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 EarthBox
We found an ad in the mail
last winter for something called an
"EarthBox." Suppose to eliminate weeds and grow bigger
plants with better yields.
A visitor, named
Deb,
says she loves EarthBoxes and would not consider using any other
method. Got them all over her deck! Follow along as Deb
tells us about the progress her plants are making with this new method
of gardening.
Capt.
Bill tries the EarthBox
You can contact EarthBoxes at:
The EarthBox
P.O. Box 1966
St. Petersburg, Florida 33731-1966
1-800-821-8838 / fax 727-823-1100 / on line at www.earthbox.com
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 Deb
Shows Off Her EarthBoxes
Deb
just sent us pictures of some of the ways she is using the EarthBox for her
garden. To your left are collards located on her deck. Below are
tomatoes with an egg plant in the middle. (Be sure to see the two
week growth comparison pictures).
I suspect that Deb lives someplace where the snow melts before
April. In New England, we are just now getting weather warm enough to have
tomato plants blooming. Message
from Deb...
Mike, anyone can do this....as long as you follow the set up
directions that come with the EarthBox and make sure you put it in a sunny spot,
its pretty much failproof. My sister has her EarthBox on a cart so she can move
it during the day as the sun moves around her yard. For tomatoes I recommend
that you purchase some blossom end rot spray which is a calcium supplement you
spray on the blossoms if you have not had a sunny day (good for other plants
also), and I use Tomato & Vegetable Spray whenever I encounter any insects.
The spray can be used right up to harvest and is available at many stores. I
also try to start with seedlings that are indeterminate and disease resistant.
Did you receive your Earthboxes yet? Have you decided what to plant? I'm not
familiar with the growing season where you are but I would be happy to help with
any questions from you or your readers. Deb  Just two
weeks of growth separate the comparison pictures.
Use the background board to get a better idea of the
growth. Deb says she will send us updated pictures about every two
weeks. I will also ask her to find out what each board measures so we can
use that as a reference. I can see that the tomato plant on the right is
now past the top brace of the stakes. Using the background as a
"rule" it looks like about a five board gain. The eggplants have
also shot up and look much larger in all dimensions than before.  My EarthBoxes arrived! Take a look at the
grand plan to see if using the EarthBox produces a greater
yield than using standard window boxes. OHNE
Even more pictures from Deb are
below.
Update
(6/18/01) from Deb:
The collards and kale are now growing at a pace where I can make a pot of greens
once or twice a week. Some of these I freeze until later (that is, unless my
husband and son eat them before they make it to the freezer). I picked all the
lettuce and turned that box into Bean Box No. 2 (we eat a lot of beans), and I
started another box with beets (grown from seeds). My peppers are full of
blossoms and I have a few baby peppers peeking out. Shouldn't be long before I'm
making salsa, hot spiced vinegar, and stringing some to dry for seasoning (they
make great gifts too). I'm growing 5 different varieties of peppers from the
sweet bell to the hot, hot, chocolate congo trinidad (higher level of hotness
than habanero)! Hope the weather breaks so you plant your boxes. Keep me posted!
Deb
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