EarthBox-water from under...

[luigiwu]

Originally Posted by Jimcooper

Do you guys and gals use any real soil in the boxes, or is it all manufactured????. Sorry, I'm a soil guy and want to make sure, and because of failing eyesight will move to container plants nexr year.

Hi Jim, if you are thinking bout doing container veggies can I suggest looking into Larry Hall's rain gutter grow system? He has a lot of youtube videos. The thing about sub-irrigated planters is you must use potting MIX - something that is SOIL-LESS but peat-based, for its ability to suck up water.

This is Larry's homemade DIY potting mix recipes (if you don't want to buy bagged commercials potting mix.)

Larry Hall's Inexpensive Potting Mix!

2 five gallon buckets full peat moss, dry
1 five gallon bucket Well rotted horse manure or compost or worm castings
1 and 1/2 cup Garden lime
1 large coffee can full of perlite
1 handful of Epsom salts

This makes enough for approx three containers that are 5-gallon buckets.
Now this is the basic mix - from there you can add your own rock dust, bone meal, blood meal,etc to this if you want! But at minimum, add an additional 1/2 cu of lime and handful of Epsom salt to EACH TOP THIRD portion of potting mix in each bucket.

There is also an active RGGS facebook group if you have questions!
I've had great success on the RGGS system - using bagged mixes like Sta-Green and iracle Gro Potting MIX or making my own potting mix using mushroom compost.

[Sun City Linda]

Earthbox suggests a soiless mix that is at least 70% peat. Some make their own mix from peat, perlite and vermiculite and some add bark chips. The additions of compost and manures may require that you change out your mix more frequently as they will ultimately break down and inhibit the wicking action. Some of us are getting 5 years and more on our original mix.

[luigiwu]

Hey Linda, do you amend your grow material every year? Curious,what happens to your peat after 5 years? Does it stop wicking or does it decompose to say compost?

So the mix I posted was just for JimCooper but perhaps I should have pointed out that the system I'm talking about, while it IS a sub-irrigated system, is NOT the actual Earthbox itself. So yes, don't want to confuse people. That said, Larry has stated that you can his DIY potting mix for a couple of year with the simple admended of the top third additionals every year. I can't say for certain yet because this is only my 2nd year doing his system but he's been doing it a while...

[Sun City Linda]

I am on my fourth year with the same growing media. EB recommends that you remove the mix from the top layer as it accumulates fertilizer salts, and also the area around the fertilizer strip, the add some new potting mix, mix up and add new fert and dolomite.

[Jaysan]

I have looked at a lot of info on these systems and Raybo's PDF is, as far as I am concerned, THE book on them.

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=16694

I use 18 gallon sizes. I can make one for a bit under 20 bucks and they do everything I need.
Also the soil-less mix is critical. All that info is in that PDF.

[Jimcooper]

Thanks; I like to try different things and that mix looks good. My deck may be loaded with buckets of plants next year.

[Ed of Somis]

should I buy just the basic Earthbox...or the fancy/expensive one with the bells and whistles???

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Ed of Somis

should I buy just the basic Earthbox...or the fancy/expensive one with the bells and whistles???

Ed, it depends. Do you want to go out and buy your own fertilizers, dolomite? Do you need the bells and whistles? If you need more than one Earthbox, they go down in price if you buy a few, and if you buy more than one it might pay better to get the basic and buy your own additives. Might not if only buying one. Also, think about what you are going to do for staking/ trellising, which you will need if you plant an indeterminate, unless it is a dwarf.

[ginger2778]

Ed- i just did a comparison of Earthbox green kit Vs Ozbo, and the earthbox ready to grow kit has the potting mix, but its $54.95 plus shipping. At Ozbo, it doesn't have the potting mix, you can get it at home Depot, but it does include casters. Its $34.95 plus $5 shipping. I think the Ozbo one is a better value. You can get a 2cu ft bag of potting mix(not moisture control, it won't work in an Earthbox) at HD for much less than $20.

[Ed of Somis]

OK. Thanks for helping!

[Sun City Linda]

Actually, as it has been formulated for Cali Miracle Grow Moisture Control has listed its first ingredient as sphagnum peat and I bought and used 4-5 2 cu foot bags of it last year. Worked fine. Home Depot in SoCal now carries Promix HP 2.2 cu feet compressed a little pricey at 25.00 but works great. I have really noticed an increase in the price of potting mix over last year.

The first EB I bought was the complete one with mix and it was nice to just be able to set it all up but all the others I have purchased have either been Ozbo kits, which I think come with casters and ferts, or the basic units from EB when the have free shipping.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Sun City Linda

Actually, as it has been formulated for Cali Miracle Grow Moisture Control has listed its first ingredient as sphagnum peat and I bought and used 4-5 2 cu foot bags of it last year. Worked fine. Home Depot in SoCal now carries Promix HP 2.2 cu feet compressed a little pricey at 25.00 but works great. I have really noticed an increase in the price of potting mix over last year.

The first EB I bought was the complete one with mix and it was nice to just be able to set it all up but all the others I have purchased have either been Ozbo kits, which I think come with casters and ferts, or the basic units from EB when the have free shipping.

Oh wow Linda, that's good to know. I was only going by what is usually said here about MGMC mix, but never actually tried any. It goes on sale quite often, and I'm very frugal( with a capital CH!)

[Sun City Linda]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Oh wow Linda, that's good to know. I was only going by what is usually said here about MGMC mix, but never actually tried any. It goes on sale quite often, and I'm very frugal( with a capital CH!)

LOL I hear ya! It was $10.00 per 2 cu ft bag at Sams Club last year but I'm sure its more now. Just check the ingredients and make sure sphagnum peat is first and nothing bad like sand or reed peat has been added but in the past, in Cali its been a great formulation.

[Barb_FL]

Just a heads up; but the Lambert Organic Potting Mix sold by HD, is $12.97 and that is for a 3CU bag so there is some left over; I bought it at the same time as I bought the mix from EB, and it looks the same. It is really light and fluffy.

I've tried the mixes from: EB, the mix from Gardener's Supply (didn't fill an EB), ProMix, Natural Guard Organic Soil (very light and fluffy, PeatMoss, worm castings, kelp meal, dolomite, no Perlite though), the Lambert Organic Potting mix, made my own from PeatMoss and Perlite.

I really didn't see any difference.

I tried a bunch of fertilizers and saw huge differences with the EB kit mix doing the best.

That is a good price for the EB with Ozbo; especially coming with the kit $10 and casters $10. I'm not a fan of their wheels, since I move mine twice per day, but I would probably pick up a couple more from them now IF they came in white. I think I'm resigning myself just to stick with the white ones; they really stay much cooler.

[Ed of Somis]

I pulled the trigger on an Ozbo Earthbox! I know it sounds weird....but I am kind of excited. It sounds like any decent potting mix (with peat) will do just fine in there. Now, what should I plant in it the first time???