Recent Posts

1

Introductions / Re: Hi From Ohio

« Last post by gardendoc on September 07, 2021, 06:28:16 am »

Congrats on being an excited EarthBox gardener. The EB trellis cab a great solution for the tomato staking

2

Introductions / Hi From Ohio

« Last post by DeLoris M on September 05, 2021, 10:47:34 am »

Hi everyone!  I'm DeLoris.  I just discovered your Earth Box and I am SOLD!  I will be buying things throughout the winter to be ready for next Spring. 
I live in a Senior Apartment Community and am lucky to live on an end so I have a small space to plant a few things.  I planted 3 tomato plants this spring and sadly 2 didn't make it.  The 3rd is growing like gangbusters and we had a straight line wind come through a few weeks ago and twisted it and bent it down on the ground!  I was heart sick.  I thought it would surely die.  It didn't!  I found your site by accident through You Tube looking for a better way to tie up tomato plants.  I definitely want to do this next year.  I would have room for 2 regular size boxes and that would give me room for tomatoes and cucumbers!  I am soooo excited!  I love your site with your blog and forum and all the information and help one can find.  Trust me, I am not a farmer!  LOL  I look forward to my new adventure!

3

Questions and Answers / Tomatoes hard yellow inside

« Last post by pmkdo on September 02, 2021, 12:51:27 pm »

I live in Florida, so I plant during the winter. I always plant Better Boy tomatoes. Love the taste and the fact that they have no core. they always do well as long as I am conscientious about the weekly snack since they are susceptible to BER.

This year many of the Better Boys had hard yellow throughout the fruit, the color and texture of a core, but dispersed. A picture is attached.
I plant in my pool cage so my plants get very big seeking light, but this has never happened before

Can someone tell me what went wrong and what to do?

THANKS

4

Questions and Answers / Basil yellow leaves

« Last post by tommyato on August 26, 2021, 06:37:14 am »

Try some calcium nitrate in the EarthBox water.

5

Questions and Answers / Re: I am about ready to give up!!

« Last post by gardendoc on August 24, 2021, 09:55:19 am »

Where are you located? One thing to remember that even though the EB system is fantastic, I have 136, there is still a learning curve. It's never 1-2-3 or A-B-C = success. It changes yearly in response to the environment. The peppers have sunscald.

If you're currently using the container mix from EarthBox I would not drop it out, very rarely is that the cause of problems. Can you share some images. You can send to my Extension email, gary.bachman@msstate.edu

6

Questions and Answers / I am about ready to give up!!

« Last post by Gswoody on August 23, 2021, 04:51:14 pm »

I just don’t get it! I must have a black thumb for gardening! This is my second year using the Earthbox system. I reused one of my systems and got another brand new one this year. In the older one I planted two determinate tomato plants. I ordered the replant kit and have been giving the plants the calcium nitrate once a week that came with the plants. I have been watering them regularly and they just look terrible! The plants look bad and are starting to look like the leaves have blight all over them. The tomatoes are cracking and even getting blossom end rot! I have done everything the instructions said to do but my tomatoes are so ugly! In the new box, I planted two hot banana pepper plants, a tobasco pepper plant and a habanero plant. The tobasco and habanero are doing fine. The banana pepper plant has produced a lot of peppers but now that growth is slowing down, they are starting to get brown areas on the sides of the peppers that looks like blossom end rot except it’s on the side of the pepper about midway down. What is the deal??? If I attempt this again next year, should I just dump both pots out and start over with all new materials and stuff from EarthBox? I am really discouraged because this is supposed to be so easy!

7

Questions and Answers / Re: Recommended Growing Mix

« Last post by gardendoc on August 23, 2021, 06:21:51 am »

You want to use a professional container mix. Some are Promix, MetroMix, Sunshine. Your local independent garden center is your best bet for getting a good container mix, these are engineered for the best physical characteristics,  this is something that you can't get mixing your own.

8

Questions and Answers / Recommended Growing Mix

« Last post by quimby on August 20, 2021, 02:17:25 pm »

I was recently gifted a EB and when I was learning about the system, the list of recommended growing media was very long. I just checked again because I was gonna head to a local nursery to see if they had any on the list. Now I only see 3 listed on the website.

https://earthbox.com/approved-for-earthbox

This will be the first time I'm growing anything so I don't feel comfortable making my own mix and wanted to have this part as idiot proof as possible. Does this mean that EB re-evaluated their list and came to a conclusion that these 3 options work the best and the others previously listed are no longer recommended? Is there something else behind it like sponsorship that made them reduce their list?

I know my local Loews has the Kellogg Patio Plus and the local nursery sells EB stone products. Would either of those options be ok to start with?

9

Questions and Answers / Re: Yellowing leaves on Tomato Plants

« Last post by gardendoc on August 14, 2021, 03:28:24 pm »

Terree, what fertilizer did you use this year and which specific MG for vegetable mix because the primarily for veggie mix from MG is for raised beds and not appropriate for your EarthBox. It sounds like, without seeing pictures or any other information, that your plants are hungry. I started advocating using calcium nitrate during the growing season to keep the available calcium and nitrogen levels up during times of heavy nutritional stress.

Can you share some pictures?

10

Questions and Answers / Re: Yellowing leaves on Tomato Plants

« Last post by Terree Goble on August 13, 2021, 06:30:50 pm »

I am having the same thing...yellowing leaves on my tomatoes, but also on my peppers .  I am an original Earthbox owner with 3 boxes ( no automatic watering - they did not have them) and this is the worst year I ever had.  I want to cry....I must say this when I started with E.G.  I had such great results......my tomatoes & peppers were perfect.  I bought the complete pkg from them each year, dirt, dolomite, fertilizer, etc. and followed directions.  I would call them if I had a problem and they are wonderful and they even said that I could use the same dirt a few years but just clear off the fertilizer, etc. as I am sure you all know or buy my own dirt.  This year I did not purchase the refill from EG as Iwas sick.  The dirt I bought was the miracle grow for vegetables?  I researched to buy the dolomite (which they don't label it that) and fertilizer.   I now do not know if the reason this is happening is because of the planting ingredients; the actual plants I planted; am I watering too much or too little?  Also, when watering, the water seems to come right thru the hole where we know to stop.  when I put my finger in soil, the dirt seems so "packed".    Can anyone help??  I never ever fed the veggies during the growing season as I never felt they needed it and they didn't...but I will if I can save them.  I have a few tomatoes and a few little peppers.  vines are so weak looking.
I hope someone has ideas as we did not have a forum years back.  I just called Pa. E.G.   Also, I am in south Jersey and it is hot as heck!!  thanx