The scoop on 'EarthBox'

I received the EarthBox as a gift. I "nearly" followed the directions. I did not add the strip of dry fertilizer since the bag of potting mix advertised that it already had "some"
fertilizer added in. The "Patio" tomatoes did fairly well. I would fill a jug with tap water and let it sit for a day to blow off the chorline. I was fairly faithful with re-filling the water reservoir of the EarthBox. Later I added the strip of dry fertilizer from a discarded bag of Scott's Turf Builder (perhaps one cup). Then the tomatoes really took off!!

This is the worst customer service I have EVER had. I ordered a plant kit on-line and they first charged my credit card for two instead of one. I have been waiting over two weeks for delivery, but the website indicates it is awaiting credit approval. The item was charged and debited to my credit card the day I paid for it - almost three weeks ago. I have written FOUR emails and I have left two voice messages with regard to shipment - none of which have been returned.

The company obviously has no leadership, much less customer service. LOUSY SERVICE.

Beware!!

If people are having bad luck with ordering a earthbox or is sick of there poor customer service Garden patch has a similar product for less $$. [HYPERLINK@www.agardenpatch.com]

I have used seven earthboxes (two plantings each year for the past 6-1/2 years. I have grown many varieties of tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. All with great success. I provide tomatoes and cucumbers to several friends almost year round. It is early January, and my four beefmaster and better boy plants have over a hundred tomatoes right now. I'll replant the boxes in late February or early March. There just seems no way for a person not to be able to grow fantastic tomatoes, etc. in an earth box. Common sense dictates that you not try to stuff several types of vegetables into one box. Place them in full sun. keep them watered. Stake as necessary. Harvest away!!!! I deal directly with the Earth Box Store in Ellenton, Fl. They are wonderful people. I live nearby in Bradenton. Fl.

Ordered two twelve box watering systems. Upon receipt of the watering system was shorted parts to complete both systems. Since Aug 2007 have called 4 x's emailed a total of 6 x's. I have spent thousands of dollars with earthbox. This is the first time I have needed assistance and am a very unhappy with the customer service. Each time I have called they say items will be shipped, as of date shorted items have not arrive.

Thank you for any help you can provide.... SKC

I have 15. The first group was purchased from HSN which gave me a 50% discount on the shipping fees after the first box. The rest were purchased from EarthBox company at a steep discount because the caster holes are irregular and I do not need casters so it worked GREAT for me. I got 5 for $125 and paid $25 for shipping (August 2007). The people who answer their telephones during the 9-5 business hours are not very cordial or friendly but the product is GREAT!!! The people at the research center in Florida are reported to be WONDERFUL -- perhaps they should man the phones also!!!!

If you have problems bending or kneeling due to arthritis or other physical ailments then this EarthBox is great to get you back to gardening. If necessary you can put it on a stand and garden from a wheelchair. I had a hip replaced and will have the other hip replaced soon. With a bit of help with the initial set-up I can now enjoy gardening again.

The EarthBox is not easy but it is EASIER than in-ground gardening. Their website has a forum which is FAN-TAS-TIC for anyone to ask questions and get guidance on how to grow in the EarthBox.

Many folks complain about the shipping fees. Order the box with NO potting mix and your shipping fees will be around $6-7 per box -if- you are on the east coast. Remember that ALL shipping has increased due to the increase in fuel cost. Complain all you want but if you take a box that size to UPS, USPS or FedEx and try to ship ---- IT WILL NOT BE LESS THAN $10 ----- EarthBox gets a discount from FedEx for ground shipping because of the volume they ship that is why they can ship for less. Just try to ship that box back to them and you will find out that the shipping fee you have to pay to return the EarthBox is more than the shipping fee you paid to receive the EarthBox.

I ordered the Earthbox last month,came w/no problems,I planted 2 Celebrity tomato plants,from 6" pots...I followed the planting directions to the "T" and have been very pleased so far...the plants have grown a foot in just under a month,w/watering every day...I have counted at least 2 dozen blossoms so far w/ a few baby tomatoes the size of your pinky nail....just make sure you support them...I am using 42" cages that are staked for extra support....

I received an EB as a birthday present. I currently am using it to grow tomatoes. I'm not aware of any biling or shipping problems with this order. Believe me, if there were, my father wouldn't hesitate to let me know about it! My only complaint was that the directions to put it together were missing. That problem was remedied by downloading and printing them from their website. It was pretty easy to put together.

I really like my EB and will continue to use it next season for some other vegetables. I'm sorry to hear about the problems others are having with customer service and delivery.

I never had a problem with EB's ordering or customer service. If you want to SKIP dealing with Earthbox...just head on over to [HYPERLINK@www.hsn.com] (the home shopping network's webpage) as they have the boxes for a lot less and you can bypass dealing with EB. I have ordered 8 boxes from HSN with no delay or issues. Also they have flexpay so you can split up your payments as the boxes aren't cheap.

I have had my boxes for two seasons and they are well worth the money! Good luck and sorry to hear you are having problems with delivery!

I am extremely unhappy with the customer service at this company. The reason why is because I received a special "coupon" from my Dixondale order that said if I buy 10 Earthboxes without the soil or fertilizer it would cost me 375.00 if I use the Dixondale code. I thought it would be wonderful to get a discount, so I went on line to earthbox.com and discovered if I buy THE SAME 10 similar earthboxes, it will only cost me 325.00!!!!!!!!! Who is getting this 50.00 difference? When I called earthbox.com on sunday after 5:00 pm, to inquire about the pricing, I was told he didn't know why there was a price discrepancy and to order it on line if it was cheaper!!!!!! He basically refused to investigate why there was a price difference!!! THEN, I decided to place my order on line to see what happens. I WAS HORRIFIED THAT to place my ten order shipment cost an ADDITIONAL 150.00 for FEDERAL EXPRESS!!!!!!!!! They don't use USPS with tracking, they don't use UPS with tracking, they USE THE MOST EXPENSIVE method of shipment yet, they only guarantee you will recieve the item up to 3 weeks after placing your order. STILL, that is not a big deAL, BUT 150.00 SHIPPING?????????? once i try these, they better be the second coming, because i will make sure EVERYONE knows the truth between EB's and container gardening!!!!!!!!!

Facts. I emailed EB for quantity prices. After not receiving a reply I phoned. A man gave me prices for delivery of 5 boxes. I checked that the price included shipping which he said it did - £28 each for 5 boxes delivered.
Later that day an email arrived; in that the price for 5 worked out at £31.90 each delivered, a difference of £14.50 on 5 ! My husband rang to see how long delivery would be and asked for a price as I had been given two different ones. He was told 4 EBs would be £26 delivered. So the next day I rang to order 8 EBs expecting to pay £208. I was told the price was £208 for 8 and the order would come to £208 + 8x£4.95 = £247.60. The assistant hotly denied having said to my husband that delivery was included.
I was then told to hold on (10 minutes had passed by this time) and she came back to say there had been a mistake and I wouldn't like it but I would have to pay even more. I explained that I had now had 4 quotes and asked to speak to the supervisor. The supervisor kept saying the email price was the correct one and I had been misquoted on the other occasions. I pointed out that two people had misquoted, one even confirming her quote the next day. I was prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt about not saying delivery was included and would pay £26 plus £4.95 each for 8 but she was adamant the price would be £159.50. She accepted I had been misinformed several times. I will never deal with such an inefficient inflexible firm again. They seem to not want business so I will make my own EBs. Some-one needs to go into competition to shake them up. In fact I have just found Bora (phone 01730 301340) who have something similar, larger, in green or white and works out cheaper per sq ft of growing area.

Earthbox Customer Service charged me twice for one Earthbox. I contacted Earthbox, according to their records, they charged me only once. After explaining that their name was on my bank statement once on 6/20 and once on 6/7 for 44.90 each, they still denied it and requested a fax of my bank statement. I replied that for my privacy protection I would not be sending them my bank statement and customer service replied with "that is the only way you will get your money back ma'am." I took the issue up with my bank.

The EB product is great. Their customer service isn't.

The earth boxes really work, and it is a great product. That being said it is very difficult to get a hold of one. I have been waiting almost a month, and still there is no tracking number, and whenever I call in I get the same story that they are unable to give me a tracking number because they can not find my order because it was placed online. I am able to pull up my order history via the Web site. My only advice would be to order about three months before you want to plant - this way you are not behind the 8 ball in getting your crops in the ground.

Purchased EB after a recommendation from a gardening professional as something which might meet my needs as I am both elderly and disabled. Placed my first order for 10 EBs via phone and had some problems with the attitude of the person taking the order. Never received confirmation of order despite having both home address and e-mail. Decided to order stakes and casters but this time by mail. Again failed to acknowledge order. I had to call them. Credit card was charged 19 days after they received order; it is now over 30 days since card was charged and no accessories despite statement by phone that should have been received this past week. So far am off to a bad start because outside dogs have destroyed the box covers to get to organic fertilizer strip. Also have found trying to put other than the smallest of transplants into hole through the cover has resulted in jamming in the roots and wishing the plants well!

Earthbox is ok for folk who lack gardening ability or perhaps have dissability issues or limitations as to where they can garden.............i.e. the apartment/condo dweller. My issue with Earthbox is that I felt my box was overpriced. I went to [HYPERLINK@www.josho.com] and found a way to make a homemade Earthbox for much less. Also, I do a considerable amount of container gardening and I just didn't find my Earthbox to be any more productive then my other containers. I place my larger containers inside even larger containers to create a pot-within-a-pot and this greatly reduces dehydration in the hot sun and also I put the entire set up in a tray (plastic oil change pans from the local big box hardware store). I fill this with water and my containers wick this up. Also, the Earthbox folks claim that healthy plants require consistent fertilizer and they don't recommend fertilizers mixed with water. I disagree. I use an organic fertilizer that I mix with water and fill my waters pans with. My mix ratio is "consistent" and my watering schedule is "consistent".

I can't disparage Earthbox. I think it is a great product for some people.............it comes in a complete kit......."Just add water and plants", but I don't think it is a revolutionary breakthrough either.

Instead of 3 they sent me 6 boxes and charged me for that- when I called them customer service people were the rudest on earth as if it was my mistake... they improperly scheduled the fedex pick- luck fedex had my no and they were able to come down and pick up-
product may be good but customer service too too bad- their call center should be outsourced ---

I recently ordered 3 complete Earthbox Ready to grow kits. They arrived after a lengthy wait and 2 of the 3 kits were not complete kits. Earthbox left out the dolomite and fertilizer. I tried to get them to send the missing pieces, but they have not. At the same time I ordered the earthboxes, I ordered the castors to go with the earthboxes. They were on back order, so, after months of waiting, I cancelled my order for the castors. They sent the castors to me 4 days after I cancelled the order. I would never do business with this company again.

I have 5 earthboxes and love them. I just picked up the new staking system the weekend. I like other in the area have been waiting for the manufacture to correct a few issues to meet the inventors specs. The first sets had to be hammered together, not a good fit. The new ones work great. It is nice living across the river from the research center. That answer lots of questions and try all kinds of stuff in the earthbox. I was there a few weeks ago when the opened one filled with potatoes. I do think you could do better outside the box for potatoes . I think they only got about 10/15 lbs from the crop, but that is just my guess.

ordered a staking system 1/17 still have not recieved it co syas they are shipping them out it is 4/9 my planting date is 4/15

Earthboxes are great IF you realize that there simply is not a single garden environment that is good for all plants.

Earthboxes provide gradual feeding (via a pile of dry fertilizer placed at planting time away from direct contact with plants but at the top of the soil) and constant moisture. Properly cared for, plants in an Earthbox are never soaking wet and never dried out. Obviously, there are many garden plants that thrive on this. Still, there are those in the field of tomato husbandry, for instance, that think the plants need the soil to get fairly dry at times for the best results. You can't do that with an Earthbox.

There is a plastic cover that the plants poke through that acts as a mulch. It also can act as an environment for mildew or other moisture problems to develop, if the greater environment you put the boxes in is prone to that. The system won't work without the covers, though, so a few users will need to work with that design reality.

Earthboxes are also, well, boxes...albeit big ones. If you don't insulate the box somehow, it is going to go through greater temperature fluctuations than in-ground planting. There are many environments where this is not a problem, but just be aware that yours might not be one of them.

Earthboxes can also be taken inside when a snap of bad weather is expected, allowing lettuces to survive longer into the fall, to be germinated successfully earlier in the spring, and to be spared short-term heat waves. Be aware, though, that planted Earthboxes are unweildy and HEAVY. Most people not wanting a back injury should not be lifting them without help, even from a raised outdoor spot onto a wagon.

As for care, if you can't keep up with watering an Earthbox, you are very unlikely to keep a plant alive in any situation. The water reservoir has an overflow, so you can set an auto-water system to top it off every day if you're going to be gone. There is a grate that keeps most of the soil out of the reservoir, with only amount dipping in that acts as the wick. It is a very slick system.... unless you let the "wick" dry out. Then you've got problems. You might be able to re-hydrate without killing your plants, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Also, I've had my Earthboxes for about 5 years now, outside all year round, and they show no sign of UV decay. It looks to be a very durable system that will be well worth the initial outlay. (Plan on having to replace the covers, though.)

I very much recommend the Earthbox, but always with those few caveats that might not occur to a person unacquainted with how the system works.

I have purchased several Earthboxes over the years. I have a huge gopher problem and find containers a big help in keeping them at bay.

The containers arrived in good time (I am on the west coast) and in good condition. I have no complaints about the earthboxes for growing plants, though my experience has been with ornamentals more than vegetables.

What I do want to comment on (in all seriousness!) is that they provide excellent habitat for our supposedly endangered red legged frog! Last year I noticed a frog had taken up residence in each of four of my earthboxes. At the time I had not identified them, but now I am certain that they are rana aurora draytoni, or red legged frog. I think they spend all year in them. Right now it's breeding season and I hear their chorus--there must be half a dozen of them.

The company might want to investigate doing some studies and may be able to supply earthboxes to environmentalists for mitigation purposes.

AUTOMATED WATERING SYSTEM
I have an idea to share about automatic watering of my Earth Boxes. I purchased a Toro "Count On - It" automatic faucet control valve. I hooked it to an outdoor faucet and connnected it by hose to my two EB's using a hose Y fitting. I set the "Count On - It" to come on every 24 hours, and run for 3 minutes. I cracked the faucet and adjusted the water flow so it would'nt squirt, but dribble out of the EB weep hole. The only problem was the hoses crimping as they went up and into the water tube. I wired some popsycle sticks to the hoses to keep that from happening. The systems works great.

Although I have had trouble with worms on my tomatoes and green beans, I have been generally satisfied with Earth Boxes. I

I love Earthboxes. I have 7 of them and grow indeterminate tomatoes in them--I have had some grow 8 + feet in those boxes. I also have about 30 regular containers but for easy, foolproof growing Earthboxes are fantastic. You do have to water them every day and you have to follow the directions correctly. They are expensive but very, very durable. They offer a quantity discount when they are all going to the SAME address--which is standard practice. Ordering has always been a breeze and they arrive right away. Excellent for anyone who loves a home-grown tomato!

This year was the first time I purchased and used Earthboxes. I must admit, I have not had the best of luck. It's partly my fault (I idid not keep the resoviors full enough) and Mother Nature did not help out much here in PittsbuGH--we had an extremely hot summer. My first planating of corn died within weeks. Although late, I am trying corn again. My spinach and lettuce faired better, but tjhe results were not "magicall'. Also, it could be the plants that I usedl
One of the plants I grew were free Maxim strawberries, sold by either Miller or Stark. They grew big, dark, healthy leaves. I just did not get any strawberries. Not even one. I also tried pumpkins which rotted and melons that are still the same size as golf balls! I started them in May!
Does anyone know if EarthBox has some sort of forum or chat room to get suggestions and ideas? Can I overwinter the strawberries in the garage and expect a bumber crop next year; It sure would be nice after spending so much . Has anyone had great luck and, if so, with what kind o ff plants, and when, etc. I will try again next year. Hopefully things will work out.

It’s ok, but not as magical as their AD says.

I bought one earthbox. So far I tried tomato, cucumber, beans and herbs in it. It’s OK, but not as magical as their AD says.

I say that because I have plant exactly the same thing in two 5-gallon pots as comparison. The pots are just those normal black plastic pots that come with big plants I bought from Home Depot. I used same seeds or small plants to start, same potting mix, same fertilizer, same hydrated lime for tomato (as suggested in the EarthBox instruction). And when I add water to the earthbox, I water the 5-gallon pots as well. The yields are both good, but the earthbox is not doing better than the pots.

Actually for the fertilizer part, earthbox suggested 2 cups per box. I followed that. But for my 5-gallon pots, I followed the instruction on the fertilizer package. I actually used less fertilizer for my pots. Earthbox claimed it consumes 50% less fertilizer. Well, I don’t think so. But that’s not a big deal anyway.

I see other reviews say the earthbox is doing better than the plants in the ground. I won’t be surprised. In the earthbox we are using potting mix which is way better than the ground soil; and we use a lot of fertilizer.

So, I think it’s a good product, but not magical. For first time gardeners it sure will be exciting to see things grow. But if you put the same effort on some big pots, you will get similar results.

I did learn a lot while using it though. For example lots of platns favor soil with higher PH, and that’s why we use hydrated lime.

I have read the negative comments about earth boxes and all the problems can be solved by making your own. I use rubbermaid boxes that are taller and bigger and follow the basic design. Use the black septic drain pipes for your bottom support and use screen on top of it to keep the soil from falling into the water. I use newspaper for my wick and away you go. The cost is a third of buying one and you can grow your bigger tomatoes and have a bigger water well on the bottom. Some of my boxes have 6 gallon capacities. Rubber maid boxes are the best because the plastic is flexible and doesnt crack as easily in the sunlight. Many of my boxes are 5 years old and still going strong. Cheaper, bigger and easy to use. I had 7 kids and was using 30 of these for all my vegetable needs. I love the earthbox but hated the price and low water storage. I solved both of those problems and you can have fun making them.

Bob

About 5 years ago, in my first attempt at gardening, I dedicated 2 of my 5 EBs to corn, I planted 32 kernels and reaped 64 ears. I was amazed. I planted corn in the dirt also, and it came along about 2 weeks later. I now have 18 EBs and I continually try different combinations and have found that it really doesn't matter how much you pay for the potting soil. It's all good enough. My zuchini squash is absolutly scarey. Melons are terrific. Maters grow terrificly well, but I need to learn a bit more about them so they don't split on me. But that is not the EBs fault. My bad. Cherry tomatos are flawless and plentiful and very, very tall.

I just received my second earthbox order - I have enjoyed my first earthbox for years. I am however, major unhappy with the shipping prices which are unreasonable. I understand that companies like to pad their profit with 'handling charges' instead of increasing the price of their products. However, charging $6.95 per earthbox on the already high $29 price for recycled plastic is outrageous. What is MUCH WORSE is that I ordered three earthboxes. You guessed it, all three shipped in the same container but the shipping cost was over $20. Nothing wholesome about this companies business practices.

I have been using Earthboxes for three years and am very happy with them. I plant tomatoes and cantaloupes and carry buckets of each to work for my co-workers. (I hand pollinate the melons.) I don't stake my plants. I use 'tables' I've built from 1" x1" boards and chicken wire. I build 8' x 8' frames, and staple chicken wire for the table 'surface.' The 'legs' are the height of the earthbox. I can group 8 earthboxes around each 'table,' and the vines flop over onto the chicken wire. I have really good air circulation, but spray to prevent mildew. You can't grow corn in an earthbox - I know from experience - and I won't waste an earthbox on beans, peas or herbs. I wouldn't, however, grow tomatoes and melons in anything else. They also are a terrifc gift for elderly gardeners. Oh, and after each growing season, I dump the used soil on my compost heap.

I've had nothing but success with my 10 EB's, so much so that I just placed an order for more of them. I've grown well over 50 varieties of different tomatoes, most of them heirlooms, and I have found the interior growing space of an EB to be very adequate for growing tomatoes, as well as other crops. (BTW, I do also garden conventionally, in the ground.) I did not have to fill my EB water reservoirs but every other day at the most, and this was during the hottest part of my summer here on the GA coast. If you are a seed saver, this is a great system to use to isolate any variety you're planning to save seeds from. I'll be ordering from this company again and again. I find them to be a great company with a great product. I give them an A+.

I purchased two earthboxes at the beginnning of summer, right before they closed for the season. I planted pole beans in one and herbs in the other. The pole beans sprouted in three days and grew wonderfully. We enjoyed several harvests. The herbs in the other box are doing even better. My basil plant is a mutant!!! It has several trunks on it that are a good 2", and is 5' tall. I keep clipping it and pinching off the flowers and it just keeps getting bigger. The other herbs are doing very well too, but the basil is incredible. I think it could be record size. I do have to water the herb box every couple of days since the basil is so huge it takes up alot of water. The other box can be watered every three or four days. I planted the same herbs in the ground two days before getting my earthboxes. All of them died except the basil which is still barely holding on. It is a sad display compared to the earthbox basil, only about 10" high and very stragly. I attended two of their seminars and spoke directly to the owner/inventor in Ellenton. He was so very helpful and such a pleasure to talk to. I am going back later this month to purchase at least six more. Earthboxes have been the only way I have been able to grow any vegetables or herbs in our Florida heat. The earthboxes seem to keep the pests to a minimum too, although I check the plants daily and remove any suspicious leaves, etc. I highly recommend this company and this product.

Earthboxes are terrific. I had a great tomato season despite alot of cool weather and rain. YES you have to stake your tomatoes (which you need to do anyway). YES you have to fill the reservoir every day...but that's because the tomatoes are using the water, it's not evaporating, so it's not wasted.

I don't think of the self-watering system as a shortcut to irrigation - its just a more effective/efficient way to get water and nutrients to the roots, without the danger of infecting the plants with fungal diseases from water splashed back from the soil.

I grew some pretty large indeterminate tomatoes in my earthboxes, not just small bush type and I had great results.

I bought 3 earthboxes, and while they are ok they certainly are not worth what they cost. The resoviour is not large enough, and needs more water every day. Also the box is not deep enough. My tomatoes in the earth box are not producing nearly as well the ones grown in my other plastic container.

michigan is a tough environment for tomatoes and, after years of lack of success, earthbox has seemed to finally have brought me to the threshold of tomatoe gardening nirvana ! i planted four different variety regulars in two boxes on may 15 and followed the directions explicitly. i planted one outside the box as a comparative(no contest). as of today, july 8,all plants are blossomed and and well-fruited. one "big boy" is over 8'tall. two are in the 5-6' range and one about 3'. (variety differences probably the main cause). i have 10' 1/2" stakes for each plant (my third "staking!")my 4' fencing around the two boxes is sufficient to keep the bunnies out but, because of the 1" netting, will probably cause harvest problems.

Wow - love them! I purchased 3 boxes to start and just ordered another 3, one as a gift to my boss, who first got me interested in gardening. I live in Putnam County NY and the land on my property is very rocky. I've tried planting to ground and in pots, but the EarthBoxes far outweigh my previous experiences. They are easy to use and maintain, and take all of the guesswork out of watering. I planted the boxes on May 8th and picked my first ripe tomato this morning (June 23)! Truly awesome!

After finding this website and reading negative comments about the EarthBox I had to join and write of my experience with them for the first time last year. I can only surmise that anyone having problems with them are only poor gardeners.

I have been growing tomatos in New Jersey (the Garden State) for over 30 years. Last year I grew 12 different varieties in six EarthBox's. I used cement reinforcing wire shaped and wired to the containers to contain them. The wire is 5 feet tall. After August I had to add another 2 feet of regular gardening wire to contain them. Eventually, I had to wire them together and tether them to the ground with tent spikes to keep them from blowing over in the wind they were so top heavy with tomatos. They grew beyond the 7 feet of wire in September, and eventually fell over the sides under thier own weight killing the tops of the plants. No bugs all season long.

I had HUNDREDS of tomatos. My family couldn't eat or give them away fast enough. I had Beefsteaks that I couldn't get through the 5"x5" cement wire cages. I had a 3.4 lb local fair winner of a SuperSonic tomato.

This year I'm growing 18 plants in 9 Earthboxes. My tomato plants are already 2 1/2 feet tall at the end of May, they look like small bushes. THIS year I'm taking pictures to prove it!

Anybody complaining that they dry out to quickly or have to water too frequently? Have you ever heard of plastic mulch? I watered mine once every four days. I even went away for a week's vacation with no problem.

I think that EarthBoxes are a gift from God. So much cleaner and easier than planting in the ground. I plan to retire to Florida next year where I will probably not have a garden. But you bet I'm gonna buy a condominium that has a patio or balcony with a southern exposure and will bring a few EarthBoxes with me!

My Earthboxes arrived(3)in november and I set them up and planted beefsteak and patio tomatos and as time went by I found that everything they advertised was true.I planted other plants in containers as I always did before and the growth in the boxes far outweighed the growth in the containers. I am now eating beefsteaks from the boxes while the other plants are smaller and have small green fruit. Of course I had to support the beefsteaks with large green rods purchased at Home Depot because the plants were so heavy with tomatos. I am disabled and for me this meant no more weeding and worrying about overwatering and overfeeding. Best gardening purchase I ever made!!

I didn't use it last season and have lost the fertilizer and lime directions for the Earthbox. I first used the box in 2001 with great results. Only problem was that fire ants got into the box even though I had it elevated. Inn addition, Earthbox didn't return my inquiry as to whether I should use the soil cover on the white or black side. This year they didn't answer me on the fertilizer question. Otherwise, I was pleased with the 2001 results. The thing gets heavy as heck though, in case you want to move it around. I planted standard tomatoes and they were very good.

Last year when my mother-in-law planted the same tomatoes in her earthbox that I did in my garden, I was convinced after a few weeks that I NEEDED an Earthbox. My plants were still 6 inches high and stunted, while hers were about 3 feet. She got about 100 tomatoes off of 2 plants! I got about 8 off of 4!
This year I bought an earthbox and so far, my plants are growing very quickly and there is no wilt or blight or anything bad that I was so accustomed to in my garden.
It is only June 17 and I will be picking my first tomato soon!
I just went online and bought one for my mother!

So far, so good! I set up 2 EarthBoxes about 5 weeks ago (2/20/03) with 2 tomatoes, 2 peppers, 4 hills of yellow squash. The tomatoes are 1.2-1.4 m (4-5 ft) tall with numerous tomatoes! I am harvesting some small cayenne peppers 5-8 cm (2-3 inches) long. The squash, started from seed, are beginning to flower. These boxes are inside my pool screen enclosure (central Florida), so I will have to hand-pollinate the squash. My 3-yr old granddaughters love watering the "garden".