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Earthbox update...
- Thread starter Bob_B
- Start date
Howdy Bob; is the 7 pot growing in an earthbox?
Nice pods on the Pinot Noirs.
Nice pods on the Pinot Noirs.
boutros said:
I have never used an earthbox before so I checked out the website. The concept seems like it would work perfectly conserving water and minimizing the watering times. I have a few very dry patches of the garden that these would be perfect for, but not sure what type of soil your suppose to use. The site says "potting mix" not potting soil?? What does that mean exactly? Also I don't understand the dry fertilizer mix on the top in a line and not in the water?? Does this mean you have to use stuff like peat in the box and dry fertilzers like mirale grow on top? Or could you use stuff like fox farm and little to no ferts at all? Also what if you did add some ferts to the water?
Also what is the cost of the box?? I have more than enough plants to test out and a great full sun spot for a few of these boxes. Any help on these type of boxes is greatly appreciated.
LGHT said:
I am going to be trying a few of these out next season myself. In terms of soil they are correct. You should use a soilless mix. I am probably going to use Pro-Mix BX but people use Miracle Grow soil, etc. As long as the media can wick the water up you will be fine. So yea, a peat based mix will work.
In terms of the fertilizer strip people tend to recommend the use of a chemical fertilizer. The rationale is that containers don't quite have the same level of microbial life, etc. to break down more organic types. Some people do supplement their fertilization program buy adding water soluble fertilizers to the water reservoir. I however cannot recommend rates, schedule, etc.
Here is a link that may be helpful.
http://shop2.mailordercentral.com/EarthBox/products.asp?dept=5
They even sell kits that will fill the reservoir for you. This allows you to set it up and leave it for the season.
I don't know if I can mention this (so moderators delete this if I am in the wrong)but the members of gardenweb discuss it a lot. They even make their own. Search "earthtainer."
I used Miracle Gro this year as the potting medium. As far as the strip of fertilizer goes, I used an 8 8 8 fertilizer. No one ever said anything about supplementing the fertilizer, however I did last week after I noticed the tomatoes were turning a little yellow. Since I had an explosion of growth and tomatoes and pods, I decided to mix up some fertilizer in water and add to the pipe. It just seemed like the thing to do with that much growth in a small area.
Anyway, I'm happy to say within a few days everything started greening up again. I've already started picking some tomatoes and the bells are doing very well.
I will be buying 3 more units next year. I believe I paid $100 for three and as Josh has said, they're not difficult to duplicate..
Anyway, I'm happy to say within a few days everything started greening up again. I've already started picking some tomatoes and the bells are doing very well.
I will be buying 3 more units next year. I believe I paid $100 for three and as Josh has said, they're not difficult to duplicate..
wordwiz said:
Well, you can start plants earlier in containers, move them to sheltered areas when the weather is bad, and more easily overwinter the plants. Plus, I just like to be able to walk out to the porch and pick a fresh mater.
I still grow many plants in the dirt though.
wordwiz said:
Hey Mike
The earthbox and containers like them make gardening more convenient. You seem to have a wide variety of things and a much larger crop so they probably wouldn't be cost effective etc. for you. But anyway, if you buy the earthbox and the automatic watering system you can set them up in the spring and not touch them the rest of the season. Simply harvest fruit. Even if you do not purchase the automatic watering system you have a 3 gallon reservoir (or much larger if you make one) that you fill up. You don't have to check if the soil is moist etc. you simply keep the reservoir filled and as the plants take up water and the soil dries more water is drawn up into the soil. It is a fairly closed system and as a result you also don't waste water. I am sure there are more positive aspects but those are the couple that came to mind.
LGHT said:
Hey sorry about that I should be a little more clear. When I say soil I don't mean soil. I mean a soilless mix. Here is the type of miracle grow that will work. I have read bad things about the moisture control staying too damp so avoid that.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100619084
wordwiz said:
Yours is a good question Mike. My experience is that my yields per square foot are always better than those in my garden plot. I believe it's because of several reasons - more controlled environment, no weeds that compete for nutrients, easier pest control, and lastly, the quality of the planting medium. If I had 400 cubic feet of Miracle Gro in my garden plot, I'm sure I would have a higher quality planting medium than the soil I amend each year.
But, the convenience is my main incentive. After weeding my 300 sq ft. plot on Saturday, I was whooped. Even with the weed cloth, weeds find a way of encroaching into the area.
Bob_B said:
I know what you mean. Try weeding 3200 sq ft and I don't use weed cloth.
to all concerned I use earthboxes also but I built my own is cheaper that way go to www.earthtainer.tomatofest.com and you will get a set of good plans there. I myself used 18 gallon totes for this
I am using a homemade earth box for my tomatoes and the plants are the healthiest they have ever been. I wish I would have made some for my peppers. I will for sure next season. I made one out of a 22 gallon Rubbermaid tote and another one out of 2 - 5 gallon buckets. They provide a well controlled environment, no over or under watering. The plan gets all the water it needs, when it needs it.
Josh said:
Josh
Josh, thanks for the tips, but the link doesn't work. Can you give me a few examples. Most of the mixes I use contain a wetting agent to retain water, but it seems a good soiless mix for the earthbox shouldn't contain a wetting agent at all. Also if you use miracle grow with ferts mixed in and a large strip of dry first on the top of the soil wouldn't that be too much fert initially and not enough a few months later?
LGHT said:
LGHT,
I am only using this for tomatoes so far and plan to try some peppers next year. I used the miracle grow potting mix with moisture control before I read about just using the regular miracle grow. So far my plants are growing like crazy and have multiple fruit set. The strip of fertilizer is meant to provide nutrients slowly throughout the growing season. I would say if you are even slightly handy you can build your own for cheap and try it out. I have seen pictures online of people growing peppers in them successfully. I hope posting a link is allowed (I am still new here). Check out this link for great info. There are detailed step by step instructions and a few videos of how to make it. You can apply the concept to any size/type of container. http://earthtainer.tomatofest.com/ . Same link as posted above.