Giant Leap of Faith

[mjb8743]

  Hello all...

I'm in New Jersey, close to retirement, and can no longer get down on my knees to enjoy playing in the dirt. A long-time gardener, I'm not a 'newbie' in that respect... however the whole container/Earthbox thing is very new for me.

Okay... After reading all your posts, I'm convinced I'm more than a little nuts. After spotting the Earthbox in a catalog, mulling it over for a good long while, I finally took THE LEAP. I ordered 30 of them from my favorite on-line farm supplier (got a very good discount for quantity). I have to believe they will be as productive as described, or my investment will be a MAJOR ouchie.

Anyway... not to do anything in a small way, I also invested in a slew of 10-gallon Rubbermaid totes from Lowes ($5.50 each). I drilled out the bottoms, used plastic foam cubes I cut from packing material salvaged at work (for less weight), and covered that with a thin layer of landscape fabric.... then came the soil: Promix BX. They are planted with all the small stuff and leafy greens that just aren't practical for the Earthbox. The size is just right: 20x14x8" inside.

As for the Earthboxes:

10 EB... 5 varieties of tomatoes-- 2/box, trellised
 4 EB...  Cucumbers... slicers & pickles-- 6/box, trellised
 2 EB... Small Sugar pumpkin-- 3/box, trellised
 7 EB.... 7 kinds of peppers, hot to mild Bells-- 3/box
 2 EB.... Eggplants-- 2/box
 5 EB.... Yellow Bush Beans-- 20/box

For the trellises, I used 1/2" EMT bent & connected to form 5 ft wide x 6-1/2 ft tall units. Nylon mesh netting wove on fairly easily, and will last several seasons. I just shoved the legs 18" into the ground... not hard with our sandy soil. to make life a little easier, I'm making low platform supports out of 2x4's to support the totes. This will raise them up 2 ft.

The will still be a couple of wide rows in the ground for the flowers, squash & pole beans, but a friend is helping me till & plant them. Maintenace will be something I can manage. I bought one of those little garden scooters, so I can just sit as I roll from box to box...

Sorry for the long post... when I get finished, and things are coming along I will post pictures. I look forward to hearing from everyone.

Mickie

[vonkamp]

WOW!!   I can't wait to see some pictures....soon i hope.

[Trishkie]

Wow!! (again) Mickie, before the EBs and health issues creeping up on you what size of garden did you maintain?! Wowsers! I'm anxious to see pictures as well. Kudos to you!

I'm also in my first round with the EBs - only I went the other way, I only bought one which has 2 tomatoes; cherry and Roma. Just got them planted this last weekend and I plan to start taking pictures to track the progress.

How exciting to see such a range of folks posting on here. There are several EB newbies as well as long-time growers. From all I've read, I'm sure you're make the transition very well. Keep gardening!   

[Jagcatfan]

Showoff

[mjb8743]

Hi again   

My original garden was about 45 ft square. Two sides were boxed in (18"x22' each side) and then trellised for all the climbing stuff, and the rest was 4 ft wide rows, and some small areas boxed in 4'x4'. This was an evolving thing based on Square Foot Gardening, promoted by Mel Bartholomew. It started out small, but was so easy, I kept adding on every year... until it reached the point where it was work   

My New Jersey sand/soil made watering very difficult, so I got into the soaker hose/timer thing. It worked pretty well.... then I got sick and had to give it up for a few years. Needless to say, the wildlife took over, and I would have been starting from scratch. That thought kept me from doing anything until I saw the EB.... then my imagination ran wild with the possibilities 

I like to experiment and try new ideas both for satisfying my lazy side and for creating something unusual to look at. This will be my next challenge if only the weather would cooperate! Always seems to rain on the weekends!

Enough about me... where are you all from? I'm interested in the climate you folks have to deal with. I'm sure we'll meet in the Tips & Tricks section. If you need detailed info on my boxes or trellises, feel free to email me.

[whitey]

How many tomatoe plants is too much for an earthbox?  I only have three boxes....I have three plants in one box and four in another.  I'm already getting very good results but I'm wondering if I should have only put two tomato plants in each.  Will the tomatoes growth be stunted if it is too crowded?

Thanks

[Steve]

Hi Whitey,

Your tomato plants will look healthy, however the yield per plant will be reduced.  Due to the size and nutrient requirements of mature tomato plants, the EarthBox can only support two large plants while providing the maximum yield of 40-60 pounds of tomatoes for one growing season.  Doubling the recommended two plants per box to four plants will produce the same yield as if you had only used two.

If your plants are already far along, I wouldn't get rid of the extra plants.  Just keep them for the season, and next growing season, stick to the recommended two tomatoes per box.

[Diana]

mj........way2go!

I think you'll be thrilled come harvest.

Diana

[paul]

10 EB... 5 varieties of tomatoes-- 2/box, trellised

Wow, that's going to be a LOT of tomatoes!  I can't wait to see pictures!

Paul