Is this the right place to ask if hypertuffa will not crack in zone 5?
I need to know before I go building a bunch!

Well, this lady says that after they're fully cured, they won't be damaged by freezing.
"Karen Gilliam, WSU - Whatcom County Master Gardener

Old Stone sinks and animal troughs have been used to grow plants for many years. Now they are scarce and very expensive. So, we can make them from hypertufa Hypertufa is an artificial medium with absorbent properties similar to tufa rock. It is lighter than regular concrete, and will not be damaged by freezing after it is completely cured."

Here's the link to her site and her hypertufa recipe:

http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/home...

And I remember Carol Eads used to make lots of hypertufa pots, and she was in Zone 3 as I recall.

THANK YOU.
I got dizzy sorting through all the results when I googled it.
Knew someone here would know!

Ha ha, don't take my word for it! I've never made any myself, although I've always wanted to. But I definitely remember Carol talking about making them, and don't remember her saying anything about concerns with freezing. But that's been a long time ago!

According to the lady on that website, you DO have to be careful about not letting them freeze during the curing process, tho.

I always wanted to make some of those pots, but so far haven't gotten around to it. The article I have says that they are good in zone 2, can be left out over winter.

Zone 2!!!!!
yaHOO!

Woof, I'll make them in summer.
I'm not goin out there until it gets significantly warmer and stays that way for awhile!

Be sure and take photos and maybe I will get inspired and make some.

Crittergarden, Chris (goldfinch) has made several and she's in WI (can't remember what zone 3 or 4) I was thinking of making some this year too, but the curing process is a month and I'm slightly impatient, so it may be more than I can handle!! Plus I think you wrap it and are supposed to leave it alone without checking it - really??? I don't think I could do that! (seriously it probably will be on my agenda for this summer! :biggrin:)

I'm actually thinking of just doing some trough like things, as space delineators.

margaret, we crossed posted and I was just about to add almost the same thing! If I know other people are doing this and we share photos I will probably try it!!

Oh, I'm good at ignoring things for awhile!

Crittergarden, (btw what name do you want to go by? Since typing crittergarden is long and well tedious! I'm greg!) I think doing the troughs could be very cool especially if you did low (under 2 feet) plants in them! Hebe's (if they grow there) or something like that!! or wild flowers, could be very interesting! You're giving me an idea for my front yard!! I have all these bushes and trees, and there is one that could be trimmed up and a trough placed there - full sun! a strip of daylillies or rudbekia or something!

Yer thinkin like I'm thinkin!

Mamajack calls me critterg, because critterOLOGIST, whose real name is Jill, has been here longer so mama's not comfortable calling me just "critter".

BTW, for here, I'm thinkin
Semps, sedums, underplanted with bulbs.....

Yes the planting sounds nice!!

This is fabulous!!! What kinds of molds do you use? I want to do this!

Cheryl I know right!! How fun if several of us make these!

I remember Carol used some big styrofoam chests as molds for larger containers.

I just paid an arm and a leg for a large pottery pot for my Japanese Maple. Seems if you have a variety of plastic pots, you could use them knowing your hypertuffa pot would be a tad smaller. Buy various sizes of pots and you could mold yourself an entire selection of pots! I like the idea of forming the stuff over the edges to flare out. What did they article mean when it says you need smaller pots for feet forms?

Cheryl no idea...Chris (Goldfinch4) maybe will know!
I can see it now - hypertufa everywhere! Wolfie, glad to have that idea! Styrofoam molds!