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Special Gardens

Vegetable Gardening: EarthBoxes®

January 30, 2019

Craving homegrown veggies, but not much space, poor growing conditions, contaminated soils, or past failures with container gardening? Consider EarthBoxes®, a growing method developed by Florida farmer Blake Whisenant, working with university researchers and Cooperative Extension. Whisenant, using C. M. Geraldson’s gradient-oriented nutritional paradigm, created EarthBox® as a self-contained system with growing medium, fertilizer, lime, a water reservoir, and plastic mulch cover.

Why EarthBoxes®?

Although Extension Master Gardeners don’t endorse commercial products, EarthBoxes® resulted from research to develop a growing system that manages water and nutrients for optimal plant growth. Having grown vegetables at homes in different states, as well as a local community garden, I know that EarthBoxes® produce better yields in less space than conventional in-ground planting—with minimal maintenance!

Earthbox-Deb-Nystrom-2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
EarthBox with Cover

How to use EarthBoxes®.

Each box is 29 inches long, 13 ½ inches deep, 11 inches tall, holds 3 gallons of water, and 2 cubic feet of growing medium. Tuck a single EarthBox® onto your deck or create an EarthBox® farming operation! For success, set up your EarthBoxes® with:

  • An appropriate growing medium,
  • Mixed with the recommended amount of dolomitic lime.
  • The recommended type and amount of fertilizer placed in a strip topped with more growing medium,
  • Covered with a plastic mulch “cap” that is either black, white, or red.

You need not buy soil mixes, fertilizers, and lime sold with EarthBoxes®—it is often cheaper to purchase these in bulk. Choose either conventional or organic products—just do NOT use garden soil and DO use dolomitic lime rather than other lime formulations. Carefully follow your EarthBox® instructions for the amount and placement of these ingredients—you should NOT add any more fertilizer during the growing season!

For gardening in future years:

  • The boxes will last indefinitely—I have one that is almost 20 years old and left outside most of that time!
  • The growing medium can be reused for many years—with just some topping up when you replant your boxes the next growing season.
  • Replenish fertilizer, lime, and mulch covers every year.

Customize your boxes by:

  • Making them mobile on casters to follow the sun;
  • Raise them up to waist height;
  • Add trellises for vining crops and support for your tomatoes;
  • Include frost covers to extend the growing season.

Watering is key!

You must keep the EarthBox® water reservoir partially full, so your plants’ dense root systems are evenly moist. This enclosed system means you cannot rely on rainwater, so boxes without an automatic watering system might require water twice a day by midsummer! The upside is that during wet seasons your boxes will not become waterlogged and/or leach nutrients—one reason Whisenant designed EarthBoxes® was crop loss from flooding in Florida tomato fields!

Adding an automatic watering system makes your boxes almost maintenance-free. The system sold to accompany EarthBoxes® can be a bit difficult to set up (their instructional video provides pointers) and may be vulnerable to coming apart and leaking. To minimize the toll of accidental leaks, I use a timer to limit how long water flows to the boxes; 15 to 20 minutes every 6 hours keeps the reservoirs filled on my eight-box system.

  • Use a “Y” connector when you hook up your automatic watering system to allow using your hose bib for other watering chores.
  • Make sure you keep any hose bib shut-off valve to the EarthBoxes® open at all times!
  • Turn on the faucet far enough to create sufficient water pressure to keep your boxes watered.

What can you grow in your EarthBoxes®?

Just about any vegetable—and many fruits and herbs—grown in our area will grow in an EarthBox®. I do not grow perennials (asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries, and many herbs) in EarthBoxes® because you must disconnect the watering system before frost!

A single box will hold 2 full-size tomato plants, OR 2 eggplants, OR 4 cucumber vines, OR 6 pepper plants, OR 8 lettuces, OR 16 bean plants. This may not seem like much, but I harvested 119 full-sized fruits from the two ‘Better Boy’ tomato plants I grew in my first EarthBox®!

EarthBox-Debbie-Green
Vegetable Gardening with EarthBoxes

Although EarthBox® provides planting placement instructions for many other crops, I have found it difficult to start seeds in the boxes—use your own or purchased transplants—so I do not grow beets, corn, or radishes in these systems. Trying new crops is part of the gardening adventure, though—experiment to find the best choices for your EarthBox® space!

Not every crop will do well every year but pay attention to timely harvesting and any disease or insect problems and you’ll typically see greater yields than from the same plants grown in the ground—and in a smaller space!

Should you try it?

The downside is the initial investment, so starting with a single EarthBox® or two with a watering system is a cautious approach. There are also many “do-it-yourself” versions of the boxes, and variants on irrigation methods, but I can’t vouch that you’ll get the same results with these substitutes.

If you do try EarthBoxes®, remember that you can consult with those of us who have used them before. Our Extension Master Gardner helpline opens again in March, along with info tables at many gardening events in our area!

Article by Debbie Green, Buncombe County Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.

 Read more:

About Blake Whisenant:
http://floridaaghalloffame.org/2014/10/robert-blake-whisenant/

What/how to plant:
https://earthbox.com/media/wysiwyg/PDFs/OriginalPlantingChart.pdf

Instructional videos:
https://earthbox.com/videos

 

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Categories Container Gardens, General Gardening, Special Gardens, Vegetables & Fruits Tags container gardening, Earthboxes, vegetables, waterwise gardening

Pollinator-Friendly Gardening Year-round

September 18, 2018

Are the vibrant flowering plants that were attracting butterflies, bees, other insects, and birds to your garden looking a bit faded? You may itch to start cleaning out dead, drying vegetation to prepare for winter. Stop! Many critters will benefit from these plant remains, especially the birds—and many birds and other pollinators are in our gardens year-round.

Pollinator garden in bloom (August)_Sara Asher Morris_CC BY-NC 2.0_Flickr
Pollinator garden in bloom

Pollinators’ wide world
You’ve likely heard of the need for plants that attract and feed honey bees and Monarch butterflies. Bee decline threatens the insect pollination of critical food crops. Monarch butterflies and their migration patterns are an awesome and beautiful natural event. Loss of habitats and overly aggressive use of insecticides and herbicides are culprits in honey bees and Monarch butterflies’ misfortunes. But there are thousands of other bee and butterfly species— not to mention other insects and birds—that depend on pollen plants for their existence.

What to include in your garden?
Planting Monarch- or honey bee-friendly annuals and perennials that bloom mostly in the summer may not be enough to assist other important pollen-needing critters. Bees of all kinds love the flowers (pollen) of many other beautiful landscape plants. And birds flourish where insects are abundant. Consider a year-round approach to pollinator-attracting garden plantings!

Fall
As summer annuals and perennials fade, autumn-flowerers begin to show off. Cardinal flowers (Lobelia cardinalis) and goldenrods (Solidago spp.) are just starting to display their colors. Asters and sunflowers (many species of both) are among many other fall-blooming plants to consider adding to your garden.

Fall is also a good time to plan for pollen plants year-round. Considering adding trees to your landscape, both large and small, that will provide food sources as the garden emerges next spring. Fall and winter planting of trees will get a start on a long-term food source for insects and, subsequently, birds. In Western North Carolina, we are surrounded by beautiful deciduous hardwood forests. Birds are particularly dependent on the insect populations that make their homes in trees. In his book, Bringing Nature Home (Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2014) researcher Douglas Tallamy estimates that as many as 400 different insects live off oak trees—creating a feast for birds. Maples, oaks, and yellow poplars are among the first producers of pollen in early spring. Smaller understory shrubs and trees— holly, redbud, serviceberry, dogwood and sourwood—follow soon, blooming in April and May. The pollen these trees produce attracts emerging insects. Overwintering and migrating birds eat many of these insects. 

Weather alert! If heat continues and rainfall tapers off (as it usually does in the fall months), be sure to water to extend the blooming season and keep your new plantings thriving.

Winter
Although your garden may seem to have come to a standstill, your plantings are increasing root mass all winter. Although most insects are dormant, birds are busy consuming seed from trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. Meanwhile, Monarchs are vacationing in Mexico!

Spring
Everything is awakening. In addition to the early blooming trees and the beautiful flowering understory trees, make sure your landscape includes spring ephemerals. Some you can purchase at nurseries include bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), trilliums (Trillium spp.), and wild ginger (Asarum canadense). Also, as your lawn comes to life, recognize that treating for weeds and insects can damage pollinator insects’ habitat and health.

Summer
The summer season gives the best show. Milkweeds provide nectar for many butterfly species and larval food for the Monarchs. Bees, butterflies, and other insects cover bee balm (Monarda spp.) flowers. Many ornamental annuals and perennials are good nectar and pollen sources, as well.

Pollinator-friendly plants
A few trees, shrubs, and plants to consider for your landscape:

Spring Summer Fall
Serviceberry Sweet Pepperbush Stoke’s Aster
Flowering Dogwood Buttonbush Sunflower
Redbud Summer Phlox Rose Mallow
Carolina Silverbell Black-eyed Susan Wild Bergamot
Highbush Blueberry Sourwood Cardinal Flower
American Holly Purple Coneflower Swamp Milkweed
Winterberry Bee Balm Goldenrod

So, in every season gardeners who work to increase and protect the plants that support insects are pollinating insects’ and birds’ best friends! 

Note: Master GardenerSM volunteers of Buncombe County encourage you to visit “The Learning Garden” at the Cooperative Extension office, 49 Mt. Carmel Road, Asheville, where you will see examples of year-round pollinator-attracting gardens. 

Article written by James C. Wade, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer. 

More information
Managing Backyards and Other Urban Habitats for Birds
North Carolina Cooperative Extension, North Carolina State University

Butterflies in Your Backyard
North Carolina Cooperative Extension, North Carolina State University

Pollinator Plants: Mid-Atlantic Region
The Xerces Society

Pollinator Plants: Southeast Region
The Xerces Society

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Categories Pollinator Gardens Tags pollinators

Rain Gardens—Part IV: Regular Maintenance Keeps Them Clean and Healthy

February 12, 2018

Keep your rain garden clean and healthy with regular maintenance, just as you do all other areas of your landscape. Plan on including these maintenance tasks:

Regular watering. Water new plants about twice a week until they are established, about a year. After that, your garden needs about 1 inch of water a week, and especially during periods of drought.

Annual mulching. Mulch is an important component of your rain garden. It protects the plants, keeps the soil moist, reduces weed growth, and improves the infiltration of rainwater into the garden. Maintain a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch—adding new mulch in fall or spring. Make sure mulch doesn’t collect in the basin, however, as this reduces ponding and the functioning of the garden. About every three years you may need to remove and replace old mulch.

Removing accumulated sediment. Rake back mulch and remove silt, debris, and eroded soil that washes into your rain garden—otherwise it can decrease infiltration and kill your plants. Clean away any sediment that has accumulated at the inflow point. Regularly remove fallen leaves, twigs, and dead vegetation. When mowing, avoid discharging grass clippings into the rain garden.

Pruning and weeding. Follow good pruning and deadheading practices for all shrubs and perennials to maintain a neat, well-managed appearance. Weed new gardens frequently to keep weeds from competing with plant growth—avoid using herbicides. An established rain garden needs less frequent weeding.

Skip fertilizing. Fertilizers are typically unnecessary. Your garden construction, soil amendment, mulch, and selection of native plants provide a solid foundation for a healthy rain garden.

Replanting. Over time, you may need to replant areas of the garden as sun, shade, and moisture levels change. If a plant isn’t doing well in one area, don’t hesitate to move it to a different location where it might have a better chance of thriving. Divide perennials when they overgrow their allotted space.

rain garden_Oregon State University_CC BY-SA 2.0_Flickr
Stormwater is directed to this attractive rain garden.
Rain garden berm planted with winterberry holly, itea, switchgrass, and crape myrtle.
Integrated plantings anchor this rain garden berm.
Rain garden_Courtesy of EPA_NCSU Extension: "Shallow depression that captures and treats stormwater naturally."
Rain garden adds beauty to this residential landscape.

For addition information, see previous blogs in this series, Rain Gardens—Parts I, II, and III, for resources on building and planting.

Article written by Beth Leonard, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.

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Categories Rain Gardens Tags erosion control, landscape drainage, perk test, rainwater, stormwater management, stormwater runoff

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