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Garden in a box...? Can I grow cheap, healthy food?

Blog entry posted by DrDre 2 years ago

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!

 

 

5

Comments

zoester wrote

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I have a herb garden in pots with mint and basil and I love it but this post reminds me that I and easily grow something more ambitious like Tomatoes.
Also I read this article yesterday (its linked to bellow if anyone is interested) it was realy interesting. Its about "Slow Gardening" and talks about creating a garden in the back of your pickup truck - Enjoy!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/garden/26slow.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=slow%...

cesar wrote

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drdre, will this work indoors? I live in an apartment and definitely want to try growing some herbs inside. Anyway. I look forward to hearing how the set up goes.

Debra Jackson wrote

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You can do a lot of things indoors, provided you have good sunlite. I used to grow cherry tomatoes on my kitchen table.
Herbs are easy. If you take the onions you buy in the grocery store and put them in soil the tops will grow. The tops are great for cooking or salads. Then they continue to grow for future use. Good Luck!

Stayin Fit wrote

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i want to try too. the columbia univ student towers are starting a roof garden this summer!

Stayin Fit wrote

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i want to try too. the columbia univ student towers are starting a roof garden this summer!

annamaria wrote

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Wow, this looks really interesting! I have basil, sage, and thyme growing on my windowsill, but you're right, I could probably grow tomatoes or peppers as well.

I have also visited a lot of community gardens in NYC, they are hiding everywhere! If you can find one in your neighborhood, I bet they will be able to help you with what to grow.

jasmi123 wrote

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Starting a vegetable garden can be a little tougher and produce a little more exercise - but hey!... that`s not a bad thing - is it?. You will need to prepare the soil for planting. Besides removing weeds and debris from your vegetable garden to be, you may need to have top soil or fertiliser brought in depending on the condition of the soil. Working the soil can give you quite a work out but you want it to be in optimum condition so that your vegetable garden is as healthy as possible.

asmi123 wrote

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Deciding to grow your own vegetables in your own vegetable garden is one of the smartest things you will ever do for you and your family. Not only are you going to get to enjoy some sunshine and thus get your vitamin D, you’ll get some exercise which these days we all can use a little more, and you are going to be feeding your family a lot healthier.

joanne wrote

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Hi, Even though I have a regular vegetable garden I still like growing tomatoes with basil, and other herbs in hanging baskets. And I also grow a variety of squashes, with chives and peppers in hanging baskets. So if someone has a balcony or even a covered porch area hanging baskets work great.

micbev wrote

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A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form is known as a residential garden. Western gardens are almost universally based around plants. Zoos, which display wild animals in simulated natural habitats, were formerly called zoological gardens.

romankates wrote

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You will need to prepare the soil for planting. Besides removing weeds and debris from your vegetable garden to be, you may need to have top soil or fertiliser brought in depending on the condition of the soil.

Coll5 wrote

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I recently read that $70 spent on planting a food garden can yield $530 worth of produce per season. How's your Garden in a Box, DrDre??

cesar wrote

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How IS that indoor garden working out DrDre? I bought some herbs and veggie plants some weeks ago. The herbs are doing really well (mint, basil, parsley) for the most part, the cilantro is not working out. But the veggie plants are terrible. I tried planting peppers and tomatoes indoors but they are both not looking good. I also have a lot of tiny flies from these new plants. Any ideas how to get rid of them without using chemicals?

romankates wrote

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I still like growing tomatoes with basil, and other herbs in hanging baskets. And I also grow a variety of squashes, with chives and peppers in hanging baskets.

romankates wrote

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Western gardens are almost universally based around plants. Zoos, which display wild animals in simulated natural habitats were formerly called zoological gardens.

bbb wrote

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Will I eat healthier if I have easy access to veggies and grow them myself?

Laura wrote

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I know with me, if I have easy access to veggies I eat them more, especially when they're right in my house! Everyone's different, but it's worth a shot bbb!

jorge.hk wrote

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I am planning a roof garden,any pre-requisites to protect the ceiling?

Publisher wrote

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Hi jorge.hk!

That is a great question! We found this article that may be helpful for you.

"You will need to ensure that the roof is strong enough to support the size garden you imagine. Soil is heavy and mature plants laden with fruit and vegetables are heavy. Generally, around the sides is the best spot to put your garden plants because it has stronger support. Consider how you will get water to your plants."

Read More!

Happy Gardening!

-GetHealthyHarlem

hydroponics_grow_box wrote

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I have recently purchased a pre-built Homegrown Hydroponics grow box from http://www.homegrown-hydroponics.com and I am very happy with it. I can grow my own food all year long in my basement with minimal effort. It has made my life a lot easier and I do really enjoy growing my own organic foods.

mpp wrote

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How much space is required to grow Garden in a box?

kate24 wrote

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Of course you can grow an organic vegetable garden in your boxes, as long as you are careful about the fertilizer you buy, so they are 100% organic. I have my own small garden and i bought the soil for it so it's pretty good. I also use a lawn vacuum every autumn to clean the leaves in my yard, so i can use them as an organic fertilizer for my plants.

jhonplayer wrote

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During the morning you must eat fruits like banana, mango, peach, etc and during lunch eat light things. Don't eat heavy things like fried things often.

anuj wrote

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Thanks for sharing:-

jhonplayer wrote

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Roses are grown in soil too after getting roots, donot cut dead flower as it withers away, if u want to plant it outside,donot disturb the soil surrounding the roots.

jhonplayer wrote

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To roof a garden go with a hydroponics setup which would only be the weight of water and containers-and a lot less water than when using soil. or use a lighweight soilless mixture.

plm wrote

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Is it possible to grow all plants by garden in a box method?

mlp wrote

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How to grow the vegetable plants in garden box?

jghjgh wrote

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Where can one get beautiful designs for my home garden water cascade?

thelaa wrote

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never heard of the Earth Box but it is a great little solution for people like us.
oh yeah i am a university student.cheers!

Lexie P wrote

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Of course! It is good on your part because it will bring you more benefits because you are planting healthy foods. I guess it has more advantage that finding yourself buying in supermarkets, so why not grow and plant your own food? It is less cost and you will not be tired of looking for the veggies you want to buy.

jonbntl wrote

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This looks like a fun little project! Do we needs anything else at hand or is it all included? I have a lot of soil around and sifters for preparing it.

Bobgurung wrote

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Garden in the box..? This is amazing technique and very handy too. This kind of containers are very much appropriated for the urban citizens where they have very less space such as balcony or verandas. The systematic container has it's features that suits for the less care or even if someone could not give time for watering it due to hectic schedule. So, anyone can grow healthy and fresh food just in your balcony. Great innovative idea.
Regards
Fiberglass Planters

matt wrote

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interesting project...cherry tomatoes here i come.. i like the idea

jonbntl wrote

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This is a great idea! I don't have much space either, but I prefer to grow my own herbs and vegetables when I can so its fresh and I know where its been!
Jon
Soil Sifter