My experiment- thread # 3

Here we are 6 weeks into my experiment. I have harvested lots of lettuce, green and yellow ball squash, eggplant, and green beans. Everything else- corn, peppers, cukes, tomatoes, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, onions, watermelon, carrots, are all coming along just fine. So far I prefer the Earthbox over the Hydrostacker for two reasons. #1- You have to make up the nutrient tank daily to feed the hydroponic plants. #2- The hydroponic nutrient is expensive. With the Earthbox, the fertilizer is cheap and since I have a automatic watering system (for both), once you plant and set up the Earthbox, that's it. (except for talking to the plants and checking them for bugs and disease daily). I do really like the Hydrostacker system, don't get me wrong, but if I was forced to choose between the two, I would pick the Earthbox.

Here a some pics from today. The first is my new homemade vertical plant propagator. The shelving unit was bought at Costco. Plastic sheet from Home Depot. One side rolls up. The sides are open for ventilation. It's on wheels.

The next few pictures are different views around the garden

Lastly, my outside garden

It's so nice of you to share your nice green! I can't wait for the snow to stop!!! So do you get better growth rate in the earhtbox as compared to planting in your garden beds???

Without question, Earthboxes out perform beds.

A couple of pics didn't go through.

here's another

last one

Well, I think I'll give them a try this year. Are you using the organic kits? Beautiful yard you have there!

Thanks
No, the regular ones. I use 6-6-6 chemical fertilizer, but I just bought some Espoma Garden-tone organic ferttilizer to give a try.

BocaBob

BocaBob - I hope you have some room left so you can swim in your pool!

I would like to have your home and garden just as it is. Sooo beautiful.

LouC

Well done Bob! I use 10-10-10 fertilizer for everything and found that it works best! Don't forget when using organic fertilizer to use three cups instead of two. By the way, my melons started to sprout two days ago so I'm on my way to some great melon eating....Yours are looking real good and starting to wander wherever they want to. I find that they will follow the sun on an east to west route.

About those melons. Or any seed. Do you plant it in the EB and then cover and wait for germination to cut out its spot.

No! I cut X's in the cover and plant three seeds in each X space and then cull the seedlings when big enough. When planting other seedlings I X the cover but remove it and plant the seedlings in the mix and then re-cover the seedlings. I find this way safer for the seedling sprouts as they are very delicate at this age. Also use a bulb planter for planting in my EBs as it makes a perfect deep hole and saves me a lot of time. Works fantastically with tomatos, peppers, eggplants etc.

wew, thank goodness. Thats what I had done. Then I started thinking maybe I should not have x'd it so soon.

Ha! I bet your pool is mad at you! It wants bathing beauties in bikinis, not pots of vegetables. I love it!

It's Saturday!!! Picture day...... Here we go

Here come the cukes

Summer squash

the corn has corn

wide angle of corner

other angle within pool area

I LOVE this new seed starter from Park Seed Company

the watermelon patch is GOING CRAZY !!!

part of my outside the pool area garden

spaghetti squash

Acorn squash

a new crop of romaine lettuce

lots of tomatoes

a couple of eggplant

some nice tomatoes coming along

some basil and cilantro

Last for today..........

one of my 8 foot high cucumber plants.

See ya all next Sat

BocaBob

what does that acorn squash originate in. Is the SS the one from the cooler?

They are both in styrofoam beer coolers (another one of my experiments)

BocaBob

Are your homemade earth boxes totes if not would they work for an earth box. I am very interested in trying to grow corn in one. If we put corn in the garden the racoons will get it.

My corn is planted in 2 homemade Earthbox"s (Rubermaid Totes) side by side so there are enough rows to pollinate.

it is working great

BocaBob

Do you plant the corn in rows and do you have a cover over the top after the stalks come up? I haven't ever used an earth box. Details would help me alot.

Yes to both. I plant 2 rows of 16 with the fertilizer strip down the middle. I did start the corn seed in a 72 cell flat and transplanted them .(next time I will direct seed. I used the Earthbox shower cap and cut 32 x's for each plant .

Bocabob

Nice farm Bob! How about opening a farm stand for all your excess? LOL It really feels great when everything starts to produce. Doesn't it??

Thanks Tplant, a compliment from you means a lot to me!!!! When you get totally settled in, we need to get together and talk Florida Gardening!!!.


Clerkie56- sorry, 2 rows of 8 (not 16) x 2 planters

BocaBob