I have a small backyard patio and I want to grow something. For a birthday present, my mother gave me some boxes for container gardening.Will I produce anything? Will I remember to water them? Will I eat healthier if I have easy access to veggies and grow them myself?

The brand I got is Earth Box

www.earthbox.com/consumer/what_is.html

 although there are probably other good brands out there.

According to the EarthBox website, "...many people have tremendous EarthBox gardens on their patios, balconies and decks." We'll see...! I'm going to buy seeds, plants, fertilizer and soil this weekend. I'll keep you posted... And I'll keep a tally of the cost and post that as well.

The box is basically a large planter with a fill tube down the side for water. The water pools at a reservoir at the bottom. Supposedly plants take the exact amount of water they need from the reservoir; you can't overwater, and the only way to underwater is to let the water reservoir run dry.

The exact dimensions are 29" Long x 13.5" Wide x 11" High. I have five boxes, although if I had purchased them myself I probably would have started with only one or two, as the upfront cost seemed kind of steep (~$35 each). But my mom does container gardening on her deck and swears that these are amazing, so she gave me the five as a birthday present.

We want to grow the following crops:

1) Spinach

2) Salad greens

3) Carrots and radishes

4) Tomatoes

5) Herbs (parsley, cilantro, thyme, rosemary) -- I'm also going to attempt basil and mint in separate, regular pots.

The Earth Box set up looks kind of complicated at first glance, but it comes with fairly easy instructions. My 3-year-old is going to help me set the boxes up this weekend, so we'll see how easy it really is!