Earthbox growing

Hi,

I posted to my blog about my earthbox growing, with lots of pictures. Some I have posted to DG before, some not.

http://www.boelstoddard.com/growing-in-earthboxes/

Boel

Hi there. I went to your excellent blog and marked it as a fave. I learned a lot...but then I have a lot to learn. {Iam curious about Or in 8b zone. Do you get weather from the South Pacific? Also do people grow tropicals there?] Devota

Hi Devota,

Well, this is a late response, if every I saw one. Sorry I missed it when you posted it!

The Willamette Valley of Oregon is 8b, and is a wonderful growing climate, but we do not really grow tropicals. I am trying with Pomegranate trees, but they have yet to set any fruit...

My brother in Anderson, Calif has a pomegranate tree. Just south of you I think. Have a great summer.

o wow, I missed this the first time around. Great pictures

Hi Boel

I loved your blog! We grow in earthboxes as well. They are so productive. I was impressed with your corn. I need to try again. The first time around the ears were very small.

We placed most of our boxes on plastic benches. Not only does it make it convenient it helps to ward off critters like snakes that like the cool dark around the boxes. Our melons can rest on the side on the bench and the vines can trail.

Thanks so much for the inspiration

Sherri

Beautiful pics, I love the EBs too, they are my favorite.
joy

Thank you all for your nice comments! I love earthboxes and square foot gardening -- EBs for the areas that are concrete, square foot for the rest.

Boel

HI!~
I am in Virginia. A friend GAVE me her Earth Box, so I started it yesterday as an experiment. I only put in 2 tomato plants. tried to get onto the Earth Box Forum but for some reason I can't get in.
ANyway.....we have a huge plot garden and also have a large deck garden that we garden in containers.
My question for the Earth Box is this.....I cannot find dehydrated lime or dolomite. Is that necessary? I did use a Tomato fertilizer. I also discovered that planting thru the thin plastic cover is tricky. The tomato plants are not as deep as I would like. I think I will try and work to gtet them deeper
Can you plant anything elsein addition tot he tomatoes in the same box or is 2 the recommeneded amount?

THanks for any help!
Deb

mommacat11,

Check home depot for Espoma Garden Lime.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100581208

I've seen it at the route 3 store.

WOW!!!!! This is GREAT!!!! Another Virginian and a Neighbor! I'll check the Stafford store first.
Thanks so much.

Deb

mommacat11, they recommend only 2 tomato plants in an Earthbox. You can grow many other things in one of them, but not in the same box with the tomatoes.

OK that's all I planted were the 2.

mommacat.

Hi Mommacat,

Regarding the dehydrated lime or dolomite, it depends on the type of tomato you grow. If it's a cherry, you can do it without dehydrated lime or dolomite, but otherwise you run a big risk of blossom end rot without those additives.

Hi Mommacat,

If you've already planted your tomatoes you can add calcium with a spray. We use it sometimes in our earth boxes. Here's an ebay link to the product.

http://cgi.ebay.com/STOP-Blossom-End-Rot-of-Tomatoes-Calcium-Pint-16oz_W0QQitemZ360135515141QQcmdZViewItemQQptZFertilizer_Soil_Amendments?hash=item53d9bfdc05&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A30

THankyou searay,
I'll check it out! Being in these boxes.. does that increase the possibiility of blossom en rot?

mommacat

No! Blossom End rot can occour at any time but mostly only the first few tomatos. Go to www.earthbox.com for full knowledge of the system and forget the forum.

Hi Mommacat

It's my understanding that blossom end rot is usually a lack of calcium. When you buy an earthbox kit they include dolomite and fertilizer with it. We've used them for years with great success. When we reuse them we usually buy replacement dolomite at the earthbox company. If we blow it and run out we mix our own. The spay is effective for that calcium addition.

The boxes are very productive. We grow heirlooms, they are delicious and usually grow to weigh over 1lb. Our family has a rival earthbox competition called the 1lb club. We send each other pictures of our big tomatoes. Like everything else gardening once you get past the learning curve it gets fun!

Thanks Tplant and Searay,
I havebeen gardening for many years but this Earth Box is new to me. A friend sent it to me as she lives in a small apt and it wouldn't have fit on her NY Fire Escape. So she sent it to me.
It's been in my Garden Shed for over a year.. and no fertiizer was included in the kit.
I used Tomato fertilizer from Gardeners, and the Soil I used had fertilizer in it as well.

THank you for your help!
Mommacat.

Would bone meal help prevent blossom end rot also?

Tplant, you say blossom end occurs either in ground or containers, but I have consistently had more of a problem with blossom end rot in EBs or containers than I have in ground... perhaps it's the make-up of my raised bed soil that prevents it there?

Or lack of lime in EB but some tomatos seem to be more susceptible to BER.

Rainy weather conditions can cause it too. I suspect all my first fruits will have to be discarded because of BER, and it ain't cause there ain't no lime in my containers. Many things cause it, rainy weather, inconsistent watering, not enough calcium (lime or gypsum) and magnesium (epsom salt); and rapid growth. I thought the brown tomato I had was an isolated incident, it isn't, some of my other tomatoes and peppers are getting now too. It's from too much water though. Sometimes, the first fruits will have BER, and then the rest after that won't have. So; I'm remaining hopeful on my side of this.
joy

Hi I'm new here. This is my second year using earth boxes. I love them. I live in a condo and garden on my patio walls. This year I decided not to use the cover. I put egg shells in each tomato hole and I am using organic fertilizer for tomatoes and veggies. I have 2 tomatoes and a hot pepper in each box. I'm growing 13 different types of tomatoes and 6 types of hot peppers, also eggplant and red bells, bunching onions basil and a few other herbs. Last year I had a great crop of tomatoes from my earth boxes. I'm so thrilled to have them. I just water in the pipe and on top of the soil and everything is growing great.

Hi Sania,

Welcome. I don't use the covers either. I use pine straw mulch and find that the plants breathe a little better. Send us some pictures!

seray

The purpose of the cover is to prevent weeds and control the rainwater. You don't want the mix to wet although it is impossible to overwater so I would say the main purpose is to keep the mix moist in dry weather and the prevention of weeds which brings disease. Personally, I would use the cover as advised by the EB people.

Yeah, Sanla,
Post some pics, please!

Next week, I got more EBs on the way!!!! I definately got the disease now, had to buy 2 ichabad eggplants and an icebox watermelon starting at Kmart today, they were all Bonnie Belles. Then, had to race home and plant them. Now where am I gonna find another long table? Hmmm, more yard sales, more talking to people about selling their tables when the sales are over? LOL
joy

Hi Joy

You sound like us. Can't quit buying the dang things. Our melons are just starting. Are they cool when they're young like this.

Yard sale tables sounds like a great idea.

Seray: Haven't had any look like that yet; just flowers and bees hovering in the flowers, just a matter of time though, can't ever have too many melons though, not with children all over the place like my family has, especially the biggest child of all right?(me). LOL
joy

Hi Joy,

These are Amy melons. Small and soooo sweet. We can't wait for them. They're kid size and I'll save some seeds for you if you'd like to try some next year.

Sherri

Sherri: Thank you, I'd like that. Just finished up cabbages, and went to pick cukes and tomatoes (cherry ones - no big ones yet), while watering. I'm noticing that some of my cukes are round and yellow instead of long and green, what causes that and are they alright to eat or pickle? My daughter, gonna have to hide the vinegar and oil from her, she keeps slicing the cukes up and putting them in a container with vinegar and oil, won't leave me none for pickling.LOL
joy

Hi Joy,

We're getting 'Squashed out' already but no tomatoes. Cherry ones are turning. I don't know about your cucumbers. I was curious and found a website that might help. www.cucumbergrowingtips.com/cucumbertroubleshooting.html I haven't grown cucs in years but if I remember correctly they keep coming like the squash. I'd probably stick with the green ones for eating and canning.

I haven't canned in years but I think I'll do the tomatoes. They taste so much better than frozen. I may need some pointers. We still have Kale. I keep it shaded and it seems to do ok.

I just harvested some EB strawberries - this is the 3rd year in the box, so time to remove them after this year.

"I'm noticing that some of my cukes are round and yellow instead of long and green, what causes that and are they alright to eat or pickle?"

Howdy, Joy! It sounds to me like someone gave you seeds of "lemon cucumber" (aka "lemon apple cucumber"). If so they are delish! When I sold to restaurants I couldn't grow enough of them. You'll like them so much I guarantee you'll want to grow them each year from now on.

Check your seed packs and see if that is the variety.

Best,
Shoe

Horseshoe, nope, that ain't the variety, it's national pickling cucumbers all the way this season. These are definately deformed cucumbers. LOL I'm tempted to try one though.

Essentialplanet: Wow, those are some fabulous looking strawberries, are they all out of one EB? I was getting ready to pull mine up and transplant in tomatoes as mine have quit producing, but I was told that mine were the type that get planted in November, then you pull them up in July as they are done then?
joy

Hi Essentialplanet

Great looking strawberries!. Haven't tried those in an EB. If you don't mind my asking what variety do you use and why do you have to move them after three years?

Yeah, Planet! Inquiring minds wanna know!

Linda

Hi all,

The three year old plants are Seascapes, and I'm not all that happy with them flavor-wise, though they have produced well.

I just planted 1 box of an alpine berry, called Mignonette, so we'll see how I like that one.

My understanding is that the Strawberry plant has a life expectancy of 3 years. Since you can't let the berries spread by runners in an EB, you have to take them out and replace them. Am I wrong about that?

Essential Planet: I saw a discussion about replanting the runners and when season is over putting the EB in the shed til the proper time to bring it out plants and all; the one discussion was on the earthbox forum, the other was here. I can't find the threads though; possibly someone else can help find them. My lil sister, whom I let her use one of my EBs and planted strawberries in it doesn't want to throw the strawberries out; but, try and keep them for next time round. She's a true gardener; but, strawberries are new to her also. I noticed when I pulled mine up, the EB and GP was so full of roots I had to dispose of the entire medium and start over. Maybe someone can remember the posts and where they are?
joy

bump!

Check this out!

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1158830/