Are your EBs overcrowed?

Over in the tomato forum someone said she had trouble last year with two large inderterminant tomatoes in just one EB and will have only one per box this year. Has anyone here has this problem?

Hi,

Mine did fine with 2 per box, but it probably varies with variety. One that I grew in the ground (Coyote) grew so large it basically over-ran both it's neighbors... and I imagine that one in an earthbox might very well have been a good candidate for just one per box.

Thanks for the input essentialplanet. The person on the tomato thread said she had disease issues. I think her particular EB's may just have been malfunctioning or the diseases were just in her garden anyway. I have heard of other EB's not working well when they were not set up properly. Since I'm not getting other 'yes that happened to me to' responses, I think it was just her isolated issue.

I've only grown tomatoes in EBs for a couple of years, but I put two to a box and they did just fine. Only problem I had was the second year when I didn't add enough hydrated lime and had a bit of a problem with blossom end rot. Cleared right up when I mixed some with water and poured it in. Just for the heck of it, I planted another of the same variety tomato in a larger, regular pot. Didn't do anywhere near as well as the ones in the EBs.

Woofie, I am excited about the EB's I will use for the first time this year. I'm sure my energetic and healthy DH will plant some tomatoes in the ground since he is both able and 'Baa Humbugs' any innovations, so we will have comparisons.

Blossom end rot was a specific named by the DGer who had problems. Maybe she forgot the hydrated lime. I will pop back over to that thread if I can find it again and suggest your solution.

I feel encouraged!!! Many thanks and best wishes for great production this year.

Lily

The first year I used my EB for tomatoes, I followed the instructions to the letter and I didn't have any problem with BE rot. The second year, I didn't add as much hydrated lime because I figured there'd be some left over from the first year--apparently that was wrong, wrong, wrong. Funny thing was that the tomato in the pot didn't have the problem, even tho I hadn't added any lime to it. But it only produced a few tomatoes, too. It may be that because the plants in the EBs produce so prolifically, that they need more of the lime.
I plan to try a couple of other things in EBs, too. The EB company says you can grow corn in them, so I want to try that, also some cabbage. I have yet to grow cabbage without the cabbage moths getting to them first. I figure I can cover an EB completely with moth-proof mesh with just the filler tube sticking out.

I grow all kinds of veggies in my EBs such as corn, melons, cantaloupes, stringbeans, broccoli, brussell sprouts, cucumbers, spinach, peas and of course tomatos. I use dolomite lime as they suggest but I can no longer buy pure dolomite. I must use a mix of dolomite and hydrated because Lowes no longer carries it in stock. I guess it will be alright.

What's the difference between dolomite and hydrated?

Dolomite contains far more minerals and also dissolves slowly and will not burn.

Reason I wondered is I haven't been able to find dolomite here either. Any idea why it's hard to find?

I had it here for years at my Lowes store but then without notice they stopped carrying it. They now have a package that combines dolomite and hydrated lime which I am now forced to use. I'll see how it works...

Well, if it's any consolation, the hydrated lime seemed to work fine for me. So I would think the mixture would work well, too. I'll have to check the Lowe's in Spokane and see what they have.

Glad to hear it woofie! I was a bit concerned as I'll not be using it until May when I start my melons. Pertaining to the original question about overcrowding I believe it was sequee and me as we were discussing large indeterminates taking over our EBs. Not all indeterminates but Sudduth Brandywine really took over. I used to grow one determinate and one indeterminate in each EB and the indeterminate simply crowded out the determinate by blocking the sun. However two indeterminates or two determinates do very well togeather as long as you keep the same classes togeather and not mix them as the indeterminates will take over every time.

Funny. I only planted one indeterminate last year and it really didn't do much. Of course, it wasn't in an EB, but still, compared to all my other tomato plants, in and out of EBs, it was pretty pathetic. It was a Brandywine, too. I think I got a grand total of 6 tomatoes off it. The Super Marmande in the pot right next to it did much better.

I only grow Sudduth Brandywine at this time and they are not a volume producer compared to hybrids but the size and taste makes the difference but only six tomatos does not sound right. I only grow in the patented EBs and recieve at least twenty or so from each bush. Possibly the soil or fertilizer wasn't just right? Try again next season but plant them in an EB... You won't be disappointed as I have grown Marmande and they are good but not as good as Sudduth Brandywine in my opinion.

Hmmm, that reminds me, I need to locate some more Super Marmande seeds. The ones I grew last year were from cuttings and I snoozed and lost this year and I am out of seeds! Eeeek! I've grown them for several years and been quite pleased with them.

Tplant
You said you grew melons in your EB's. Could you please tell us how. I have growm tomatoes
and peppers in mine and had good luck. However, I have tried to grow melons for years in the ground, and containers (not EB's) and never got anything, I was thinking about trying strawbales this year, but would also like to try EB's.

Annie

Ok! Here is a picture of me before I lost about 20lbs or so. Corn in two of my EBs.

This is the quality of my corn...It was delicious. Sixteen stalks in each EB x 2 EBs = 32 stalks @ 2 ears per stalk for a total of 64 fantastic ears. Now for the melons..

As far as melons are concerned I grew several types. Watermelon, honeydew, spanish melons, cantaloupes etc. Just go to www.earthbox.com and follow their planting directions. I direct seeded but only planted three per EB. The melons do very well and don't require anything but water after the initial set-up. I start melons in March after my tomatos are finished. I have complete photos in the melon threads.

HiTplant,

Last year I tried to grow melons and failed. The plants grew real nice but every melon shriveled up and died when real small. Probably didn't pollinate. But I didn't see any bees around at all, and I read you need them to do the job. Can us mortals play bees ? O Guru of EB's, please help me!!!!

BocaBob

Back to the original question of indeterminates in EBs? At one time I mentioned that my Sudduth Brandywine crowded the EB and perhaps I should grow only one per EB? This was pertaining to that variety not necessarily all indeterminates. However, I continue to plant two indeterminates to the EB? This season they seem to be sharing their space in a very neighborly way. Go figure??

Tplant, thanks so much for posting the pics of the corn in the EBs. I plan to try that this year, but I wasn't sure how many to put in each EB. My DH is going to be very happy! (He loves fresh corn)

Bocabob -- Some melons need a pollinator. It usually says so on the package and the pollinator seed is included but I purchase melon seed that is self pollinating in case the pollinator does not do its job. (LOL ) My Mickeylee watermelon was delicious along with the honeydews and spanish and casaba melons. Use a 10-10-10 fertilizer and lime just the way you would set up for tomatos. I'll be doing mine in March and we can start togeather.
PS. Order your melon seed now so you will have it in time and be assured that they are in stock. Take a quick ride to Lowes and buy Mickeylee and sugar baby seed while they have them nice and fresh. The rest will be mail order. I'll be growing the new bush variety melons which are space saving but hard to find.

Tplant - All my seeds I orderd for the year have arrived. The melons I bought were Crimson Sweet, Mickeylee, Edisto 47 (American Melon), and Planters Jumbo. I hope these are good for south Florida. I'm such a Newbee.
The Crimson Sweet came Monday, I planted 6 seeds on Tuesday, and they all sprouted Friday. Wow. Is Mickeylee a self pollinator?
Between Tuesday and today, I planted peas, snap peas, beans, peppers, tomatoes, lemon cukes, reg cukes, 8 ball zucchini, One ball yellow Zucchini, and 3 kinds of lettuce.

Tplant,

When I saw the post in the tomato forum about the trouble someone had with overcrowing with two indeterminates in one EB, I was powerreading, couldn't remember which thread it was in and could not find that post again when I looked for it. If you are the one I'm glad you found us. Sounds like the problem was not as great as I thought, and it is solved, or maybe someone else posted also.

What spectacular corn!!! Now tell me you lost 20 lbs eating hot buttered corn and I'll be looking for two more EBs tomorrow. LOL

Lily

Lily -- How about losing 100lbs? Anyhow it was Sequee and I having a discussion on how big certain ones get and I did say perhaps it would be best to grow only one Sudduth Brandywine per EB? As I said before I still grow two to the EB.

Bob --- May be a little to early for melons as they are heat lovers. If we have another cold snap they might not make it and that is why I wait till March. It takes 120 days or so for a ripe melon so by July I have melons. Never tried this early? Should be interesting to see how you do? Don't forget pictures???

Tplant

100 lbs. Congratulations!

Re. the EBs. Thanks for the reminder. It must have been you and Sequee's chat I was reading. I told myself to write down your names when I came over to pose the question to this forum. I wanted to be able to find you again. But then, I never listen to myself.

I also wanted to hyperlink to your chat, but I haven't taken the time to learn how to do that yet. I'm still fairly new to DG. I'll learn it all in due time.

Lily

Meanwhile we are here to help you enjoy gardening!

Anyone know of any special offers or discounts currently available for Earthboxes. I am thinking of ordering more...

Tplant - I need to grow corn!!!!!! What is the name of the corn you grew?

I wish there was a way to post more than one picture per reply. Is there?

Any variety of corn will do as it all grows very well for us. Pick what you like? As far as double picture goes there is a way but I don't know how?

Only way I know to post more than one picture at once is to paste them into a single file. I only know how to do that in Photoshop.

Woofie and others,

About adding more than one picture with a post: Again I don't know where I read it, but I think they (the powers that be at DG) are working toward an easy way to do that, but now it can be done but is tricky. You could email Dave to find out.

Lily

If someone is looking for an unusual, very tasty tomato for an earthbox and is concerned about sprawl, Lime Green Salad might be a good selection. Grew it in the dirt last year and it was the very different from 30 other cultivars I planted. 24" to 30" tall and under 3 feet wide with dense lush foliage. Hidden underneath the canopy were loads of inch to inch and a half tomatoes. When ripe, they are green with an amber/yellow blush. Juicy and sweet. Pretty sliced on a plate. It is a determinate so there is a flush and that is it. I had fruit for 5 to 6 weeks.

David,

Don't know if I need another tomato to grow this year but if I did I would consider Lime Green Salad. You must be a salesman. Your description was captivating: like reading a novel.

Lily

Lily...lol...why thank you...

All that said, I'm not growing Lime Green Salad this year. Only because it is a determinate and I'm rapacious. I want tomatoes from every foot of space from the first day possible until the frost kills the plants.

Jimmy Nardello pepper plants worked great in an earthbox last summer. 8 plants per box. Lots of sweet red Italian frying peppers from the investment in that EB.

Quick! Where's my dictionary, honey? David_Paul answered my post and he's rapacious. He may need help! LOL

We love peppers in our household. I read the comments in Plant Files about Jimmy Nardello after I read your post above. Rave reviews! This is certainly one to try. I particularly liked the comment about it being disease free in an earthbox when other plants were afflicted. So many cultivars: so little space!

Lily