cause them to come out of their mounting holes. Screwing the support tubes (under the pots) to the outside frame can also be done to stop the tubes from coming out of the frame and will provide increased stability.
Q - Is it truly portable and come with wheels?
A - On our earlier models we included wheels as standard equipment but soon discovered not everyone wanted wheels, so we now offer wheels as an accessory to keep costs down for those who don't want them. Each model is portable even without wheels since it is constructed as a unitized body when assembled. It is extremely lightweight and can be picked up and moved if necessary. We recommend to purchase the caster set if mobility is desired, you won't be disappointed.
Q - Can you really grow enough food to justify the cost?
A - We have several models to choose from as well as custom units that can be built to size. What is usually overlooked is you save space by growing vertically. For instance, the TR-6-48 is really a 24 foot long row in a conventional soil garden that grows the equivalent in only four feet. In a garden there is space on either side of the row which works out to be about the same width of the unit. So two units is the equivalent of a 48 feet row. If you consider the time and money spent to prep, maintain, move and rotate crops, irrigation costs, fertilizer costs, etc, our units become very inexpensive. Plus, you don't have to stand on your head while prepping, maintaining, and harvesting your garden. If unusally cold or stormy weather were to threaten your garden, just move it to a temporarily safe haven...try that with a garden in the ground.
Q - Does the unit have to be assembled?
Yes, in most cases due to shipping costs. However, most units are partially assembled from the factor so all that's left to do is to put the pre-assembled units together as well as any additional accessories purchased with the unit.