Are there any Earthbox growers here?

[pepperhead212]

I just started using them for the first time, due to a sale on them (probably due to the the recent takeover, they had this sale last winter), and a member who was touting them on another forum uses them extensively, since she is in FL, and has to grow many things in them, due to the soil diseases there. I had incredible growth on two eggplants in one, as well as four pepper plants in another, with huge production, as well as size - I have never grown poblanos as large as these, and the mustard habanero was the largest pepper plant I have ever grown! And the two eggplants (a hari and an ichiban) produced more than 5 plants in the ground. Watering was easy - I just had to adjust the drip emitters to keep the reservoir full, w/o overflowing, tweaking the input up a bit when it got hotter, and back down when it got cooler.

Anyone else with experiences in EB growing?

Here are the photos I took, though I didn't take any of the EP (I was too busy harvesting them! LOL).

http://s24.photobucket.com/user/pepperh ... t=6&page=1

[imafan26]

I made a homemade earth box. It lasts about 3 years since the rubbermaid tubs are not UV resistant. I grew tomatoes and peppers in them. The peppers were in 5 gallon modified self watering containers and one tomato in each 18 gallon rubbermaid tub box. One box did still get nematodes, probably from the starter plant. The other boxes were fine. I did find that banding 2-3 cups of fertilizer left a lot of unused fertilizer at the end, so I changed to my usual 1/2 cup of starter fertilizer and supplements at first bud, first fruit, and monthly thereafter. In the end, I used about the same amount of fertilizer but I did not have a mass of fertilizer in the tub. The reservoir held 5 gallons of water. I never put any lime in the tomato containers and I never got blossom end rot. In the beginning when the plants were small, I only needed to fill the reservoir once a week, but once the tomatoes started producing in summer, the tomato could drink up to 4 gallons of water a day so the reservoir was refilled daily. The cost of each container was less than $10.

http://www.postoilsolutions.org/documents/Earthbox.pdf

[pepperhead212]

Thanks for that file! I like those photos, and I will definitely try some of those 5 gal bucket set-ups. I have a LOT of buckets - 6, 5, and 4 gal, and maybe the 6 gal would be good underneath, for larger reservoirs. I saved that file, to look at closer at a later time. One thing I like is that I could run experiments, with the same plants (clones, if I want them to be really the same!) in the same sized buckets, with all the same, except some added nutrients, and one control plant, with nothing added.

Your mention of the BER, as well as the reminded me of some questions that I had for the lady in FL, since she had been growing in the for so long. One was why do they (those on the EB forum) suggest adding the CaNO3 to the water once a week (1 tsp), since it really isn't much in nutrients - just Ca and N. She said that is was mostly for the tomatoes, to prevent BER, and they really weren't doing it for other plants. And I also wondered about using that same mix the next season, not really knowing how much of that fertilizer actually dissolved. So do I cut it to 1/2, 3/4, or what? There was really no way to dig out that fertilizer (what is normally suggested), at least from those two that had those incredibly vigorously rooted plants I had to clean out (the hari eggplant and the mustard habanero). So I may do what you suggest, as for the fertilizer. Plus, I put some of my micronutrients from the hydroponics in there - the Karma, and some others - and I'm sure that helps, as it definitely helps in the hydro systems.

[imafan26]

BER is a physiologic relative calcium deficiency. Some people add extra calcium to the soil as a preventive. The real issue is not Calcium but uneven watering. The self watering container eliminates that problem as long as the reservoir has water.

Blossom end rot happens because in hot weather, the plants transpire more and larger plants with fruit need a lot of water. Unless you adjust the watering to water more often, sometimes 3 or four times a day, the tomatoes will get that afternoon wilt. This will disrupt the calcium transport within the tomato plant. The roots will not be able to transport the calcium in the soil, no matter how much calcium is actually present, to the leaves that need it. As a result, the tomato will do what it must to survive and take the calcium it needs from the fruit and that results in BER.

I use citrus food as my starter since it is a complete food with low numbers under 15, and it also contains micros.

I also really do not like giving acid loving plants more lime. Tomatoes like their soil pH between 6.0-6.8.

Five gallon buckets were good for small plants and peppers. I put one indeterminate tomato in an 18 gallon tub.

[pepperhead212]

You're right about much of the problem of BER being uneven watering, but another major problem is genetics - some varieties are simply prone to it. I had another one of these this season - Sweet Carneros Pink - on which the first 20 or so fruits had BER; fortunately, it sort of outgrew it, but I was beginning to wonder if it would. A couple varieties through the years never outgrew it, and EVERY tomato had BER. Yet, the soil and the watering was the same in all of these cases, and other varieties had no BER.

[imafan26]

I have gotten BER, but only in standard pots in especially hot dry summers when it is nearly impossible to keep them from wilting. But even then it is rare. I found that by increasing the watering frequency and using a plastic bag as mulch on top of the soil, and a watering tube, keeps weeds down, retains moisture longer, and reduces splashing too. I had fewer problem, actually down to zero from BER. Variety may make a difference though, and since I need to use heat tolerant varieties, they may just be better at resisting BER. Unless I get a very heat resistant variety, even the ones I grow will stop producing fruit in the 90's. No fruit, no BER.

My standard starting fertilizer for a twenty inch pot or 18 gallon container is 1/2 cup citrus food. Otherwise the earthbox tutorial said to use 2 cups of fertilizer as a band in the pot. If you are using organic fertilizer it would be 3 cups. So, since I feed my plants intermittently, I use the rule for in ground plants. 1/4 of the total fertilizer requirement at the start with supplements of 1/4 of the total requirement at first but, first fruit and monthly thereafter while the plant is in production. I only use slow release like osmocote in smaller pots, so I will not burn plants so easily. In the ground, my soil analysis only requires nitrogen as phosphorus is extremely high and potassium and calcium are high. I do add compost and vermicompost with each planting which will add a little more phosphorus to the mix but it is more to feed the soil organisms and improve soil quality than to provide nutrients.

This is the analysis. It does not contain any calcium. It is an acidic fertilizer with micros.

My city water supply comes from a lens under the caprock that lies under the island and from dikes in the mountains that traps water in old lava tubes. It is naturally high in calcium but it is still soft water.

from Home Depot their Vigoro brand of fertilizers

citrus & avocado NPK 6-4-6 (also used for mangoes)


the following in percentages >>>>>

magnesium 1.0 sulfur 6.0 boron .02 copper .05 iron 1.0 manganese .05 molybdenum .0005 zinc .05

I used to use much higher numbered fertilizers like 10-20-20 plus, but I put in way too much of that. Using this fertilizer I would have to put in 1/4 cup as a starter and I would still have excess phosphorus and potassium for what the plants actually need.

[MrBote]

I grow in earthbox types pretty much exclusively and have done so for about the last 7 years.

The large, indeterminate heirloom types love the extra calcium from my experience. But these types reach heights of 8-9 feet tall and move a LOT of water here in FL. zone 9. I have only added calcium nitrate to the water at the end of a longer than normal growing cycle of the would-be, cold weather types. I have been able to take these well into the month of May. I only added the calcium once in a month for a boost. These plants were putting out tomatoes 1-2 lbs. Below is "Brandywine" My personal favorite.



Here's an Amana Orange, even though the photo has it looking yellow. This is from the tomato plant that would not quit. It put out tomatoes from Feb-June.


This is my first year for cool weather crops. I took two years off of gardening because of a possible move. As I was cleaning out the containers, I decided may as well grow 'one' thing. That turned into 9 things. Mostly greens this time around. Since I can only really tend to it on weekends, greens were a safer bet.

Here is 3 cabbage plants of equal size growing in a round, 20 gallon tote that I cannot find anymore. These happen to only have Espoma's Garden Tone fertilizer. I was only going to grow one thing and with what I had on hand. It does have homemade potting mix with 2 parts peat, 1 part perlite, some rock dust and dolomite lime and a bit of Epsom salt in the initial reservoir fill. Each plant uses about a quart of water/day and are only getting about 6 hrs sunlight. I save rainwater and use that when possible.


I thought perhaps I had started too early and that I was going to have a bolted crop. Two weeks ago, I could not feel any heads growing. A cold snap arrived and two weeks later, there is firm (actually hard), baseball sized heads out of seemingly nowhere on all 5 of my cabbage plants. The broccoli is beginning to flower as well. No more gardening boredom over the Winter months. Especially with the much lower occurrence of insect/disease issues!


I have pruned a lot of lower leaves from the cabbages. Otherwise, the pot would be completely obscured by giant leaves all the way to the ground and finding the fill tube, difficult.

[imafan26]

Great pictures Mr. Bote. Brandywine was one of the first tomatoes I grew in my homemade earthbox. They were delicious. I am further south than you are and tomatoes over 1 pound are hard to come by, but Brandywine and Pruden's purple came close. My days are short and large fruit are prime targets for fruit flies and birds. The average big tomato here that does well is about 10 oz and has a very tough skin.

I tried to grow cabbage once, it took up a lot of space and the head only got fist sized before the slugs ate it. I buy head cabbage when I need it now. I prefer to grow the non-heading Asian greens instead, I have better luck with them and they do well and are much more expensive to buy than head cabbage.

In my earthboxes I grew mostly tomatoes, but I did put peppers in five gallon selfwatering containers and a few herbs in with the tomatoes when they were small. I planted garlic chives, basil, stevia, garden chives, mustard cabbage, marigolds, and nasturtiums as companions.

[MrBote]

With mine it came down to an issue of timing and some years have more hours of cool weather than other years. With the tomatoes, I started the seeds under lights indoors on New Years day come hell or high water. Even as little as two weeks late from that date can have a negative effect on yield. By Feb, I was able to move the plants outdoors and they were still small enough to cover efficiently in the event of a hard freeze or frost. Typically, they will develop flowers a week or two after moving them outdoors. I realize there are differences in the zones here, or even the micro climates contained therein. 20 miles East, or North of me they have an easier time with cool weather crops. Florida is funny that way. Things that the planting charts say to plant can be a month or two off from general suggestions. My approach is really specific to my immediate area and it took me awhile to figure it out.

I also have chard, kale, spinach, strawberries, cauliflower and carrots growing, which are all experimental for me at this time and already I am realizing a need for some adjustments in the schedule for next year. It has occurred to me that the leafy greens that you mentioned are a good bet, but this was mostly spur of the moment and I had committed to what I have, being I was only just going to play with the system a bit this season.

With the old potting mix, instead of throwing it out, I use it to grow sweet potatoes for a couple years. The greens are actually tasty and they require no fertilizer other than what residual salts remain from the previous years after the fertilizer bands have been taken out. This past year, they grew through Spring and Summer, and I harvested about 60 rather large potatoes in October. I am known for my sweet potato pies and also gave away quite a few and they otherwise store for months.

Here's a rather large, "Maryanna's Peace" ( I am not sure if that is the exact name but it's like that) which broke the stem during a knock down in a wind storm that I had to pick a little early. It still ripened regardless. This tomato was actually hidden on the back side of overlapping plants and I would not have found it if not for the knock down.


I too, usually grow tomatoes, but did get a crop of pineapples out of the dormant boxes and old potting mix, that required no fertilizer or very little water or attention from me in my 'off' years.

[imafan26]

I have tomatoes growing year round. I have a black cherry and a sungold producing in 18 gallon tubs now. There must not be much else out there for the birds to eat, they are getting most of my black cherry tomatoes , I have only been able to recover a handful of half ripe ones. They seem to go after the black cherry more than the sungold, maybe because they are bigger. They are starting to go after the sungold now too. I have some green papaya coming from the side arms of my topped papaya. Maybe when they ripen, the birds will leave the tomatoes alone. Birds usually will prefer the papaya to the tomatoes but will go after peppers first.

The birds get nearly all of the large tomatoes I have grown. They even open up fertilizer I have put in cheesecloth bags because they think I'm hiding fruit in them. I have covered them with bags and netted the trellis and what the birds don't get the slugs will. Bird netting makes it hard for me to get to the tomatoes too.

I don't have to start my tomatoes indoors but they don't germinate that well when the temperatures drop much below 68 degrees and we are hovering around that now. Since I only have room for three tomatoes at a time, I may buy my next start when I finally get this jicama out of the third pot. It is taking a long time for the seed pods to ripen. I am not expecting large roots so, I am going to save the seeds. I think I planted it too late. It needs 150 days of warm weather and it barely got that. Jicama seeds are not that easy to come by, so maybe I can use some of the seed for trade.

[MrBote]

The possums give my grapes hell, and I have had a squirrel drag off part of a bag of tomato tone.

The heirloom tomatoes I grew, most were centrally located and the plants were perhaps too gnarly for them to get a safe vantage point. Raccoons got 4 out of my last 5 pineapples. I knew better. Swore I was going to put cages around them and never did.

Definitely liking the self watering containers though. They have put out a lot more food than I could have tended to in a traditional garden. I overdid it with tomatoes. My poor nephew was getting acidosis from all the tomato sandwiches he was eating. I think next time I am going to limit myself to two types.

As for lights, I used one, 4ft, two bulb shop light with those (not grow bulbs) daylight, 6500k bulbs and it made for some really stout tomato starts. Nicer than they had at the box store. All I gave them was Shultz liquid plant food at that time.

[MrBote]

ETA: the photo of the tomato in my last photo is not "Marianna's Peace." It's dubbed "1884." An heirloom said to be salvaged from flood debris in W. Virginia.

Per the title of this thread with regard to earthboxes, I don't think I could grow these types of cold weather heirlooms in the soil here, otherwise. I also think the earthboxes (or their clones) can be adapted to work pretty much anywhere, especially if you don't have the luxury of a greenhouse, or greenhouse climate. A lot of plants that they claim will grow here, many are indeed grown with a lot of help that the average home gardener cannot apply on a small scale, or cost effectively. I think that these self watering, semi-closed loop systems, help to bridge those differences.

[imafan26]

They do save water, by not having to soak the pots daily and having it running out of the drain holes. I can probably put some water soluble fertilizer in the well too. I have not done that because, when I built my first set of earthboxes I used the banded fertilizer. On the second set after I found I had so much fertilizer unused, I went to the side dressing method. I guess I could have done water soluble at that point but, granular worked and it was less costly than a water soluble in the long run.

My friend used self watering containers because she had her containers along her driveway and her job requires her to travel for weeks at a time. Her husband is a typical guy, he loves his shindaiwa but not too keen on doing daily watering. The self watering containers could take a few days of neglect, hopefully he would get to adding water before the wells ran dry.

I got more rubber maid tubs to make more containers. I did have problems when I used the lids, they would warp and collapse and the soil would get into the reservoir or block the drain holes. It is also hard for me to cut the holes out since I am doing it with a scissors. I might use two tubs instead, with the second one to hold the reservoir and cut pvc pipes for the supports. There will be less issues with the divider collapsing. I do have to get someone to cut the pvc pipes for me as I do not relish doing it with a hacksaw. I might experiment with wicks otherwise I still will have to cut the base for the soil tubes to be the wicks.

[MrBote]

I use two tubs to make one like the "Earthtainer."
I use the scraps from the cut up one to make the supports. I just roll them into tubes held together with zip ties and then zip tie them to the aeration screen. I cut notches in the bottom so water flows thru them. I ended up getting a 25ft roll of flexible plastic (it's corrugated) pump suction line from the box store for like 9 bucks and make the fill tubes from that. I buy remnants of panda film from ebay to make the mulch covers. I can probably get 9 or 10 covers for what two of the shower caps for the earth box costs and they last a lot longer.

I no longer ( Just recently) tie the mulch covers over the top like a shower cap, but instead, tuck them in around the sides, which allows rainwater, along with it's nitrates to get into the reservoir down the sides. A free booster shot now and then at the very least.

[MrBote]

A little SWC update. Cabbages are growing superbly in the 20 gallon round tote. Three growing in this one, all at different stages of maturity. I could harvest this one now. It's about 8" across and very firm.


Also, broccoli is heading up nicely.


I am using tomato tone, and plant tone fertilizer in this container. 2 cups of tomato tone, and one cup of plant tone in a "Y" shaped band, if I remember right, and about 2 tablespoons of epsom salt in the reservoir and a cup of dolomite. Not the first yellow leaf all season. I have pruned quite a few lower leaves so that air would circulate under the plants and makes it easier to spot critters. Nothing but neem and soap spray once a week or less, and while there was some minor nibbling by something, it didn't hang around long.