Earth Box Pictures

[Earl]

I know we have a gallery, but from my thinking it would be nice to have our own earth box picture thread so we don't have to go look for pictures.

Mano on the left. and Lime Green Salad


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A batch of Mesclun ready to cut.


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[dgriff]

Excellent pics. Are those in a greenhouse?

[rzr]

Get ready to stakem!

[Earl]

Yes, Griff, in a GH. We'll just now starting to get into the 80's so I may need to move them outside soon.

RZR, they're not supposed to get THAT tall, but they look like they might just do that. :-)

[caascher2]

Earl..a few questions about Earthboxes. I noticed you used something black over the surface, what is it? When you planted your mesclun did you cover that with plastic? Are you able to grow lettuce all summer in the box? Where did you put the fertilizer with the lettuce? Just mix it in the soil?
Lots of questions I know but appreciate your knowledge about the boxes.
Thanks,
Carol

[Earl]

Carol,
The black on surface is part of a large garbage bag. It's to protect the fertilizer strip [if using one] from rain if EB is outside.

I didn't use plastic cover with the mesclun EB or fertilizer strip. Put some Espoma in the bottom potting mix and planted 3 rows of seeds. After seeds were up I put strips of paper towels between rows to keep mesclun clean. First year using EBs so I don't know about lettuce in summer. I think with the lettece I put fertilizer down the center, but you could put it in the bottom potting mix layer.

[Mantis]

Thats a very tall LGS Earl. I grew it last year and it only got to about 18inches tall.
I have carrots growing in one of my tubs in the greenhouse and they are doing great.

[Tomatovator]

I made 2 planters and planted them at the end of March with Ugly tomatoes from TGS. I then found wooden boxes that they fit in. I also planted 2 Moskvich in a real Earthbox in early April. The photos show the plants as they have progressed since planting till today. The 2 close ups are of Ugly and then Moskvich.

[rnewste]

Excuse my ignorance (new this year to growing also in containers) but what is the purpose of the vertical PVC pipe in the corner of the E.B.? Also, are drain holes to be drilled in the bottom / lower sides of the plastic containers for drainage.

Below is a photo of my container section. I have my pots sitting in basins, which retain about an inch of water after irrigation. Will the "wicking" action of the soil keep the growing medium in the containers too moist, and should I just remove the basins and let the excess water just drain out to the ground, or is the wicking effect beneficial to stabilizing the moisture in the container?

Thanks for the help,

Ray

[Earl]

Ray,
The pipe is for watering and keeping the potting soil moist in the EB. A few inches from the bottom of the container is a separator with supports , it keep potting mix apart from the water in the bottom of the container, but the separator sits on a pot like container that holds potting mix that serves as a wick which draws water to the upper potting mix.

Hell, it hard to explain. LOL

Do a Google on "homemade earth box"

[Big_Red]

Here's a picture of my Park's Whopper Cr Improved.

[Big_Red]

Also, my Wisconsin 55, started a little later.

[Big_Red]

Started later still is this Delicious.

[Big_Red]

Finally, bottom to top:

Amish Paste
Big Red
Indiana Red

[Earl]

Red, those are great looking tomatoes!

Not sure how this experiment is going to turn out, but so far so good. I planted more than 250 carrot seed in this EB at one inch spacing, some didn't germinate but most did. I figured I'd harvest every other one when half grown and the others would have room to mature. We'll see.


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