DIY Earthbox
Moderators: GoodOyster, Cr0ck1
DIY Earthbox
Since some of you asked how to build an earthbox, I took some time on Saturday to build one.
Items you’ll need:
2- 18 gallon totes with lids
1- Garden pond basket (you can find them in the plant section at Home Depot)
1- Section of PVC
1- Large bag of Potting MIX. The potting mix works better than the potting soil. (Remember that!!!)
Hacksaw
Drill (not shown)
Razor knife
Pistol 9mm or 40 is fine. I used the 9.
Few beers. This was about a 2 Natty Fatty job… so it doesn’t take that long…
Start by placing the pond basket next to one of the totes and drawing a line around the tote.
Flip the tote over and outline the basket. You’ll then draw a square line about ½” inside the original line.
Cut out your square basket hole and a hole for your pvc pipe. Then cut along the line you made on the outside of the tote. It will fit inside the other tote like this…
Cut a section of pvc pipe that will sit above the top of the tote. Make sure to cut a notch in the bottom of it like this…
Take the half tote out and shoot some holes in the top of it. I guess you could also drill some holes in it, but this is a hunting forum and this time of year our guns don’t get much work…
It should look like this…
Next drill an overflow hole going through both totes. You’ll want to drill it where the top of the half tote sits. That way you can fill it with a few gallons of water…
Fill the basket with the potting mix and then wet it down. It doesn’t have to be soaked, just moist. This will jumpstart the wicking process.
Then fill the tote up with more potting mix.
Cut the top out of the lid.
Next place your box where you plan on leaving it. It gets a little heavy and difficult to carry when full of water.
Plant you plants and then water the plants until the soil is moist.
Cut a black trash bag big enough to fit over the top of the box and then place the lid on.
Fill the box up until water comes out of the overflow hole and you’re done….
This is my pepper plant that I had growing in a regular pot, but it wasn’t doing very good. I transplanted it to an earthbox and I hope it does better…
In a few weeks your plants will explode. I don’t recommend planting too many in one box. I’d say a max of 2 per box for the following veggies:
Peppers
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Any more than that and they will get crowded when they get bigger. You can pretty much plant anything you want and it doesn’t require any upkeep. Have fun…
Items you’ll need:
2- 18 gallon totes with lids
1- Garden pond basket (you can find them in the plant section at Home Depot)
1- Section of PVC
1- Large bag of Potting MIX. The potting mix works better than the potting soil. (Remember that!!!)
Hacksaw
Drill (not shown)
Razor knife
Pistol 9mm or 40 is fine. I used the 9.
Few beers. This was about a 2 Natty Fatty job… so it doesn’t take that long…
Start by placing the pond basket next to one of the totes and drawing a line around the tote.
Flip the tote over and outline the basket. You’ll then draw a square line about ½” inside the original line.
Cut out your square basket hole and a hole for your pvc pipe. Then cut along the line you made on the outside of the tote. It will fit inside the other tote like this…
Cut a section of pvc pipe that will sit above the top of the tote. Make sure to cut a notch in the bottom of it like this…
Take the half tote out and shoot some holes in the top of it. I guess you could also drill some holes in it, but this is a hunting forum and this time of year our guns don’t get much work…
It should look like this…
Next drill an overflow hole going through both totes. You’ll want to drill it where the top of the half tote sits. That way you can fill it with a few gallons of water…
Fill the basket with the potting mix and then wet it down. It doesn’t have to be soaked, just moist. This will jumpstart the wicking process.
Then fill the tote up with more potting mix.
Cut the top out of the lid.
Next place your box where you plan on leaving it. It gets a little heavy and difficult to carry when full of water.
Plant you plants and then water the plants until the soil is moist.
Cut a black trash bag big enough to fit over the top of the box and then place the lid on.
Fill the box up until water comes out of the overflow hole and you’re done….
This is my pepper plant that I had growing in a regular pot, but it wasn’t doing very good. I transplanted it to an earthbox and I hope it does better…
In a few weeks your plants will explode. I don’t recommend planting too many in one box. I’d say a max of 2 per box for the following veggies:
Peppers
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Any more than that and they will get crowded when they get bigger. You can pretty much plant anything you want and it doesn’t require any upkeep. Have fun…
- bodysnatcher
- Moderator
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Re: DIY Earthbox
Cool. Thanks for posting it up.
Some people are like Slinkies ... not really good for anything, but you can't help smiling when you see one tumble down the stairs.
- Iluv2hunt
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Re: DIY Earthbox
Doesn't the bottom "compartment" fill up with dirt over time?
I don't hunt turkeys because I want to, I hunt them because I have to. ~Colonel Tom Kelly
Re: DIY Earthbox
That's why I used the 9mm and nothing bigger... Seriously, you do get some dirt in there, but not much. When you moisten the soil, it kinda packs down. You'll also notice at the end of the season that the dirt chamber becomes one giant root ball. That's why it's not good to plant too many plants in the box.Iluv2hunt wrote:Doesn't the bottom "compartment" fill up with dirt over time?
Ohh and another thing. Keep in mind that you're going to have to water more often if you plant tomatoes. My tomato plant is already taller than me and loaded with cherry tomatoes. It just drinks up the water. Seems like I have to fill it up everyday. I'll probably have to fill up twice a day when summer comes. The eggplants are almost as bad. I'll try to take some pics of the actual veggies that are growing to show you guys how well they work.
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- Eagle Scout
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Re: DIY Earthbox
You only have to fill them once a day. My father plants cherry tomatoes and peppers quite often and he gets way more than he and my mother can consume with watering once a day, even in the hotter months in his earthboxes.
- GoodOyster
- Ain't as Good as I Once Was , But I'm As Good Once As I Ever Was!
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Re: DIY Earthbox
My dad set one up near where his AC drain comes out and it gets watered automatically.
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