I received my EB staking system yesterday and set it all up. During the wait for it to arrive one of my tomatoes had grown so big that I had to run out and buy a standard stake just to keep it from blowing around in the harsh wind we had for a few days.
So now that I have the staking system along with the other stake I'm wondering, what's the big deal? It sure looks nice, but I don't think it's anything revolutionary. The price is so high for it that I don't think it's justified. A standard stake will work just as well. I would be more interested in a cage that attaches to the box (like the ones I see in the tomato kits at Gardener's Supply).
I still love the EB, but I just don't see the need to spend about $38 (with shipping) to get this system when two $1 stakes will do the same thing. When I order future boxes I don't think I will get staking systems for them.
Earthbox Staking System - My Thoughts
I just received my first 3 Earthboxes, since I hadn't tried them out, I just got the basic setup. I already had my tomatoes growing in 5 gal. nursery containers, w/ 48" or 52" cages. I moved my already large plants in & slipped the cages over them (w/ a lttle wiggling, they go down in the holes of the plastic over the reservoir). Not the prettiest setup, but looks like it should work...Thistle
For one of my homemade EBs I did use a trellis (I don't think it's wide enough to hold two cages). It fits around 3 sides of the box. On top of that I'm using stakes for each of the two plants. I'm curious, when you planted your tomatoes in the EB did you plant them in the corners like they show on the drawings? If so how did you get the cage to be sort of centered on the tomato, or did you?
I didn't plant them in the corners, I assume they do the spacing that way because of the fertilizer strip. I chose to use organic fertilizer (Espoma Garden tone, lime, & kelp meal) & mixed it evenly w/ the potting mix. The cages overlap a bit in the center & lean a little towards the ends, I may use a plastic tie to hold them together for more stability. Since this is my first try w/ the Earthboxes, I'm experimenting,(& looking forward to some tomatoes & peppers!)...Thistle
I have cukes in one of my EB's and they are huge and sprawling all over the place. I have to figure out a way to trellis them this weekend as they are also covered in baby cukes and have tons of tendrils. My other EB is growing my corn so there's no staking problems there of course.