Disclaimer: This post was originally posted by Hero Member, mjb8743. This user is located in Zone 7, South NJ, Garden State. This was originally posted on March 19, 2009.Hi, and welcome!
This is a fairly standard request of new members... it makes it easier for folks in your neck of the woods to help and offer localized advice:
Please put your location and zone, if known, in your profile. That way, it will show up in all your future posts... it helps when diagnosing problems, answering questions and we wont have to keep asking you where you are. Click on PROFILE at top of this page, then under MODIFY PROFILE, click on FORUM PROFILE INFORMATION then enter your text in PERSONAL TEXT.
A good source for zones, updated for global warming:
http://arborday.org/treeinfo/zonelookup.cfmThe EarthBox is really a simple yet effective system when allowed to Do its thing. From experience, please read and reread ALL of the information shipped with the Earthbox until you understand what you are supposed to do. Do not carry over ANY of your previous gardening experience/practices during the first year of EarthBox usage. Just do what the instructions state.
My advice is to get on the internet and do a little reading as to the requirements and growing habits for the plants you want to grow. Then visit a nursery/garden center and buy seedlings all ready for transplanting. Keep things simple the first time. Go to the Earthbox instructions and follow them to the letter. Read the FAQs and Tips and Tricks in this forum also. Use the search tool for posts about any issues that concern you (click on the magnifying glass for the broadest search).
Potting MIX or potting SOIL?? The point is, depending on where you live, you'll be looking at bags of potting media with different names or references. The most important thing is the ingredients it contains, not what its called. Potting mix without fertilizer is becoming harder and harder to find. Potting mixes with 3-months fertilizer are ok to use, just ignore it... just add the normal amount of fertilizer as in the EB instructions. The only fertilizer your plants need is the strip. Don't go adding anything else, such as liquid fertilizers.
Read the label carefully, and look for a mix containing large amounts of organic matter such as peat moss, bark fines, or coir (coconut fiber), along with either vermiculite or perlite. Avoid any medium that contains soil, sand, rock or clay, or any products described as "partially composted," or a "byproduct."
In general, any growing medium that's labeled for container gardens, hanging baskets or seed starting is well suited for EarthBox gardening. You'll find that an appropriate EarthBox growing medium has a much lighter weight than soil.
Many garden centers and chain stores will have their own mixes, and in some cases their own brands (i.e. Lowes Professional Potting Mix). Below are some national and regional brands of potting mixes that are okay to use. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but rather a general guide.
* Miracle-gro Potting Soil
* Miracle gro Moisture Control Potting Mix
* Miracle-gro Organic Mix
* Pro-mix BX
* Pro-mix numerous other formulas
* Jungle-Growth
* Fertilome
* ASB Potting Mix
* Eko Potting Mix
* Sun-Grow Metro Mix 360
* Sun-Grow, numerous other formulas
* Baccto Professional Potting Mix
* Baccto Lite Premium Potting Soil
* EB Stone Ednas Potting Soil (west coast)
* EB Stone Flower & Vegetable Planting mix
* Kelloggs Gardener & Bloom Blue Ribbon Blend Potting Soil (west coast)
* Kelloggs Champions Blend Potting Soil (west coast)
Note: the quantity needed for each EarthBox is about 2 cubic feet, or 60 dry quarts, maybe a little more with proper mounding.
Its very important to mound up the mix over the box so it resembles a loaf of bread. The cover should stretch tightly over the mound. It will settle with time, but should still enable water to run off with no puddling.
the EB instructions say to wet the potting mix in the box but that some have found it easier and neater to moisten it separately in another container and then put it into the earthbox. I find it easier to pack the wicking corners BEFORE FILLING the reservoir.
How damp/wet is the mix supposed to be under the cap? Wet to touch? Damp?
A box that has been wicking properly should have a dark brown color - somewhere between dry coffee grounds on the dark side to damp/wet earth/ground on the light side. And when you grab a handful, it definitely feels damp like a wrung wash cloth uniformly across the whole surface. Drier or a lighter color and not a uniform color (aside from the surface fungus/salts/etc.) are signs of faulty wicking.
Custom Potting Mix
Somewhere about 80% Peat, 10% Vermiculite, 5% Perlite, 5% Activated/Acid Washed Coconut Carbon is the ideal. In general the Vermiculite:Perlite should be 2:1
Actually, There is a wide variation in the proportions of these ingredients between commercial producers and growers that make their own. It has a lot to do with personal preferences. They all work fine. A workable formula without the hard to find carbon can range between 70% Peat, 20% Vermiculite, 10% Perlite to 85% Peat, 10% Vermiculite and 5% Perlite.
The mix I would recommend is:
70% Peat
20% Vermiculite (optional, can be omitted)
10% Perlite
2 Cups Dolomite (agricultural limestone w/ magnesium) for all tomatoes and vegetables.
2 Cups Granulated Fertilizer (on top, in a strip)
Dolomite is actually dolomitic lime, also called GARDEN or AGRICULTURAL lime. As long as its finely pulverized (not pelleted) and the label ingredient list says CALCIUM and MAGNESIUM, its ok. It will come in large bags, very inexpensive (dirt cheap), and is available in just about any nursery or farm supply. In smaller quantities there is Garden Lime by Espoma, pelleted, but supposedly is ok as is. Other than ESpoma, if pelleted is all that's available, then you must grind it yourself. A sacrificial coffee grinder or blender works well. Pelleted lime just dissolves too slowly to be of much benefit. Powdered will be more readily available to your plants. Hydrated lime is quick acting, but does not contain magnesium. Its also caustic and must be handled with care. Avoid using it except as described for treating Blossom End Rot.
If you are using an organic fertilizer that has animal by-products, such as that supplied by Earthbox, you need to cover it with 2-4" of potting mix to prevent critters and flies getting to it. If you want to use a regular fertilizer, look for something around 5-10-10. Earthbox supplies 7-7-7 with their standard kits. Avoid anything that you dilute with water... it must be granular. 10-10-10 is kind of heavy on the nitrogen, which is fine for leafy type crops (spinach, lettuce, kale etc). For fruiting veggies I prefer a lower first number (nitrogen), thus my recommendation of 5-10-10. All these should be stocked by most nurseries and farm suppliers.
The shower cap cover: Black or white side up?? Black absorbs heat, so is best when planting in extreme northern regions, in early spring or in the fall. Conversely, white reflects heat, so is best in hot climates or during summer when it can get hot. The goal is to reflect heat away from the box and not cook your plants. Additionally, aluminum foil wrapped around the box helps in extreme heat.
The roots don't suck up water from the reservoir"... the science of the EB is that the mix sucks up the water, draws the fertilizer down, feeding the roots and the cover keeps it from evaporating, so there is always a supply available for whatever size plant you have. Seeds and seedlings only need a little moistening when you plant them. Don't be tempted to leave the cover off or do your watering from the top.
This is the EB link to what you can plant.
http://www.earthbox.com/consumer/grow.htmlTo mix plants, cut the quantities in half. Example....
Instead of the (2) tomatoes or (6) peppers, putting them together you would have (1) tomato and (3) peppers. Experiment with what sounds right to you, but stick close to the guide in the beginning. Consider also the growth habits of the plants your mixing. Cukes are a vine and may well choke out peppers unless trained away from them. Ideally, you want to mix plants with similar habits and requirements. For that, search the web and read up on your plants. It will save you grief later on.
All melons are heavy feeders, and EB folks recommend 4 plants, and this is their revised listing. Don't let the size of the fruit deceive you.... its the plant that counts, and they're all similar (squash/melons/cukes).
Go to this link to see a planting calendar for Florida. This guide is for all areas of Florida, south, central, and north.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/VH/VH02100.pdfNearly all your questions can be answered by contacting your county extension agency... that's what its there for. See this link for help in locating it:
http://forum.earthbox.com/index.php?board=3.0If you are in an area that gets hot and humid: That invites a host of fungus-type diseases. Just read the posts from other folks in a similar climate... You must take some measures to protect or rescue your plants. There are many products that are organic and can be used right up to harvest with no ill effects.
Gardens Alive has several suitable products such as Soap Shield fungicide and Pyola insecticide to name a couple. For worms or leaf-eating caterpillars, use a product containing BT (Bacillus thuringiensis). Its totally harmless to anything except worms/caterpillars. Products containing Spinosad also work.
http://www.gardensalive.com/Id suggest keeping all of those on hand, no matter where you live.
What if something goes wrong??
Since this is your first time using EBs, you need to tell us exactly what went into your box: what products you used, how they were placed, and how you set it up, step-by-step. Its important, because many ills of first-time EBers stem from something they did or didn't do at setup. You would be surprised how many folks go astray from the very beginning. The EB is a unique creation that requires very exact assembly in order to function properly. Once we get past that part, we can start analyzing what else could be wrong with your box or plants. Remember, if you're unsure about anything, don't guess or listen to wrong advice from well-meaning people. Come here, and ask your questions. There are lots of folks eager to help. Its so much easier to ask BEFORE you make a bad mistake, than to live with poor results or have to redo from the start.
This is my "McGyver" gardening toolbox:
* UV-stable plastic wire ties (automotive dept)
* Bamboo skewers
* Velcro plant tie material (comes on a roll 1/2"x 45 or 75 ft long)
* 1 gallon pump sprayer
* NYLON twine Large roll
* Long claw-type pick-up tool (great for grabbing roots n stuff in the watering tube)
* siphon (inexpensive tube & bulb type from automotive dept.)
* Scissors
* Pruning clippers
* Exterior duct tape, by 3M 2"wide, found in heating dept Home Depot
* Mineral oil
* Eye dropper
* Q-Tips
* Hydrated Lime small bag
* Fungicide (spray squash/cukes/melons weekly as preventative)
* Pesticide
* Worm/Caterpillar spray or powder (BT)
* Hand truck/dolly (If you have a lot of boxes to move around, its worthwhile to invest the $40-$60.)
* Yellow sticky traps (captures whiteflies, aphids, leaf miners, etc)
* Mosquito Dunks and/or Mosquito Kill Bits
Happy gardening,
Mickie
Edit: added items to McGyver list
