Comments on: Earth Box: is it worth the investment? http://frugalhacks.com/2009/01/22/earth-box-is-it-worth-the-investment/ Good stewardship in action. How do you do it? Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:10:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Jen http://frugalhacks.com/2009/01/22/earth-box-is-it-worth-the-investment/comment-page-1/#comment-8374 Jen Mon, 13 Jun 2011 05:53:13 +0000 http://frugalhacks.com/?p=909#comment-8374 I started with 1 Earthbox, then bought another the next year, then tried 2 Growboxes the next year, and went back to Earthbox the year after that, so I now have 5 total. I love them, but I think the Earthboxes work a lot better. Both brands are durable - I've had them all several years now, and none of them are showing any wear, so I'm expecting to have them for many years to come. Several reasons I think the Earthboxes are superior: their staking system is a lot easier to put together and much more durable (the Growbox staking system falls apart during a decent thunderstorm); the Earthbox has a better water delivery (you fill it from the top, vs the Growbox which you fill at the bottom and mosquitoes can collect in the open reservoir); the earthbox cover is easier to plant in and protects the top better (the Growbox cover is more open). So for the $5 price difference, I'd definitely say Earthbox is a better value for the money. As far as whether they work, YES! I grow tomatoes (the Earthbox replant kit comes with dolomite for the tomatoes), eggplant, peppers, herbs, etc and they all work great! The only thing I've had trouble with is vining plants (cucumbers, melons, etc) since my containers are on my patio and they have nothing to grab onto on the ground. Hope that helps! I started with 1 Earthbox, then bought another the next year, then tried 2 Growboxes the next year, and went back to Earthbox the year after that, so I now have 5 total. I love them, but I think the Earthboxes work a lot better. Both brands are durable – I’ve had them all several years now, and none of them are showing any wear, so I’m expecting to have them for many years to come. Several reasons I think the Earthboxes are superior: their staking system is a lot easier to put together and much more durable (the Growbox staking system falls apart during a decent thunderstorm); the Earthbox has a better water delivery (you fill it from the top, vs the Growbox which you fill at the bottom and mosquitoes can collect in the open reservoir); the earthbox cover is easier to plant in and protects the top better (the Growbox cover is more open). So for the $5 price difference, I’d definitely say Earthbox is a better value for the money. As far as whether they work, YES! I grow tomatoes (the Earthbox replant kit comes with dolomite for the tomatoes), eggplant, peppers, herbs, etc and they all work great! The only thing I’ve had trouble with is vining plants (cucumbers, melons, etc) since my containers are on my patio and they have nothing to grab onto on the ground. Hope that helps!

]]> By: MBR http://frugalhacks.com/2009/01/22/earth-box-is-it-worth-the-investment/comment-page-1/#comment-6568 MBR Thu, 06 May 2010 22:52:22 +0000 http://frugalhacks.com/?p=909#comment-6568 I'm not sure where you live or when your growing season starts, but it's probably not too late to start up a "square foot" garden for this summer. My mom recently discovered the book "All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More In Less Space!" by Mel Bartholomew. She and I both are planning to get them going in our yards. This is truly a case of the genius being in the simplicity. You create raised beds out of whatever materials you can get your hands on. We're using reclaimed lumber from demolished houses - dirt cheap! The beds are sectioned off into grids of various sizes according to how big the finished plant will be, but the grids are (almost) all multiples of 4, so they fit together like Tetris blocks (and he outlines how to best arrange your grids for your needs). According to the book, you can grow a ridiculous amount of vegetables in just 20% of the space of a traditional garden. And you can put the beds anywhere - on a patio, in an existing garden, on a balcony, right on top of whatever crappy soil you may have in your yard. You fill them with a homemade mix of "soil" at a depth of just 6 inches. Seriously. And once it's established you supposedly never need to fertilize or amend the soil. I could go on and on about what a great idea this is, but check into it for yourself. I'm super excited to give this a try. It sounds like a garden that I can actually grow! I’m not sure where you live or when your growing season starts, but it’s probably not too late to start up a “square foot” garden for this summer. My mom recently discovered the book “All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More In Less Space!” by Mel Bartholomew. She and I both are planning to get them going in our yards. This is truly a case of the genius being in the simplicity. You create raised beds out of whatever materials you can get your hands on. We’re using reclaimed lumber from demolished houses – dirt cheap! The beds are sectioned off into grids of various sizes according to how big the finished plant will be, but the grids are (almost) all multiples of 4, so they fit together like Tetris blocks (and he outlines how to best arrange your grids for your needs). According to the book, you can grow a ridiculous amount of vegetables in just 20% of the space of a traditional garden. And you can put the beds anywhere – on a patio, in an existing garden, on a balcony, right on top of whatever crappy soil you may have in your yard. You fill them with a homemade mix of “soil” at a depth of just 6 inches. Seriously. And once it’s established you supposedly never need to fertilize or amend the soil. I could go on and on about what a great idea this is, but check into it for yourself. I’m super excited to give this a try. It sounds like a garden that I can actually grow!

]]> By: Scott http://frugalhacks.com/2009/01/22/earth-box-is-it-worth-the-investment/comment-page-1/#comment-6560 Scott Tue, 04 May 2010 20:42:11 +0000 http://frugalhacks.com/?p=909#comment-6560 Earthboxes are okay but GrowBoxes at www.aGardenPatch.com are a MUCH BETTER DEAL and I think they work a lot better too. Each year I use them, I am finding that my in ground garden shrinks as I add more GrowBoxes. Earthboxes are okay but GrowBoxes at http://www.aGardenPatch.com are a MUCH BETTER DEAL and I think they work a lot better too. Each year I use them, I am finding that my in ground garden shrinks as I add more GrowBoxes.

]]> By: kimc http://frugalhacks.com/2009/01/22/earth-box-is-it-worth-the-investment/comment-page-1/#comment-4545 kimc Sat, 14 Mar 2009 04:26:40 +0000 http://frugalhacks.com/?p=909#comment-4545 Ken, You raise some good points. Some people buy new containers to make their boxes. That wasn't the case for me. Mine were recycled in the sense that I no longer needed them for their original purpose and found another good use for them. You may be right about durability, though, especially in the hot Texas sun. If that's the case, I'll try to find another free container or shell out the money for Earthboxes. :) As for the value of time, once we knew what we were doing, each box took ~15 minutes and saved how much? $60? That's a very good return on my time, even if my box is slightly smaller. Ken,
You raise some good points.
Some people buy new containers to make their boxes. That wasn’t the case for me. Mine were recycled in the sense that I no longer needed them for their original purpose and found another good use for them.
You may be right about durability, though, especially in the hot Texas sun. If that’s the case, I’ll try to find another free container or shell out the money for Earthboxes. :)
As for the value of time, once we knew what we were doing, each box took ~15 minutes and saved how much? $60? That’s a very good return on my time, even if my box is slightly smaller.

]]> By: Ken http://frugalhacks.com/2009/01/22/earth-box-is-it-worth-the-investment/comment-page-1/#comment-4542 Ken Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:54:40 +0000 http://frugalhacks.com/?p=909#comment-4542 My wife and I decided to do Earthboxes this year. Amortize the cost over several years, figure the water savings and not having to purchase a tiller and the cost becomes a non-issue. I suspect that what you build DIY won't be as durable as the real thing, and my time is too valuable to spend building something that I can buy ready-to-use. Earthboxes are made from recycled material. I doubt the boxes for the DIY projects are so they aren't a very "green" solution. I was able to start by boxes 6 weeks earlier than in-ground and just roll them in/out(another advantage of EBs over DIY) of my garage depending on the weather. I'll also get fall/winter crops in the boxes with much less effort than in-ground. My wife and I decided to do Earthboxes this year. Amortize the cost over several years, figure the water savings and not having to purchase a tiller and the cost becomes a non-issue.

I suspect that what you build DIY won’t be as durable as the real thing, and my time is too valuable to spend building something that I can buy ready-to-use. Earthboxes are made from recycled material. I doubt the boxes for the DIY projects are so they aren’t a very “green” solution.

I was able to start by boxes 6 weeks earlier than in-ground and just roll them in/out(another advantage of EBs over DIY) of my garage depending on the weather. I’ll also get fall/winter crops in the boxes with much less effort than in-ground.

]]> By: pilarfarmer http://frugalhacks.com/2009/01/22/earth-box-is-it-worth-the-investment/comment-page-1/#comment-4382 pilarfarmer Sat, 14 Feb 2009 23:59:06 +0000 http://frugalhacks.com/?p=909#comment-4382 we have made raised beds using a kiddie pools, staked it to the ground, cut out the bottom and filled with soil. the larger pools last longer have been using them for 4 years now and still going. cheaper than using wood. like the idea of composite wood for raised beds, that will last longer. need to think of what to use when my pools give out. we also tried growing upside down tomatos but it didnt work very well. we have been looking at using the grow boxes (cheaper version of earthbox)to grow some vegies. we have made raised beds using a kiddie pools, staked it to the ground, cut out the bottom and filled with soil. the larger pools last longer have been using them for 4 years now and still going. cheaper than using wood. like the idea of composite wood for raised beds, that will last longer. need to think of what to use when my pools give out. we also tried growing upside down tomatos but it didnt work very well. we have been looking at using the grow boxes (cheaper version of earthbox)to grow some vegies.

]]> By: DH http://frugalhacks.com/2009/01/22/earth-box-is-it-worth-the-investment/comment-page-1/#comment-4284 DH Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:37:12 +0000 http://frugalhacks.com/?p=909#comment-4284 Funny, my husband used some of those buckets and hung them so the plants grew upside down. Those plants were huge, with huge fruit. Then there was a huge windstorm and the plant broke. Oh well. Funny, my husband used some of those buckets and hung them so the plants grew upside down. Those plants were huge, with huge fruit. Then there was a huge windstorm and the plant broke. Oh well.

]]> By: katrina http://frugalhacks.com/2009/01/22/earth-box-is-it-worth-the-investment/comment-page-1/#comment-4278 katrina Sat, 24 Jan 2009 17:36:24 +0000 http://frugalhacks.com/?p=909#comment-4278 I have gardened for years; using both ground & now disabled i plant in pots; the LA times had a GREAT article last year on the 'no dig garden" which enables ANYONE even in cities without earth to dig in; check it out in the archives! any/all planters can be painted using a specific paint; you can easily set up drip irrigation systems even on timers; www.hoophouse.com is a great site I would spend the $ on THAT rather than "planters" ! it is like a moveable green house, relatively inexpensive that would enable you to grow year round; again the "growers" use the drip system; raised beds is also a great way to go; to make it EASIER if you can't do a lot of bending (like me) make your own "saw horses" put plywood on top; & put your pots on top of them for easy access! YES! even the mobility impaired can garden! I have gardened for years; using both ground & now disabled i plant in pots; the LA times had a GREAT article last year on the ‘no dig garden” which enables ANYONE even in cities without earth to dig in; check it out in the archives! any/all planters can be painted using a specific paint; you can easily set up drip irrigation systems even on timers; http://www.hoophouse.com is a great site I would spend the $ on THAT rather than “planters” ! it is like a moveable green house, relatively inexpensive that would enable you to grow year round; again the “growers” use the drip system; raised beds is also a great way to go; to make it EASIER if you can’t do a lot of bending (like me) make your own “saw horses” put plywood on top; & put your pots on top of them for easy access! YES! even the mobility impaired can garden!

]]> By: Tomato Man http://frugalhacks.com/2009/01/22/earth-box-is-it-worth-the-investment/comment-page-1/#comment-4272 Tomato Man Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:19:01 +0000 http://frugalhacks.com/?p=909#comment-4272 There's another choice out there - Garden Patch Grow Box. It holds more water, includes the fertilizer and priced less. I also think it's a lot more attractive and won't spill water all over your deck. www.agardenpatch.com There’s another choice out there – Garden Patch Grow Box. It holds more water, includes the fertilizer and priced less. I also think it’s a lot more attractive and won’t spill water all over your deck. http://www.agardenpatch.com

]]> By: Suzanne http://frugalhacks.com/2009/01/22/earth-box-is-it-worth-the-investment/comment-page-1/#comment-4270 Suzanne Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:10:06 +0000 http://frugalhacks.com/?p=909#comment-4270 Oops. The email address for Linda at Blue Bird Hill Farm is They have a great newsletter. They have a website bbhfarm.com but they don't keep it up. Oops. The email address for Linda at Blue Bird Hill Farm is They have a great newsletter. They have a website bbhfarm.com but they don’t keep it up.

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