So many have now purchased EBs (Earthboxes) and so many more are curious about them and setting them up so I had to set-up five today so I thought I'd take detailed pictures of the process. Hopes this helps but you are always welcome to ask questions. This is the basic components of EBs except for the cover.
Here you can see the screen that sits atop the supports shown already in the EB.
The screen goes in on top of the supports already in the EB.
Pictured at top is the fill tube. Make certain it fits as shown. I forgot to add one convenient fact. Make sure the fill tube will be positioned on the same side as the drain hole. This makes it very convenient when filling the box with water as you can easily see the overflow hole. When water flows thru--- stop.
This message was edited Dec 30, 2005 9:30 PM
Tplant, I have only one E box, have used it two seasons and think it is great. Gave my son who live across the mountains from me here in WA, two for Christmas. I remember some discussion on DG about the best kind of mix to use and seem to remember that most thought it best to use a mix that did not contain any fertilizer. I can't remember what I used. Will have to put new mix in this year.
What kind-brand of potting mix do the rest of you good people use. DonnaS
Now comes the important parts. I use Jungle Growth for my potting mix but you can use others. Suggestions for container mix or potting soil come with the initial package. However I found it quite impossible to find a mix w/o fertilizer added. They do recommend Jungle Growth so I guess the JG people do make a mix w/o fertilizer but Lowes and Home Depot don't have it. I have been very successful with this brand even though it does contain a bit of fertilizer.
Miracle-Gro just came out with an organic mix that does not contain fertilizer but BEWARE! It says in small print NOT FOR CONTAINERS.
This message was edited Dec 30, 2005 10:06 PM
The tools of the trade. A bucket to mix the soil with water to form a paste. I'll show later why so very important for soil to be wet. A hand spade to smooth the mix as it is being set in place. A toy shovel I borrowed from my grandson. Real Handy!
Fill the bucket with soil and soak it with water. Make sure it is thoroughly soaked but not muddy.
Remember this shot? Now take notice of the angular cut out in top right and bottom right corners. They are the key to success...
After you place your screen pack the two angular corners of your EB pressing firmly to gently pack the soil. This is your wick to start the process to water your plants. Place the filler tube into the circular cut in the screen.
This message was edited Dec 30, 2005 10:09 PM
This message was edited Dec 31, 2005 11:03 AM
Now start to add your wet soil into the EB and wet again to make sure it settles in w/o air pockets. Do this in three steps and not all at once. I know it will be tempting to fill the box all the way up but don't do it. You don't want air pockets. At about the second step you will be four inches from top.
Now is the time to add two cups of dolomite lime if you are growing tomatos or peppers. Spread it evenly and then mix it up lightly.
After adding the final layer of soil, making sure you are right to the top, add a little mound down the middle. Now comes the fertilizer. I use 10-10-10 but you can use any fertilizer you wish as long as the three numbers are below 15. Two cups of fertilizer in a two inch wide strip down the same side as the filler pipe or other side if you prefer. Keep the fertilizer strip as far away as possible from your plants.
The cover has two sides. White and black. White for Southern states and black for the cooler Northern states. If I used the black side here in So. Fl. I'd cook my plants. I cut two X's in the cover for my tomato plants that I will plant tomorrow as I ran out of time today. Normally I would not have cut the holes until I was ready to plant but I wanted to show you how easy it is to plant.
Well, that's about all I can think of for now. Hope this has helped you to understand earthboxes a little better. Be it known "I have no affiliation with the EB people. I do this just to help others."
Ted
Great directiosn that I'll keep in mind for my next three EB's in the spring. Not to be picky, but the water will move through the soil via capillarity and not osmosis as you mention above. Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a semipermiable membrane...sorry, its the biologist in me :) I had such great luck with cukes and tomatoes until downy mildew set in and I was way too slow with a sulfur solutiion. Thanks for your great advice.
Guess I forgot my biology! It's been a long, long, long, to long ago time but you are correct. LOL Note: When taking these pictures the sun was super bright and I could hardly see my view screen and I just noticed the fill tube is omitted in some of the pics where it should be seen to the right of the picture. The filler tube should be in place before adding any soil.
This message was edited Dec 30, 2005 10:14 PM
Wow Tplant, excellent instructions. I will follow them when I do my EB planting. I am going to ask my parents if any of their nurseries have Jungle Grow. They live out in the country and maybe they have different soil than what we can get in Austin.
I copied the link to this to add to the thread on the tomato forum where you said these instructions are.
I can't wait to set up my EB!!!
Michelle
Tplant, do you keep the old soil after pulling out the previous plants and roots? Also, do you disinfect the EB's after dumping old soil if the plants had some sort of disease?
Toni
I keep the soil and simply add more every year. It's a good practice to disinfect when empty if a disease has taken over. If you maintain a spraying plan you should not have any problems except for the normal dying of the older leaves at the bottom.
Just a thought....while setting up the EB would there be any benefit to introducing earthworms? They are so beneficial to a natural garden perhaps they could help the EB environment as well...not that they need much help. Maybe someone has already tried this experiment?
Some of my boxes developed earthworms after two years. I don't see why one could not add them?
t-plant - i don't know if i have askd this but i would like to start sugar snap peas in my eb's this season. can i sow directly into the eb's and if i can what do i do about the fertilizer and the cover? or would i be better off starting tham indoors and putting them into the eb's later.
thanks
Eb people claim you can direct sow but I think it to be easier to start all plants indoors. Less mess and you can plant only the best. (Hey, it rhymes?)
Disclaimer - I don't have an earthbox. But I followed with interest an Earthbox thread on another forum where the discussion was how to set up an automatic watering system for a series of earthboxes. I think finally the concensus was that it could best be done by connecting the earthboxes with pipe or tubing, then running that tubing to a 5 gal bucket. In the bucket you would have a float/valve like you would in a toilet. As the EB drew down the water level in the 5 gal bucket, the float/valve would automatically refill the bucket. And you could adjust the amount of water the EBs got by simply raising and lowering the height of the 5 gal bucket relative to the Earthboxes. SB
Sounds like a lot of work. Personally, I enjoy yhe watering plus it gives me the oppourtunity to check all my plants.
This, I think, was a bunch of engineer-types who wanted to have their plants watered while on vacation... SB
Their was a gentleman who was on Daves a few years ago that got me very interested in EBs although he built his own out of fish wells of boats. He had large size boxes and made a self watering system. He grew everything including pineapples. He went by the name of "Dogs of War."
Tplant after you put the screen in and you put the two first piles of moist soil in does it go all the way down and touch the bottom of the box?
Michelle
Yes it does. You pack it firmly to make certain it does and this is the wick that serves as a syphon for the water. Be sure to use a quality container or potting mix and not bagged top soil.
Hi I have a question, please. I'm considering getting Eb's or some other type of box as my neighbors trees are getting so big I'm running out of sun space in the yard, so I'm left with the patio. I was under the impression that one of the benefits of EB's was that you didn't have to water often. But I've read a few threads this afternoon that mentioned watering every day. One mentioned having to water twice a day. Your experiences, please.
What about a box called "the Garden Patch"? Any experience? What's best? I am just afraid of investing in the wrong thing for my needs. Thank you for your help.
What exactly are all the advantages to this earth box over the ground for tomatoes and peppers?
Hello everyone,
I am a newbie to outside gardening and I think that using the EBs will be great for me. I'm disabled so I can't dig holes, do weeding, all that type of stuff. So the EBs will be perfect for me. I do have a few questions about them that I'm sure all of you expert DGers will be able to help me with. I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, so if not feel free to move it to the right place. When buying them for the first time, do you buy the whole thing, the "ready to grow kit" for $59.95 or just the EB for $37.95 and add your own soil, fertilizer, etc? I want to make sure that I do all of this right since it is rather costly to start with. I'm thinking of doing at least 4 of them: tomatos, cucumbers, salad of some sort, and squash. I might even try to do some okra and some sort of beans. I would also like to can or freeze whatever my DH and I do not eat so that we will have fresh veggies in the winter. I will visit that forum too since I do not know how to do all of that. Anyway, any advice that you all can give me will be very much appreciated. I would really love to be able to eat my own food instead of what we have to buy at the grocery store. I am really looking forward to this even though I am sort of scared of getting them and then messing them up. But I really want to try it and I am hoping that they all do very well. Once again, thank you all for any advice that you can give me.
JesseK
Hi maddio --- Depending on what you are growing, your climate and amount of sun determines how often you water your EB. No different than watering your other plants.
dmj1218 -- The difference is care free maintaince and the plants are not subject to soil born disease
JesseK --- I too am disabled and could never do any real gardening if it were not for my fifteen EBs. Your boxes can be supported off the ground just by using a palate.( Your DH knows about these things) You can also use a garden scooter as shown in Gardeners Supply. I have one and can't go w/o it. Don't worry about making a mistake. Just follow simple directions and we are always here to help. Save money and order the box with out the soil. Buy top quality potting mix from Lowes or Home Depot. I use Jungle Growth some use any good brand with the least amount of fertilizer in it. You will be amazed at the health and growth of your plants compared to in-ground plantings. Another plus is no weeding and you only fertilize once at set-up. All you do is fill the box with water once a day or every two days depending on your climate. Go for it!
I ordered 5 earthboxes, they arrived by fedex today.
I must have gotten the new style of earthbox that everyone is talking about, because mine does not look like the pictures at the top of this thread.
All that was in this box was the boxes, and the screens. Is that all there is? wasn't i supposed to get fill tubes too? and plastic covers?
I sure hope i get another box tomorrow, because i don't have everything that they advertised, i may be making a call to customer service.
Thanks TPlant, great pictures. Where do you order the EB's? Is this something they have at Home Depot, Walmart or a local store?
Thanks for your help.
Megan
Are your boxes gray? You say you didn't get a cover? You are supposed to get two covers with each EB! The new EBs cost about $38.00. How much did you pay? If your filler is at the base of the EB than you have the newer more expensive EB. Let us know?
Megan --- No they are patented and are available at www.earthbox.com
Here is what i got. I paid $194.50 for five of these. they came in a plain brown box and didn't even come with a packing slip or invoice.
GTG - Wait a day or two. There may be another box coming with the tubes, covers, and packing slip/invoice. If not, call them up and give em you know what. Ed
Green, you are definitely missing some important items. Odd that they didn't come in the bottom of the box?? I bet Ed is right...another box is coming. Of course, I'm impatient and would call them. :)
It appears you have recieved the new ones? I asked you yesterday if there was a space on the side of the box to fill the water? If so you don't need a fill tube! Your screen sits on top of the prongs that you see sticking up from the bottom. However, you should have two covers(Plastic)with each box plus the invoice?
Can you take a picture of the fill area and the overflow hole? I'll be able to answer your questions a little better. You have a superior EB compared to mine....
