My new garden.

Here are the pictures of the Garden that my son built for me.

and some more pictures.

This is just about what it looked like before the renovation only the timbers were not there originally. I just had weed cloth.

This is our supervisor telling us how he wants it !!!

My son wondering what he got himself into ?

My tomatoe plants patiently waiting to be planted. Note: The light green growth on the top of the plants. This new growth came about three days after spraying with Messenger.

Lookin' good to me, T!

You've got quite a garden there!

Hope I don't hurt your eyes but this is me with the rubber mulch I'm always talking about. For me it is a godsend for it does a beautiful job as my experience proved to me.

Have to take a dinner and a "Lowes" break ! "I'LL BE BACK."

Do they use color on rubber mulch? It looks reddish, what I saw was black. I dont know that its available in my area but I thought the ground would get too warm with it. I seen some of rubber mulch at a garden show somewhere.

there is a garden center about 5 miles from here that colorizes and sells rubber mulch. It is comprised of ground up tires that has had the wire removed by using a strong magnet. They colorize it by putting it in a concrete mixer adding dye and turning the mixer to coat the mulch. only drawback is the mulch is not biodegradable

edited to add: "here" in this case is Spring Hill, FL not Apalachin, NY

This message was edited Dec 12, 2004 6:07 PM

Nice lookin' garden there Tplant!

Keep those pics coming!

I'm back. The mulch does not break down and does not wash away in a Fl. downpour and that's the best part. No bug breeding ground, no weeds versus weeding. I've been using it for two years. When I moved I scooped up my mulch and took it with me. Mine is red but it also comes in black and any color you want if you special order.

This message was edited Dec 13, 2004 11:03 AM

This picture was taken more than two weeks ago. It is a photo of my "Glory" tomatoes. These are the ones I spoke about in my previous thread. They are delicious ! I am growing many varieties but I am staggering the determinates because they are not continuous.

This message was edited Feb 14, 2005 2:04 PM

As you can see I use earthboxes because for me it is a lot easier but mostly far more productive as I'll show you now and as the season goes by. The strawberries are "Sweet Charlies." On the left are the recommended strawberry pots you see advertised in catalogs. On the right is "Earthbox." All planted the same day and purposely used as a comparison. The pots are fertilized every month or so. The EB only once at the season. Which would you prefer ?

Here is another view. I know this is the tomatoe forum but it's part of my new garden !

My tomatoes are doing quite well !

P.S. You can see the new growth after using the "Messenger" spray of a few days ago.

This message was edited Dec 12, 2004 8:55 PM

I have an 8' x 8' section that you can see all the way down in the first picture. I am going to use this for in-ground planting as a comparison test for my EB's. This shot was partially ruined by the camera strap but you can also see the square area at the end of the garden.

These are my four pepper plants. I have various colors.The plant in front is an eggplant. Also a pot of cucumbers on the right.

Well that's the Boss telling us to hurry up and finish the job so he can go in and relax. This is a small garden my son built in the front of our home. This is for flowers or whatever.

This message was edited Dec 12, 2004 10:34 PM

My "Better Boy" and "Glory in their EB. I have others, different varities, ready to plant. I will keep you up to date.

OK ! That's it for now . LIFE IS GOOD.

Great pics! Love your garden...and in that last pic you posted...

...now THAT is a great harvest of goodies!

Enjoy!

Thanks Shoe ! I really,really do enjoy.

Hey Big_Red -- Thanks for the compliment but you are the champ. I saw a picture of your garden. I'll try to keep up with you guys.

Thanks for the great tour, Tplant. I like the EBs for several reasons - one of the main ones being the ease of maintaining even moisture for the plants.I have some new boxes that I'm setting up - definitely moving toward more containers.

T - are those "coolers" you have your tomato plants in there?

Wonderful job Tplant and those tomatoes are looking great. So much hard work, here's a hand for you "clap clap clap clap"
:^))))

BTW, if you have too many tomatos to consume, you know where to find me. (heeheehee)

Thanks for asking me in to visit. I really enjoyed it and need to stop by more often.

Molly
:^)))

No Karrie. They are the brand name "Earthbox." You can find them on the internet and get all the info you need. I started a thread on them awhile back. They are terrific. www.earthbox.com

This message was edited Feb 8, 2005 11:09 PM

Yes Molly. Did you notice the difference in growth of my strawberries ?

Sure did TPlant, they are growing much better in the EB. Great idea.

Molly

Tplant, I'd have to say your "supervisor" did a wonderful job! (besides, he's cute.) Looks great, anxiously awaiting various results.

Thanks! Happy to keep all you hibernating gardeners happy. I'll keep posting as we go. Wish I had a digital...

lol! They look like coolers! Thanks!

Karrie, They work on the same principle as the self-watering plastic pots available at K-mart,Lowes, etc. The difference is that the fertilizer is applied in a two inch band on the top of the potting soil and is only applied once per season. Notice I said potting soil. Clean and sterile.Each box takes 2 cu.ft. About 3 inches off the bottom is a rigid , perforated screen that prevents the soil from lying completely on the bottom. It acts more like a sponge so the plants can draw water as they need it (applied through a protruding tube) and not when you think they need it. It is their choice. On the top, to cover the box, is a light stretchable cover that closes the top of the box and prevents the growth of weeds and discourages harmful insects. You can get a complete view by going to "EARTHBOX" on the net. You can see the difference of quality growth and ease of growing from my pictures. I will be taking more pics this weekend but they will have to be developed. Try www.earthbox.com

This message was edited Dec 18, 2004 11:13 AM

Your vegetables sure do seem to be doing great in the Earthboxes! Hope my homemade ones will work as well. I am going to try the Messenger too. Have some daylily seeds starting inside the house this winter and will try it on them.

Susan

I swear by those EarthBoxes. I used them for the first time this past season and they doubled my crop! I have 9 of them now, and I find that I can grow 2 plants per, or one big tomato plant with a pepper plant, eggplant, or Okra at the other end. This year I intend to plant a big pot of French Marigold's between each planter to discourage white flies, etc. They sure take the guesswork out of watering! They're a bit pricey at the onset, but will probably last a lifetime.

LOVE your gardens T!

Hi Sequee --- Thank you for the idea ! Never thought of mixing anything with a tomatoe plant other than a tomatoe plant. I also plant marigold and nasturtium in seperate pots but why can I not plant marigolds etc. with a tomatoe plant ?

Perhaps they are pricey in a way but when you consider a large flower pot, clay of course or the wind will blow it over, can cost you $50.00 + I think they are a great bargain. A 20" clay pot costs around $15.00 + and holds only 1 cu.ft. of soil. An EB holds 2 cu.ft. so therefore you would need two pots @ $15.00 ea. = $30. 00 and an EB costs $29.00 and holds 2 cu.ft.

Taking all the hard work out of gardening for me has been a joy. No back-breaking weeding. Fertilizing once a season. Never worry about overwatering. Exceptionally healthy and productive plants. Have I missed anything ?

This message was edited Dec 19, 2004 12:30 PM

The comparison of my strawberries-------- one in a pot ------- other in EB. You tell me which is the better deal ? Remember I'm just an amatuer gardener but Earthbox has made me a Pro !

This message was edited Feb 10, 2005 8:32 PM

Time to fertilize some of my older EBs that I set up in late October as my tomatos are showing signs of hunger. The signs are bit of yellowing and slower production rate. All in all they are still producing and doing just fine. A lot of my tomatoes never make it into the house. Yesterday I ate, in my garden, four beauties. Three Big Boys and one Mr. Stripey. Always enjoy lunch in my garden and from my garden. Can't wait till my cherry tomatos start producing. I planted Sugary and Sprite in one of my boxes yesterday alongside a Dr. Carolyn which has a three week headstart.
Can't get over the growth and sturdiness of Suddath Brandywine. It is a beautiful plant in it self and I will take pictures to show you. Never had much luck with this plant before but it seems to love my EBs. Prior to this I always grew in clay 20" in. containers but they never did well. Sorry I only planted one this season and the one I have has some small green tomatos. It does seem to enjoy the cooler weather that we have at this time of year.
I have been so pleased with the production of my EBs(Earthboxes)that I just ordered six more.Some of you may not like to hear about my re-ordering because of Pete2 previous conversation with one of their managers but few can claim that they are not the greatest for production and ease of gardening ? Anyway that brings me to a total of thirteen EBs that will provide me with twenty-six varities of tomato plants. Don't know what I will do with them all ? Maybe I can stay in my garden, eliminate dinner as well and live off my tomatos ? I have room in my shed for a cot and they can hook-up Direct TV to my shed and I have running water from my hose and I do have a light in my shed ?? Now where did I put the phone number for the Tomato Shrink ????????

This message was edited Jan 30, 2005 6:24 PM