My Great Experiment (EB's vs Verticals)

Hi everyone!! (especially Tplant)

Over the last few weeks, I have been setting up my new garden. I started with 6 EB's (Earthbox's) and 4 homemade ones. Then I discovered Hydro-stackers and EZGro's(both vertical hydroponic systems). My big test is to compare all the above this season, (which down here is all year long), to see where I get the best production of veggys and fruit. I also have set up automatic watering systems for both the EB's and the hydroponics. Very cheap and simple, by the way. I bought 1 economy EZGro on line (solid Plastic) and 20 hydro-stacker pots(styrofoam) and accessaries from the new Hydroponic farm near me.

I started in the fall with the real EB's and homemade ones with tomatoes and cukes. Both performed equally well. I honestly could not tell the difference in the results. I hade 7 foot tomato plants from both. The cukes were also amazing. They climbed up the screen to 10 feet. Then this 10 acre hydroponic farm opened near me with thousands of Hydro-stackers. I was blown away and had to try them.
So here we are, my big experment.

I will be uploading pictures all season of my progress.

Currently I have growing: (all in a very small space within my pool deck which is screened) and a little plot outside
Peas
Snap Peas
Zuccinni
Yellow Squash
Romaine
Black Seeded Simpson
Buttercrunch
Lemon cukes
Watermelon(Tplant said it was to early)
Cantelope(ditto)
3 kinds of tomatoes
Peppers
Beans
Eggplant
A few strawberries
carrots
parsley and oregano
and sweet corn (just planted/have not sprouted yet)

This is the nutrient tank for the hydroponics( has a little pump in side)

here is another view of mostly hydrostackers and the one EZGro

Romaine lettuce in EZGro

big bertha peppers in a hydro stacker

summer squash and beans in EB's

One of two tomato plants that barely got through the early Jan freeze we had

here's the other (Roma) still producing

Snap peas in a homemade EB

yellow summer squash in a hydrostacker

Well I just cant wait to see the pictures from this. I cant believe those stackers could do the 'trick' but I saw the pictures you posted when thinking of buying them, They sure looked good. I dont know why I never thought of the patio for my EB's. Now I know where I can put some more. I just dont have much sun and that would be perfect.

Very cool! I'll post pictures of my EZ-Grow once the strawberry plants arrive.

David

Way to go BocaBob , I must check out the hydrostacker, where did you buy them, how much ?
Had some homemade Earth Boxs in FL....don't know where they went to ?? :) Bought a new one here, at an auction for $20
I moved to KY from West Palm Beach a year ago...No sun today
This is my back yard this AM

I'm very impressed! And have one question--what have you got in the raised hydrostackers as compared to the ones at ground level?

I noticed that you said that your pool area was screened in, how do the bees get in to pollinate or do you hand pollinate?

Very interesting, keep those pictures coming!

Red

O gosh, didnt think of that, I have three lined up on my pation I was working on yesterday, Wonder if I should take them outside. I hope the darn bees come back this year, they were few and far between last year. Dirt dobbers/wasp I have a endless supply.

gardenglory,

You can always grow your plants that don't need pollinating inside the screen, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.

Sorry it took me so long to reply, tough week at work!

Gardenglory- patio gardens are great!

Dreaves- So far EZGro seems very good. My strawberry plants are shipping next week!!! Send pics

Rentman- I bought the hydrostackers from the new 10 acre hydro farm in Delray Beach. I asked the owner if he would sell me a couple. He did at a special cheap price.(1/2 off).He is planning to start to sell them in a couple weeks. The price, I don't know. If you go to Hydrostackers.com, you will see his price. Alittle steep.

dmj1218- Currently I have lettuce, yellow and zuccinni squash, lemon cukes, and watermelon in both (hydrostacker and EB)

Big_Red - I am the "BEE", I am going to try self pollinating the squash and cukes. We haven't seen bees around here in ages. I read up about it, and it seems very possible. I hope. besides like you said, there are plenty of veggies that self pollinate anyway..

Here's a pic of my corn

Today's plum tomato harvest

Romaine in EZGro coming along nice

Beans, cukes, and squash - 3 weeks since planting

It looks so CLEAN!

LTilton - Thanks for the nice comment. It is as clean as it can be.

here's a pic of a good part of the garden

My Beefstakes are finally ready to pick

And my Romas are saying "pick me"

Many pictures coming this weekend as it is three weeks into my great experiment

I'm still waiting for the strawberry plants to arrive! I may have to plant broccoli instead. I have quite a few starts for that in peat pellets. It's a pretty large plant, though. I don't know if the EZGro would really be enough space. How has the romaine lettuce done? It's not as big a plant as the cabbages.

David

Hi Dave,

Sat I will post the romaine pictures. They a really growing fast!

BocaBob

Alitttle update on my experiment:

Starting the 4th week of romaine lettuce in the EZGro

Here is some summer squash in a hydrostacker

summner squash in a EB

pic of 1/2 the garden


more this weekend

fun to look at the pictures, was curious what you were thinking. How do you think its turning out and what is doing the best?? I planted my first EB yesterday, it looks so pathetic with those little plants sticking out, cant wait to watch them grow...hopefully.

Give them a few days and you won't believe their growth. What did you plant gardenglory?

Bob --- That is one unique setup!

I planted tomatoes and cucumbers, I amost hated to waste one on the cukes, they would have probably grown in pots, but they were SO ready to be planted. I also planted two boxes with daylily seedlings. Always looking for a better and faster way to get my favorite crosses of the year to bloom. They love to have their pots sitting in water, so I thought this would be perfect. Im working on a box today that is going to have all seedlings and no fertlizer stirp. Im going to just feed them thru the roots and leaves just as I do now without the boxes. I have a feeling Im going to hit the blooming jackpot with these seedlings. I have a test pots of their siblings right next to the EB for a test.

gardenglory - don't worry, they grow sooooo fast. So far lettuce(romaine) grow equally well in the two systems. My wife this morning snipped some romaine leaves for her sandwich for lunch. That's 3 weeks after setting the transplants. Everything else is in the early stage, hard to compare yet. But everything is growing gangbusters. I have to say, though,
the growing conditions have been perfect. Daytime temps 75-80. nighttime temps 60-65.

Well, its the end of 3 weeks for most of my experiment planting. Check out my pics. You can scroll up to see what everything looked like 3 weeks ago.

Boca Bob

5 new EB's Arrived yesterday. Going to set them up today

My romaine lettuce , fully grown

Summer squash

Summer squash in a EB