Hi,
I've got my GH ready for spring and wanted to build a bunch of the homemade EBs from directions found in this forum. I was going to do 15 of the single tub design found in the link below.
http://www.seattleoil.com/Flyers/Earthbox.pdf
I'm hoping that some of you might have built from these plans and could help out with a couple questions I have. How often do you add water? How well do they hold up? How much potting mix to fill the 18-20gl container? How did your plants do in them, heirloom tomatoes do ok? Anything you can share would be great.
TIA,
Dave
This message was edited Jan 26, 2006 12:03 PM
Homemade Earth Box Questions.
I was hoping to hear from someone by this time. I'm all for saving money but people have made homemade boxes but I've never heard or seen the end results especially pertaining to tomatos? Surely someone can show the results or was it all for naught?
Hi Tplant,
I'm really interested in these for GH containers. My main concern is overwatering the tomatoes, not sure how damp does the potting mix will get. I'm going to go ahead and build them. They may require some adjustments, but believe the HM EB's should work out ok. I should be able to make them for $9 each. Maybe less than $10 each for the potting mix and fertilizer. So for a total cost of $19 isn't too bad for a filled, 14~15gl (potting mix capacity), self watering container. It will be interesting to try them out :).
Dave
Hi Dave,
I'm going to try a couple for the first time this year also. Here's one I just made today. 22 gallon tub from Wal-Mart's @ $6, plastic container from Big Lots @ $.99 and an old poly cutting board that my wife doesn't use anymore (at least she doesn't now!). If I had to buy one they are $10 at Wal-Marts. That would bring the total cost up to around $17 each (I already had the PVC pipe). Still a lot cheaper than the originals.
I think I might make a couple more, just to see how they work. Seems a little ridiculous since I have 8+ acres of field land. But I figured if they work good it means no more weeding, more time for fishing!
Let us know how yours work out.
Red
Hi Red,
Looks great! I was planning on using the tote cover as the inside screen, so hopefully that will keep me under $9. Besides...you know your wife will be looking for that cutting board...LOL. I've got to get started, 15~20 of these might take a while :). Starting my tomato seeds next weekend, hard to believe it's getting to be that time again already.
Dave
Guys --- before you make a bunch of these be advised I have heard of only one success story? We have asked several times in the tomato and container forum about them and no one has ever replied? Many have tried ! They are not as simple as you think. I tried to build them but could not find a container rigid enough to hold the soil. They look great empty but when you fill them with 60 lbs of wet soil the sides bow out and you will then have the soil sink to the bottom and you end up with a muddy mess and root rot.
Believe me I have no holdings with the earthbox people. All I have is respect for a fantastic product that let's me garden with great success for which I could never accomplish the standard way. However if I can help I will gladly do so. Try and find a very rigid container. A friend of ours used a live fish well from an abondoned bass boat and had great success! The sides were rigid enough to hold the soil.
T,
That's why I went with a heavy screen, these cutting boards are about 3/8" thick and very rigid. Most of the weight should bear straight down and not out. At any rate, it's worth a shot and I will report back. Hmmm, maybe I'll fill it now and see how it acts.
I've used the round tubs with no problem, maybe the shape of the round ones are sturdier but they're about the same gauge poly. They were watered from the top and worked very well. Also I did not have a reservoir and/or screen in the bottom. Maybe this makes a difference. See pic.
This message was edited Jan 29, 2006 1:43 PM
Hi Guys,
I'm thinking that the potting mix tends to form to the container and stay put. Whenever I empty a pot out it usually comes out in a block. If the sides don't bow out when first filled it should be ok. If it does bow, then I'll just stack it into another of the same container. I picked up 20 sturdy 18gl containers at Walmart today for less than $4 each. I'll make a few this week and fill them to check if the sides hold up. It will also give me a chance to see how damp the potting mix gets. I think they will be ok.
Dave
Dave,
I think you have to make sure that the screen is stiff enough by support on the bottom so that it doesn't collapse when filled. I noticed that the originals have a pretty substantial grid work under the screen. It seems to me that if the sides bow out, then it would have to pull the ends in when it does, and with the box full of soil I don't see how this could happen unless the screen does collapse.
Also, with the tubs that I'm building, theres only about a foot of space for soil above the screen. I think these boxes can handle it o.k.
Of course that's only my opinion! ☺
Red...I'm going to make supports from 4" PVC pipe. Maybe 6 under each screen. A 10' section will yield enough for at least 3 boxes. 10' PVC drain pipe is ~$5. I'll do as the plans suggest and make the screen out of the inside portion of the cover. Then attach it to the PVC columns. If these work well I might need more than 20, so still trying to keep material costs under $10. I was planning to plow out another garden area, but maybe enough of these containers will work out better. The first batch will go in the GH hopefully on 4/1. So that will give me a couple months to see how they do. If all goes well I'll make another batch and leave them outside for things like peppers ( They don't seem to do well for me in the ground), eggplant, lettuce, squash, cucs, beans and carrots. After the growing season and removing the fertilizer strip, the potting mix could be flushed and reused over and over. Dump it in a wheel barrel, mix in more compost put it back in the box and cover it up. Ready to go next year :). It least I'm hoping it's that easy...LOL.
You can not overwater the Earthbox. The drain hole is below the grate.
I made one single gigatic earthbox last year. 8' x 4'. I planted peppers in it. I will try to send pictures. My control plants in the raised beds did not do a fraction as good. I finally pulled them out last weekend. Here is the control. Two poblano peppers in the raised bed produced seven good sized peppers. The two in the replica earthbox have about 70 to 80 poblano peppers on them. I planted one New Mexican 6-4. I harvested a full grocery bag of peppers from the one plant last weekend. I had one chile piquin in the giant earthbox that has hundreds of peppers on it right now. The control from the raised bed had 14. I planted pimentoes in both beds. The pimentoes in the raised bed were very unhealthy. I actually was able to harvest some really healthy ones from the giant earthbox.
Here is the problem that I had. I did build the earthbox until June 27th. We were having 100 degree days with no rain until the first week of November and the heirloom tomatoes were too hot to germinate. Nothing in my garden produced tomatoes after that.
I am confident that the tomatoes would have absolutely done well if I would have made it earlier in the season.
I will try to remember to take a picture of the giant earthbox now and post it
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/524323/