Farms and nurseries
South Jersey and Chester County are the metro’s farm country, and nurseries from Burlington to Gloucester County move plants by the truckload. Both store irrigation water and mix spray, and both do it in totes when the tote’s past is clean.
01Two uses, two standards
| Use | What the tote needs | What rules it out |
|---|---|---|
| Irrigation water | Intact, rinsed, a valve that seals | A fuel, solvent or acid past |
| Spray mixing | A known, compatible history and a clean rinse | Any residue that clashes with the spray |
| Nursery stock water | Rinsed, shaded, screened against mosquitoes | A pesticide past |
| Fertilizer holding | Compatible with the product, labelled | A past that reacts with it |
02The farm’s ticket
Farms buy in ones and twos, or a dozen at a time for a nursery. They want delivery to the field or the yard, a valve with a common thread and a plain history. A farmer who also has empties to sell, from fertilizer or feed ingredient, can post on both sides.
A farm that mixes spray in a tote has a stricter standard than one that stores water. The history of the tote and the history of the product have to be compatible, and the farm is the one who knows its own chemistry. The desk lists the tote’s history and leaves the compatibility to the farmer and the label.
03Where the sellers are
Pureland and the Route 130 corridor are the closest sources in New Jersey, and the Kennett Square belt draws on Delaware and Montgomery counties. A farm in Burlington County is a bridge away from Lower Bucks County.
04Not for drinking
Stored water on a farm is for crops and tools. A used tote is never sold for drinking water, and the guide explains the reasons.
05Water numbers farms use
Texas A&M AgriLife says a 1,000 pound heifer may need about 20 gallons of water a day in hot weather, so one full 275 gallon tote waters such an animal for about thirteen days. UF/IFAS puts one inch of rain on 1,000 square feet of roof at about 600 gallons, which a barn roof of several thousand square feet turns into a tote in a single storm.
06Post the ticket
?Questions on this page
Which farms use totes?
Growers who store irrigation water or mix spray, from vegetable farms to nurseries.
Does the desk deliver?
No. The desk matches a ticket; the two parties arrange the haul.