Introduction, NEW EB OWNER

[growdog]

Hello Earthboxer's

I am hobby gardener with a strong interest in sustainability, ecological responsability, and gardening fun.  I have lived in New Hampshire for three seasons and have had some mixed success with in ground gardens.  I have just ordered my first 4 earthboxes which are currently in transit to me.  Given the amazing posts I've read from the people on this forum, I fully anticipate I will be buying more.  As I live in the frigid northeast, I am hoping to try out these first EB's in my basement with grow lights this winter.  I look forward to sharing my experiences with you and to all the things I will be learning from you all.

Happy gardening!

[Fldeb]

Welcome to the earthbox experience!!  This is my first year and I have really enjoyed the whole learning process. This forum has some very good information and if you have any questions, someone is always ready and waiting to answer.   Deb

[tag]

Welcome to the forum. You're gonna love your EB's.

[mjb8743]

Hello Earthboxer's

I am hobby gardener with a strong interest in sustainability, ecological responsability, and gardening fun.  I have lived in New Hampshire for three seasons and have had some mixed success with in ground gardens.  I have just ordered my first 4 earthboxes which are currently in transit to me.  Given the amazing posts I've read from the people on this forum, I fully anticipate I will be buying more.  As I live in the frigid northeast, I am hoping to try out these first EB's in my basement with grow lights this winter.  I look forward to sharing my experiences with you and to all the things I will be learning from you all.

Happy gardening!

Hi and welcome to the forum...

I know you're eager to get started, but making your first-time effort in your basement is going to create a lot of challenges... even more than experienced Earthbox gardeners face. I hope you're successful, but I also hope you won't judge your EB experience a failure if the basement garden doesn't work out for you.

Ideally, if you start from scratch in the spring, you will have a lot more people able to give advice and answer questions. Not many here have had successful indoor gardens such as you're planning, so the help will be very limited. My personal wish is for you to have a 'normal' successful EB growing experience under your belt, before attempting such an ambitious and expensive project.

Good luck,
Mickie

[growdog]

Thanks Mickie,

I promise not to pass judgement on EB's based on my hairbrained scheme.  I am definitely looking forward to trying them in the great outdoors this spring, so so so far in the future.  My enthusiasm will be hard to curb, even if all I grow this winter is some crummy basement mold. 

After looking around the forum and on some other hydroponics/garden sites, I think I might have better chances for success with traditional winter crops and herbs rather than the summer tomatoes and peppers.  I have both MH and HPS lights, and my understanding that for vegetative growth the HPS lights are better and that for flowering and fruiting the MH lights are better, so I might run both or choose one and select the veggies accordingly.  Do you or does anyone have any thoughts about the best veggies for me to try?

GD.

[mjb8743]

Do you or does anyone have any thoughts about the best veggies for me to try?

I think you will be more successful with herbs and leafy veggies such as lettuces, swiss chard, spinach (if kept cool enough). I don't know how root veggies will do... may be worth trying radishes, carrots and beets... and perhaps neutral day onions or scallions.

Too much heat can hurt, so plan on plenty of ventilation to keep the air moving to keep from cooking your plants and avoiding fungus problems.

Most of all, keep a journal! It will be your most treasured garden tool in time. Keep us posted as you go along... we love experiments and new ideas, and most of all, celebrating successes. Good luck.

Mickie

[nelletaylor]

Hello...I too am a first time EB user bought 2years ago, but too chicken to try the first year; this summer I was successful with 3 boxes of grape tomatoes for 2 months until September they got the blight...but many quarts before that.  Other 2 boxes were hot peppers and bell peppers also fairly successful.  Then it got cold here in Philly...I still had many underdeveloped peppers on my plants not ready to harvest...I was despondent since so much of my in the ground endevours and regular potted plants didn't work this summer (melon, watermelon, ZUcchini, yellow squash, acorn squash, pumpkin....nada.  I was unwilling to give up without a fight so covered these boxes for a couple nights.  Then I got the brilliant idea of dragging these 40 lb 4ft tall boxes/plants from the deck into the basement...so I too am waiting and watching to see what will happen...I'm not sophisticated and simply leaving an energy saver bulb on for about 14hrs a day...after 2 weeks they're still growing so I'm waiting to see...I'm hoping they'll work and I can leave them there so we'll see.  My one question though is whether these or other vegetables could harm my cats?  Right now they are protected and I'm planning to put bird netting over them so they can't get to the leaves...but was wondering if anyone knows what's safe or harmful...I heard tomatoes were toxic...

[tag]

Well, it's hard to follow your post so I'm not sure all that you are asking. I can tell to that green tomatoes are toxic to cats allong with the stems and leaves.

That being said I don't know how much they would have to injest to cause harm or that they would ever bother the tomato in the 1st place.

[Oldgrowth]

      I've had tomato plants, both indoors and out around cats for years...and never saw one even ATTEMPT to chew the leaves. I think the leaves are too prickly and stiff for their tastes or maybe just don't smell interesting enough to chew on.