So far I have grown in my fourteen EBs, cucumbers, squash, stringbeans, peppers but my true love are heirloom tomatos. I have had fantastic results as my former pictures have shown. Now because of the heat here in So Fl I'm growing melons for the first time. Three plants to the box and I already have small melons. I started by direct seeding on 5/5. If it grows in the ground it will grow better in an EB. How have you been doing and what did/are you growing??
About Earthboxes and What You're Growing
I have 5 EB growing all tomatoes. Last yr. was first year and I did eggplant in one and I decided I was going to plant a Brug in one, moved it to my daughters garage for the winter. This spring I planted it to a different container. I wish you could of seen the roots. It did flower for me in the EB.If you are familiar with Brugs you know all the watering and feeding we do with our Brug plants. EB sure saved a lot of work. I dont think it would of survived another yr without ruining my EB. Dixie
I started a plumeria from a cutting given to me by Dutchlady in an EB and it took off like a rocket. I'm going to transplant it to the center spot of my lawn and make it my main attraction.
I only have 2 Earthboxes going right now, corn and cucumbers.
Here's the corn at less than 1 month old.
Here are the cukes.
Well I'm at 16 this year and have run out of space so 16 it will stay until 1 fails somehow. This year I have 3 with cucumbers, 2 with bell peppers, 4 with hot peppers, 1 with basil, 3 with tomatoes, 2 with summer squash and 1 with eggplant. Will try to take some more pictures this coming week and the forecast here is for temps in the 90's starting Sunday so I guess the sweating will finally begin in earnest.
Rich
I have 4 EB's. Growing Tomatoes - Sungold, Better Boy, Goliath, Celebrity, Kellogg's Breakfast, Sweet Baby Girl, Big Beef and two sweet peppers. They are all doing great! Much bigger than the tomatoes planted in the yard. Almost all plants have tomatoes on them. Kellogg's Breakfast and Goliath are taking longer, but the plants are getting huge. Sweet peppers are starting to flower. First time with peppers.
up to 10 EB's and still tomatoes..although I did buy cuke and bean seeds to try out next spring. The guy that lives behind me has 5 FIVE count em unused EB's just sitting in his backyard growing weeds *gasp* and I'm trying to figure out a way to casually wonder over (this means crawl over a 6 ft fence or drive around the block) and talk to him about selling them. He told me when we were building our fence a few months back that he had purchased them about 5 years ago and just didn't like them....soo maybe he'll take 50 bucks or so for em.
You'd better act quick because if he sees your results the price will definetly go up!
lol don't tell em but I peeked over the fence and was outraged when I saw a tomato plant in the ground and weeds in the EB! His tomato plant never got past about 3 ft high and didn't have nearly the yeild I had. Was impossible to tell of course what variety he planted but from the overall looks I would say it was a heat tolerant hybrid..his EBs of course are the older models but with the heat here I have to water all the time so I'm not seeing the advatages of the new design much. DH has told me to offer up to 75.00 but that's it since we'll have to buy covers etc. Ohh what I couldn't do with 15 EB's!
I ordered one a few weeks ago and ordered another one today. I can't wait to use them. I started tomato seed for them on Monday and the seeds have germinated already. I can't wait to use them and see the results.
Tplant, please keep us updated if you don't mind with your melons. I think I could grow in my zone if I knew what I was doing. Is it that difficult with an EB?
I'll take pictures this afternoon and show you how easy and gratifying it is to grow melons. They are doing very well and "Oh boy! Do I have melons?" The Venus and Parks Honeydew were first to show . They have five on the Parks and two on the Venus. All getting to be a nice size. Nothing yet on the watermelon although it is difficult to see under the vegetation. I must fill the EBs every day as they really like water and that is about what I had to do with some of my heirloom tomatos. All-in-all it is a lot of fun as at this time of year (heat as high as 90) I would normally stay indoors but with my almost 50lbs of weight loss the heat no longer bothers me as it used too? It is not the heat that is uncomfortable, as a lot of you have much higher temps but it is the sun's UV rays that burn. We always have a breeze but I must be careful and I am. Most of my work is completed after 6 pm.
Tplant, I can't wait to see your pics. When did you start them? I need to put them on my calendar to plan for next year. Don't they take a long time to harvest? I think I will try either canteloupe or watermelon. I bet you are excited that yours are setting fruit and can now watch em grow. The sun does get intense and it does get hot here, but nothing like what you get I am sure. Call me crazy, but I love the heat. However, when the temps start approaching 100 I tend to work outside more in the morning and evening.
Is anyone else growing melons in EB's? Saint, do you have those 5 more EB's yet? Think you can worm those out of your neighbor by next spring and start melons next year?
lol I've come up with a fool proof plan of "dropping in" going to take seedlings over when they are ready since he grows a few tomato in raised beds and not the EB's! And then see if I can work it into the conversation..lol gonna take over cash so if he says yes I can hand him the money and toss them over the fence and run. *G*
Tplant, i just noticed that I did not even mention a thing about your 50 lb weight loss. Congratulations! I have struggled with carrying extra weight all my life and just wanted to say that I don't know you at all, but I am proud of you. :-) If you are looking to lose more, keep up the good work.
ms_merae --- I wanted to take pictures today but never had time. Will do tomorrow. Yes, I am excited about growing melons. Hope they'll taste as good as they are starting to look. The loss of 50lbs is not all my doing. Go over to Accessible Gardening and look-up Bariatric Proceedure 1&2.
Saint --- We're routing for you and those EBs? Go gettum gal before he spots yours. Offer him $50.
lol yep that's my opening offer will go up to 75.00 (that's for all five)
I too am growing melons in an earthbox.I got 5 this year and I'm sure I'll get more next year.I have a melon from Israel called Dvash (honey in Hebrew).I got the seeds from Pinetree Garden seeds.I have tons of flowers and a few of them have set fruit.Lovely little melons.
I too need to water every day.I hate the humidity but don't mind the heat.
Oh how I wish I could loose 50 lbs.! Congratulations!We lived in Pembroke Pines the first year we came to Florida and then bought a house in Hollywood.
Nancy
i have two eb's and i have one each of n.j. giant tomato and one cloud nine white eggplant in each container. i have never had my tomato plants grown so big so fast. same with the eggplants. i posted pictures on the tomato forum.
tplant- not a problem at all....just whenever you have time, no rush.
The EB's are really rockin' now that the weather is finally very warm here in NJ. Took a bunch of pics today. Here's 4 grape tomatoes in 2 EB's with fruit just starting to turn pink.
Rich
Here's 2 Dusky eggplant in another EB.
Rich
And 2 Bush Goliath tomato plants in another EB with some in ground planted Viva Italia plum tomatoes at the left.
Rich
And last here's 3 yellow straightneck squash just getting ready to blossom.
Rich
Here is a pic of Parks Honeymoon hybrid. Will probably get a little larger in the next couple of weeks and then a taste of heaven. There are two more in the back. I planted three in each EB but of different cultivars.
This is a Venus hybrid also from Parks. It is a little larger than the previous and also has two more in the back.
I have some of them trained to climb. I set up a trellis but they prefer a chain link fence.
This is a cantaloupe. There are five in this cluster and three more in the back. All in all all my melons are doing wonderfully and production is high. The EBs really do the job....
Those look great...You know you have to learn the in's and out's cause I'll be buggin you next year..Poor Serg is gonna have to listen to the "Tplant says....." again
Holy Moly! Look at those canteloupe and honeydews. I would definitely say your plants are being productive. It looks so cool growing up the chain link fence. I bet it gives them great support. I can't wait to do them next year and hope, hope, hope I have as much success. Are there also 3 canteloupe's per EB?
Rich your tomato plants and other veggies look so healthy. Have fun harvesting!
Thanks for sharing pics, I am definitely looking forward to using my own EB soon. I have fall tomato seedlings started.
Lookin good Tplant, I've never grown melons cause I just don't have the space. You might want to consider the old stockings used as a sling method on the ones growing up the fence, especially as they get larger, as the weight can easily pull the vine off the fence. I'm not a big fruit person but my wife would be out there with a sharp knife as soon as one was ripe and it would be half gone before it ever made it into the house.
Rich
I planted three per EB and will cut up some old bird netting to support the melons. Hope to do this tonite.
Tplant...I can say from experience to sling those melons :), I planted some along my garden fence and was always finding them at the bottom of the hill when ripe or if it was windy..lol.
Dave
Thanks Dave. I did sling them the other nite and for me with my arthritic shoulders it was a painful job but mission accomplished. My honeydews and cantaloupes are getting quite large and one honeydew is starting to get a yellowish shade but the stem is still green. I understand when the melon is ripe the stem dries up. Is this correct???
Is there one place to get these that they are cheaper than another...do you just go to the web-site...have got to have some of these for fall planting...and another memeber is sending along some heirloom veggie seeds...this is just the ticket.
gardenglory --- Do you mean the earthboxes?
Tplant..I grew cantaloupes that year and didn't pay attention to the stems. I went by color and size, then let them ripen on the counter. I picked them when they looked like what you see in the market :).
Dave
yes...the boxes themselves...thanks