EarthBox 1010036 Organic EarthBox, Terracotta

I am up to 19 EarthBoxes, they are additive, I keep adding more to grow more vegetables to enjoy. Recommend going to the Earthbox forum to get tips and ideas. For beginners, follow the directions and it will not fail. As for watering, keep the reservoir always with some water and let the plants take what they need. Which can require 2-3 times a day to fill if you have tomatoes, squash, and corn.If you are disappointed in a growth of a plant, it can be the weather that year, or a variety that does not do well in your area, or a mistake prepping the box and letting the box go dry. I live in Southwest Washington State. We can have wet summers and some long dry summers. I have had disappointing tomatoes some years, some reasons was the plant and some the reason the weather that year was too cool and wet. Don't get discouraged, maybe a different vegetable will grow better in your area.All I know, I keep expanding with these boxes to get more wonderful tasting vegetables. It is gratifying to pick off the deck, then prep or cook, and eat the vegetable within 1/2 hour and the freshness is nothing you can get from a store or even a farmers market freshness.

These planters work well for growing veggies. I wouldn't have believe it if I hadn't tried it myself. Last spring I grew 2 tomato plants/box and 6 sweet peppers/box and was very pleased with all the tomatoes and very large red bell peppers. This fall I grew broccoli. The heads weren't very large but the planter where I grew 2 plants instead of 6, the plants got 3 times as large and may still produce side shoots. The leaves are edible and can be used like spinach, steamed or fresh on sandwiches. I may have to adjust the fertilizer for broccoli.I bought 3 more of these to grow more veggies since the soil around our house is questionable for prior owners using pesticides. With this system I can use organic soil. Also, plants love growing in these containers. I planted one of my tomatoes in a very large pot, fertilized and used same soil, and watered every time I watered the earthboxes and got only 4 tomatoes from it. I lost count of all the tomatoes I got from 4 in the earthboxes and they just kept growing out onto the deck floor. I finally let our local mockingbird have all he wanted to eat because there was plenty for us all : )

I wasn't sure this would live up to the hype but the soil in my area is very heavy clay and I haven't had much success with tomatoes so I thought I'd give it a go.It was easy to assemble and the instructions were clear. I bought some good quality potting soil from a local nursery and followed the directions from there. I put two small roma tomato plants in it and watered it daily.Perhaps it's just my bad past experience in growing tomatoes but I was astonished at how quickly these plants grew. Lots of flowering and there are loads of tomatoes on the vine waiting to ripen so far. I did put tomato cages around the plants to support them. Should be quite a crop.This thing is kind of expensive for what it is but if I can grow tomatoes for years in it the investment is more than worth it. Might get another next spring and put a couple of beefsteak tomato plants in it.

The EarthBox has been a godsend for me. I love garden-fresh food --and as a vegan I eat lots of it -- but can't grow anything. I live in a condo with a tiny back deck and no yard, which is just as well because I've been known to kill cacti and air plants. The box seems pricey, but it will never need to be replaced, and it is ridiculously easy to set up and maintain. (I've already bought several additional boxes, though, to grow a variety of vegetables through the fall.) Add to that the excellent customer support, the forum community that shares tips (and special sales), and time and money saved on trips to the store, and the EarthBox is a bargain. The up-front cost (which also includes the potting mix for the box) seems high at first, but these are one-time costs. Next year, my only EB expenses will be for the fertilizer and the seeds or seedlings. I just got my 80-something father an EB for his birthday (it took less than half an hour to set up, and all he needs to do is choose what to plant and add the fertilizer). My mom is now expecting her own EB for Mother's Day.

I was reluctant because of the price, but I have been amazed at the results and have no regrets purchasing the Earthbox. Since I only buy organic produce, I felt the need to buy the organic Earthbox. I live in rocky, sandy soil with blazing summers and an on-going drought, so it's been wonderful to efficiently grow veggies. I was surprised that I have to water it daily. The plants drink up the water - it's not so much from evaporation because of the plastic mulch cover. I highly recommend this product.3/22/12 Edited to add:It is worth noting that Earthboxes become a bit addictive. After buying one and having such a successful growing season, I have accumulated five more. I find that the price difference between the regular Earthbox and the organic EB fluctuates on Amazon quite drastically. After my initial organic Earthbox purchase, I have purchased a few regular (non-organic) Earthboxes for anywhere from $10-30 cheaper than the organic box and just not used the synthetic fertilizer that comes with it. I bought a 30 pound bag of organic fertilizer at a local nursery for $30, and that bag of organic fertilizer will last me years and years. So it's worked out for me to be cheaper to buy the non-organic Earthbox and not use the fertilizer it comes with. Also, be sure to check out the Earthbox forum on the Earthbox website. It's very helpful and thorough.

I exclusively garden on my deck in containers. When I got these towards the end of summer, I tried to transplant some existing cucumbers into them which ended up a miserable fail. But I won't say it's the fault of the product because I have no idea if you can or should transplant cucumbers or at what point you should do so if it's possible. I will say I like the boxes and the system seems great, and I look forward to trying it the right way in the spring. I also got the supports for my peas but I haven't installed them yet.