Homecraft earthboxesSo I decided I'd try DIYing
earthboxes. Not that it saved a lot of money, but I think it will be a fun experiment. I don't know whether these will last or not, but for the minimal cost, and using up stuff I had lying around.
Online an earthbox costs $30.00 (+/-) I have heard they are available cheaper, dunno haven't tried. Mine cost: $5 for a rubbermaid, $2.00 in pipe, $0.10 for a garbage bag, and $5.00 in triplemix. I used recycled pots and plywood on hand, so although there is some cost there, I would be hard-pressed to calculate it. Total out of pocket is around $12-$13 per box.
Materials:
1 Rubbermaid tote
1 piece of pipe
A series of plant pots (I did 3 per box)
Dirt to fill the box
A scoop of fertilizer
Plastic bag to cover
Pebbles to stop the plastic from blowing away.
Step one - assemble materials:
Shaping the board to match the bin is a little tricky. I am fortunate to have a good woodshop with a bandsaw and drill press, but this could be done just as well with a jigsaw. Most of the online tutorials to make these call for materials other than plywood in the base, but I used what I had on hand. I am genuinely curious whether the ply will be rotten by the end of summer.
To size the baseplate you can start oversized and work yourself down to a good tight fit (what I did) or make a cardboard template and then trace it (what smrt people do). The holes should be sized so your pots sit through them, and be fairly evenly spaced. The wood will create a shelf inside the tote and below it will be water, above it will be dirt. The whole system works on the theory that the dirt in the pots will be constantly wet, wicking moisture upwards from the reservoir in the bottom of the tote.
In order to make sure that the water can get down there, cut the bottom of the pipe at an angle. It will be your fill tube. Size doesn't matter, but it should be a little taller than the tote and fit snugly through the plywood.
Assemble the baseplate like this:
http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv39546%3Enu%3D46%3C2%3E8%3A%3A%3E%3A34%3EWSNRCG%3D38478368%3A334%3Anu0mrjSee? Now it all makes sense. Why did I get all talky-talky when a coupla pics would have been enough? Next put the baseplate into the tote. Don't force it. The weight of dirt will wedge it in enough.
OK... time for dirt. I used triple mix, because 1) it was cheap, and 2) its a material I am familiar with. I am not sure what the "Real" earthboxes use, but I am confident that this will be fine. The real earthbox calls for fertilizer to be added to the soil, but I am hoping that the natural ingredients in triple mix will offset the need for fertilizer saving me from buying a whole bag in order to use 2 scoops.
So at this stage I have a tote filled with dirt, and a pipe sticking out the top. My dirt was very cold, so I am not willing to start moving tomatoes into it just yet. But I did go ahead and put a garbage bag cover over it to prevent moisture from escaping. I hear the key to a good earthbox is wet soil. Keep your boxes damp folks. Once the your wet box is covered in plastic, you should weigh down the plastic, but I'm keeping this indoors for a while, so I'll do that later.
Drill holes around the perimeter of the box at plywood level to prevent over watering (you don't want to fill the bow with water and make a swamp), and you're good to go!
So once the soil warms up (likely tomorrow or on the weekend) I'll move my precious tomato babies out of the clearance rack Christmas tree bulb holder ($1.00) they were sprouted in and poke holes through the plastic to plant them. Then I'll cover the plastic with pebbles to hold it in place and add some pretty to the (ugly) boxes. I have bamboo already to build a trellis off the backs of the boxes and tie the tomatoes up to.
FWIW, I've made 3 boxes and am planning on putting 2-3 tomatoes in each, plus some zuchinni. Hopefully these will fit on our pool deck since we are tight for garden space.
Oh and Jordan... here's my babies today:
