My garden plot is finally the right size.
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It's getting to be planting season here in the frozen tundra which means it's just about time to roll the old EarthBox out of the shed and get it ready for summer.
For the past 5 years I've been trying unsuccessfully to have a small veggie garden in my yard. It had nice soil and was the right size but as the trees in my yard have matured, it just became too shady and mosquito-plagued so I gave up. And then I read about the EarthBox last winter while flipping thru an old gardening magazine and knew I had to have it the minute I saw it. It was named one of the great new products of 2001 (did I mention it was an OLD magazine?)
Last year was the first year I used the EarthBox and for the first time in years I was able to grow huge, beautiful tomato plants right on my deck with little watering and zero weeding.
What's an EarthBox?
From Earthbox.com: The patented EarthBox was developed by commercial farmers and proven in the lab and on the farm. This maintenance-free, award-winning, high-tech growing system controls soil conditions, eliminates guesswork and more than doubles the yield of a conventional garden with less fertilizer, less water and virtually no effort! No digging, no weeding, no guesswork.
Easy to set up in just minutes.
Grow anywhere, indoors or outdoors.
Big enough to grow anything, compact enough for the patio.
Includes everything, just add seedlings and water.
Complete information and foolproof instructions.
Accessories available to grow anything.
Available in three attractive colors.
Portable, reusable, UV protected, recyclable.
How EarthBox works
At first glance the EarthBox looks like any other large terra cotta colored plastic garden box, but it's different on the inside. The bottom part of the box remains empty. Damp soil is placed on top of a ventilated shelf and goes all the way to the top of the box. The entire box is then covered with a black plastic cover into which you cut slots that the seedlings fit into. A hollow tube extends out of the box and down into the hollow bottom. When water is added through the tube it goes straight down to the hollow bottom of the box where the moist potting mix slowly conducts the water and nutrients to the plant roots. I only have to water my EarthBox through the tube about twice a week or every other day in really hot weather. On overly hot days I use the casters on the bottom of my EarthBox to roll the entire thing to a more shady area so the plants don't wilt.
The EarthBox cannot accomodate and entire vegetable garden. The directions state that for tomatoes, only 2 seedlings should be planted. I planted 4 which overwhelmed my box. I really should have followed the directions more closely last year as I planted four tomato seedlings which quickly overwhelmed my EarthBox and made it tip over. This year I'll stick to only 2 plants and get a few more EarthBoxes for other veggies and for flowers and herbs.
At about $40 per box, it is on the expensive side but I believe it's worth it for the convenience factor alone. And it helped me grow huge plants the bore tons of fruit! Here in Michigan it's not safe to plant outdoors until Memorial Day which is when I planted my seedlings. By 4th of July the tiny 4-inch seedlings I planted had grown to over four feet tall!
I had really good luck with my EarthBox and look forward to using it, and several more, this summer. I love being able to go away for the weekend and not worry about how my plants are doing while I'm away. I love being able to come home from work and not spend an hour running around with the hose to water my veggie plants and not be chewed up my mosquitoes. I heartily recommend the EarthBox!
Last edited on Jul 28, 2009
EarthBox Garden Kit in Terra Cotta is recommended by Buggheart
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Best Price $43.53 or Buy New $62.34
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