An Earthbox planter is a patented brand of self-watering gardening containers that have many advantages for small-space gardening. A homemade earth box planter is simple to construct with some basic materials available in a hardware shop. Construction of the expanding container takes a day and results in the rewarding advantage of developing your own fresh produce.
Identification
An earth box is constructed with pipes and a filter display so that the planter has the ability of being a self-watering container. This design makes the system low-maintenance for busy people who don’t have enough time for everyday water applications. The pipes hold and distribute water into the soil to keep it evenly moist for optimum growth during the hot summer months. These planters can be any size, but generally are a rectangular shape that’s ideal for growing vegetables. An earth box works well for a small apartment area, patio garden or anywhere that you would like an easy to plant and maintain garden.
Benefits
An earth box planter is a closed-system garden on account of the water reservoir that provides a regular supply of water. You might observe this type of planter requires less water complete and will collect excess water in the reservoir to get less waste. Incorporating a slow-release fertilizer into the soil provides an optimum growing environment with adequate nourishment and moisture during the growing season. An earth box is low-maintenance because the pipes and reservoir can hold enough water to moisten the soil for up to five days, and also have less weed growth than a ground garden.
Construction
An 18-gallon plastic storage bin with 1-inch PVC pipe and construction tools are the basic equipment needed for an earth box. A lid drilled using evenly placed holes creates a water reservoir below the soil when it is fit into position about 3 inches in the bottom of the bin. A hole cut into every single corner of the lid to fit the PVC pipe will hold the pipes in place as a way of filling the reservoir. Placing a “V” notch into the bottom of every PVC pipe span lets the water leak out of the pipes. Affix the lid in place with duct tape if it doesn’t fit snug when pushed into position.
Planting
Plant seeds or seedlings within an earth box filled with a high-quality potting soil combined with a slow-release vegetable fertilizer. Use the application speed on the fertilizer package dependent on the amount of soil in the box. Following the seed packet or seedling sticker for spacing recommendations for your plants prevents overcrowding that may reduce production. Set the empty earth box in the desired place before putting and filling. An earth box filled with soil and water is very heavy and not easy to lift and move.