Earth Box soil issues

Balr14 · August 29, 2023

I tried something this year I won't be trying again. I used a top soil mix that is supposed to be good for planting vegetables and tomatoes in the ground, in my Earth Boxes. Big mistake! It is supposed to hold moisture well, but because of the way Earth Boxes are made the water goes right through. Also, this kind of soil wicks badly. As a result there was not enough water to promote a lot of plant growth.

So, I ended up with scrawny plants and fewer tomatoes. The tomatoes grew larger than usual, by quite a lot, in some cases. After some time, tomato plant roots reached the water reservoir, but by that time the growing season was getting pretty short. Now I'm getting a bunch of small tomatoes that will never develop enough to keep before the season ends.

Next year I go back to potting soil mixes!
There always seems to be something to learn with tomatoes.

August 29, 2023	#1
Balr14 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: wisconsin Posts: 135	Earth Box soil issues I tried something this year I won't be trying again. I used a top soil mix that is supposed to be good for planting vegetables and tomatoes in the ground, in my Earth Boxes. Big mistake! It is supposed to hold moisture well, but because of the way Earth Boxes are made the water goes right through. Also, this kind of soil wicks badly. As a result there was not enough water to promote a lot of plant growth. So, I ended up with scrawny plants and fewer tomatoes. The tomatoes grew larger than usual, by quite a lot, in some cases. After some time, tomato plant roots reached the water reservoir, but by that time the growing season was getting pretty short. Now I'm getting a bunch of small tomatoes that will never develop enough to keep before the season ends. Next year I go back to potting soil mixes! There always seems to be something to learn with tomatoes.