EarthBox80155 Garden Kit, Terra Cotta

This is my first year using the EarthBox system and I am wonderfully impressed. I will be using this item for many years to come. I did container gardening last year and used many types of containers from standard pots to the upside down garden. I had pretty good results but had a difficult time keeping up with the watering. I didn't know that once tomato plants get large, they are very, very, very thirsty! I debated between the EarthBox system and another sold by Gardener's Supply. The EarthBox system offered an optional automatic watering system and that was the deciding factor. Set up of the system is pretty simple. Open the box, add good potting mix, water and seeds/transplants. Fertilizer and dolomite are included in the kit. There is a plastic cover (an extra is included) that goes over the box to prevent rain water etc from entering. Since the plants get all of their needed water from the reservoir in the bottom of the box, additional water from above could result in over watering. I started with two boxes and loved the system so much that now I own seven. My deck garden now has tomatoes, eggplants, cantaloupe, watermelon, varieties of peppers, zucchini and butternut sqash. After 4 weeks my pepper plants are taller and healthier than last year's plants at the 12 week mark. They seem to be able to handle most vegetables as I've planted okra and seen others with 6 to 7 ft tall corn and pole beans. I'm not the best when it comes to dealing with bugs and another great benefit is that since they are on my deck, these are bug free. I also no longer have to worry about uneven watering and taking care of them while I am on vacation. I added the automatic watering system which fills the reservoir whenever it is below the desired level. I was able to leave home for a long weekend and return to plants that were just as healthy as when I left. The current Amazon price of $39 is excellent. The lowest price found locally for me was $69. The system will require an additional investment in years to come as you eventually need new plastic covers. Fertilizer can be bought anywhere so that isn't a problem. Living in Minnesota, I don't have a very long gardening season. So having a system that produces such healthy and fast growing plants is a huge benefit. And so far, I have found this to be the most low maintenance system I have seen. My neighbors think I am an amazing gardener when all I really did was follow the instructions. I added photos and will add more as the season progresses.

The media could not be loaded.  This video will show you the difference in the boxes.This is my first year growing stuff.. i was skeptical because i can barely keep a bush alive but i blame it on my clay soil. :) I wasn't sure what would work better and be cost effective and so on so i got the 3 types i could find info about and here are the pluses and minuses...Growbox: my least favorite but works fine. This was the third box i received and initially i was a little put off because it didnt seem as well built as the earthbox and i couldnt get the two pieces snapped together forever..finally did (there was a little warping on the backside). I dont like that it doesnt have wheels since i will move my boxes when its stormy but its still doable. I dont like the patch thing on top of it that has the fertilizer because as you can see it curls up and can possibly blow away. I do like the fact you can see how much water is in it through the lip thing on the front and i mainly got it because the price was overall cheaper.. however i will not buy this again. note: things do grow fine in it so far and it does get the job done. approx: $30+$7 shipping (takes around 1.5CF potting mix)Earthbox: I have two of these so far and i will buy more. I like the shape of this and the growbox because when comparing to my homemade ones you have more space overall and more planting room. It comes with the fertilizer that is good for the whole season, dolomite, and several covers (2-3 depending on where u buy) This one is a little deeper than the growbox but takes 2 cubic feet of potting mix.. the stuff i bought was 16.99 a bag (happy frog organic potting mix) so after all of that on my porch we spent hundreds..but it was fun and you can reuse for like 4-5 years so i read. I love the wheels and the over all clean look of the box. Note: you can also buy this for like $30 plus shipping if you just want the box. Otherwise it is $49 on amazon, $56 locally for me, or 50-56 plus shipping online. My plants look great so far and im very impressed with the box over all.Home Made containers: I like these because they cost me about $6 each to make. These are great because they are deep and you should probably use them to plant deep rooted veggies like carrots, onion etc. I dont like the fact that they take alot of dirt and have such a small top area (5 gallon bucket size) They are cheap and a little labor intensive but you also have to buy fertilizer which i read is to be replaced every month whereas the earthbox and growbox is like each crop or something like that. So that can get spendy. They also dont have wheels and are not worth it to me to make any. they are semi easy to drag to move since they arent huge. As you can see my plants are flourishing in these.Overall im not sure how long the plastic will last with the homemade ones but i read the earthbox has lasted others since they became established 15 years ago.from now on i will just add to my collection with earthboxes. (they have a great forum too)Use neem oil to keep the bugs away! my spinach was infested with white fly and i was devastated but it got rid of them. the only problem i have is green worms on my broccoli and cauliflower and i just keep watch to pick them off.