hello from zone 7, Louisville KY

[Jonboy]

Just thought I would introduce myself as an unsuccessful tomato grower with 20 years experience .
I have tried to grow tomatoes in the clay ground, in raised beds and homemade 5 gal earth boxes ...all with limited success.
The earth boxes were most successful, probably because they got a little more attention than previous years.

This year I decided to order in the earth boxes (still waiting on delivery ) and set them up according to the directions or with proper guidance.
I have been reading while waiting for the boxes to arrive and gathering supplies.
I have pro mix organic from Wally World in the yellow organic formula.
I plan on using a barrier between soil and water base.
I was going to add 2 cups dolomite layer to the top.
I was going to add 2 cups tomato tone to the 2 cups 10-10-10 fertilizer strip.
If that sounds okay, then i'll proceed on.

How do you know which color to put up on the cover. black or white?
Should the earth boxes be raised for easier workability? (is that a word?)
I have gathered a few different tomato plants for this years crop.
I probably will wait til the freeze is over and plant this coming week.

If there is an idiots guide to earth boxes please point me in that direction.
I will try supplementing with the snack( 1 Tsp per week ) but not sure when to start that process
Thanks for listening and your input.
jonboy

[tomike]

Welcome, I'm from Canada but not an "earth boxer"......

[mikestuff49]

Welcome, Jonboy.

I'm sure you will get some container help here. I think we all share your failures, as well as some successes in growing our favorite crop.

[Nan6b]

Welcome Jonboy! I'm a marginally successful tomato grower who grows in clay soil. Look forward to reading your posts here.

[Ginger2778]

Welcome Jonboy. I have 48 Earthboxes. Please only add 1 cup of dolomite lime. 2 cups will likely make it too alkaline which leads to nutrition deficiencies.
Also, either 3 cups of organic, or 2 cups 10-10-10. Not both please. Follow strict directions they give in that included instruction paper and you should be fine. There are some excellent YouTube videos by Earthbox on how to set one up, the one with Blake and Emily is quite good.

[Ginger2778]

Welcome Jonboy. I have 48 Earthboxes. Please only add 1 cup of dolomite lime. 2 cups will likely make it too alkaline which leads to nutrition deficiencies.
Also, either 3 cups of organic, or 2 cups 10-10-10. Not both please. Follow strict directions they give in that included instruction paper and you should be fine. There are some excellent YouTube videos by Earthbox on how to set one up, the one with Blake and Emily is quite good.
I always use the white cover out, reflects the high heat off the roots better.Th rewritten instructions paper also covers this, and also has A map of where to put the plants, and placement of the fertilizer strip, as well as directions for how to set up the various layers in the box. The YouTube videos explain really clearly too.
You can raise them up, it certainly won't hurt things, but it might be hard to reach your tomatoes later.
I start the snack immediately, first day the plants are placed. I give a teaspoon of Calcium nitrate once per week down the water tube.

[Jonboy]

Thanks for the starting tips.
Fed ex has rescheduled the delivery again.
That gives me a little more time to read more and make a few less mistakes.

It seems that some add epsom salt to the calcium nitrate. Does anyone have a recommendation on the amount needed?
Would equal parts to the calcium nitrate be correct? (1 t per wk)

I plan on setting up a drip water system. Any ideas where to start with GPH with 1 gal drippers on a timer 2 times a day????

thanks again for the help,
jonboy

[eyegrotom]

Hi Jonboy Welcome to the Junction

[Ginger2778]

Thanks for the starting tips.
Fed ex has rescheduled the delivery again.
That gives me a little more time to read more and make a few less mistakes.

It seems that some add epsom salt to the calcium nitrate. Does anyone have a recommendation on the amount needed?
Would equal parts to the calcium nitrate be correct? (1 t per wk)

I plan on setting up a drip water system. Any ideas where to start with GPH with 1 gal drippers on a timer 2 times a day????

thanks again for the help,
jonboy

Yes the Epsom salt keeps the plants from getting a large magnesium deficiency. It's 1 teaspoon Ca(NO3) 2, the snack, plus 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon MgSO4at same time, down the tube before watering once per week.
I can't help with the drip system, but I bet there's a video for that too.

[Whwoz]

Welcome to the Junction from Down Under

[pepperhead212]

Welcome to the forum! Another Earthboxer here - 10 EBs, plus 31 homemade SIPs, of different sizes - the bucket sized ones being 5 gal inside 6 gal, or 4 gal inside 5 gal. Here are some of the ones that I have built:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/91097628@ ... 7810952858

A lot us here use them, and there are a lot of threads on this topic. Looking forward to hearing about your garden this year!

I use a drip system to water all of those things, along with two four part timers. For the larger tubs, and the EBs, I use 2 gph emitters, with smaller ones in the bucket SIPs. I set the timers by letting them fill until overflowing just slightly, then reducing the timer slightly, so it's not overflowing. In the original EB there was only 2 gal in the reservoir, but I think they are 3 now. I use the EBs for peppers, cherry tomatoes, and okra, which don't drain the reservoirs as quickly as regular tomatoes and eggplants. Once the heat gets bad, I set the timers for twice a day, but early on I just set them for every 3 days, increasing frequency, as it gets warmer, and plants get larger.

I also use a smaller amount of epsom salts in mine - usually 1/2 tsp with the 1 tsp calcium nitrate, but every other week.

[Shule]

I'm not an earthboxer either, but welcome! I used to live in your area for a short time. I like Kentucky. I never gardened there, though.

[PlainJane]

Welcome from N. Florida!

[Jonboy]

Frost warning thru Tuesday morning so i hope to plant after that. The earthboxes finally arrived.
I haven’t figured out how/what to stake the tomatoes with yet. I had several of my diy buckets get blown over last year and destroyed the plants. I was using tomato cages in them.
If you have any idea i would love to hear them.
Jonboy

[worth1]

Welcome.
Kentucky makes the best bourbon on earth.

[Ginger2778]

Frost warning thru Tuesday morning so i hope to plant after that. The earthboxes finally arrived.
I haven’t figured out how/what to stake the tomatoes with yet. I had several of my diy buckets get blown over last year and destroyed the plants. I was using tomato cages in them.
If you have any idea i would love to hear them.
Jonboy

At this point I am going to suggest the Earthbox forum. Lots of trellising ideas there.

[pepperhead212]

I push all of my SIPs for tomatoes and eggplants up to trellises, to give support, and the trellis gives a support for the drip line, too. Here's one photo showing a row:
SIPs, ready for tomatoes! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

For one, that I had blown over a few years ago, I hammered some stakes around it of 1/2" conduit. That was unusual, in that it was a pea eggplant, which grew into a tree, which was way too big for the SIP! That's the only one I've had blown over.

[AZGardener]

Welcome to the Junction!
I haven't used earth boxes so not much help there.
I'm including a link for the Containers, Earth Boxes and Raised beds section of
this forum. We have several members who use them and are a great resource.
viewforum.php?f=36
Good luck with your tomato growing adventure.

[Jonboy]

57582A22-EE17-4390-A8A7-FC3351641ADE.jpeg

Just a quick update on the progress or lack of. Sunday was the third snack i added to the system. The earthbox plants (2 foot) are outgrowing the plants in the raised beds (6 inches)
While tying up the plants this morning i noticed some issues.

B68B0C33-63A7-4455-9219-5A58BF540864.jpeg

4957684A-82C9-49F7-8804-5A7777F89A93.jpeg

6DD64193-67B5-4F95-9DFA-BAF1EB31D92A.jpeg

There are little black mites (?) and ants, small white egg, yellow leaves with round black spots, something is eating leaves (hornworm

B05D9C50-729F-452B-B5D8-CD78B25AC3A0.jpeg

i think) ,etc...
As a beginner, how do i identify what problems i have and solutions for the earthboxes?
Idiots guide to tomatoes and earthboxes ???
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction
Jon

[Ginger2778]

That worm is an armyworm, they will bore holes right in your fruit, then another hole in the one next to it. They and hornworms are taken care of with BT, a natural bacteria that they eat, get an infection, and die in a day. Harmless to us, pets, bees. The black spots are fungus. Trim off yellow keaves, then spray with liquid copper fungicide at the weakest recommended strength, getting above and below the leaf and down the stem to the soil line. Repeat every 7 - 10 days for prevention but also after a heavy rain.