I Cleaned Up the Earth Boxes

Have you heard of Earth Boxes?  These "Sub-Irrigated Planters" or SIP's are ideal for the urban gardener due to their compact size.  You can grow healthy, fresh food anywhere.  Even on a high-rise apartment balcony.  All you need is dirt, water and sunshine and you are ready to start you own little garden.  The EarthBox gardening system is self watering, sustainable and portable.  You can even use it to grow indoors!  Of course, if you look long enough, I'm sure you will find someone complaining about them on the internet.  But we are not going to get bogged down in all that negativity.  This is a great little gardening system and I would like to share it with you today.

We have several of them.  Steven bought them a few years ago and for the first year he had great success growing a multitude of vegetables. Due to his illness last year, our first concern was getting him better, so the earth boxes were neglected.  I thought it was time to revive them, so over the Labor Day weekend I did just that.  Here is my progress.

We began with some rather unpleasant looking, weed filled boxes.

Another,

Another.

And another.  It was time to get serious and get these cleaned out.  So I got started.  Our Earth Boxes sit atop a brick dividing wall between our property and the one next door.  This wall is very wide; at least fifteen to eigthteen inches wide, so they accommodate the Earth Boxes easily.

After a bit of tangling with the weeds, I ended up with clean, weed-free Earth Boxes.

These two boxes on the very last section of the dividing wall were left barren.  I am uncertain just yet what I will plant here.  I will let my mind wander until I come up with just the perfect plant(s).

You will remember the seeds we planted earlier this year in clay pots.  The seeds were a Christmas gift from BFF Bev.  We had good luck with everything taking and, although it is late in the season, I believe we can still expect to harvest.  I removed the seedlings from the pots and carefully placed them in each Earth Box.

Here you see the Cherokee Purple Tomato plants ready to be transplanted.  A very healthy root system.

Burgundy Okra.

And Burgundy Okra to be transplanted.

Finally, I got everything transplanted, mulched and fertilized.  Above is the okra.  In each box, I placed the clay pot in the right rear corner with the name of the vegetable.

 

Here is Ashworth Sweet Corn.

Rainbow Chard.

Cherokee Purple Tomato.

Purple Peacock Broccoli.

This year, I used Osmocote Flower & Vegetable plant food.  I have also used Miracle Gro in past years.  I have had good luck with both products.  I had this readily available, so this is what I am using this year.

 

In addition to my gardening in the Earth Boxes, our neighbor, Ann, planted a garden along her side of the brick dividing wall.  Ann got an early start and, as you can see below, she is having remarkable results.

Her cucumbers are as healthy as any I have seen.

A couple of her plants made their way over the wall.  So we agreed that it would be best to allow the process which had already started to continue.  So in two of the earth boxes, we are letting the cucumbers continue their climb up and around the support structures on the boxes.  Maybe we will enjoy a nice, cool cucumber salad one day soon.

I Cleaned Up the Earth Boxes

Have you heard of Earth Boxes?  These "Sub-Irrigated Planters" or SIP's are ideal for the urban gardener due to their compact size.  You can grow healthy, fresh food anywhere.  Even on a high-rise apartment balcony.  All you need is dirt, water and sunshine and you are ready to start you own little garden.  The EarthBox gardening system is self watering, sustainable and portable.  You can even use it to grow indoors!  Of course, if you look long enough, I'm sure you will find someone complaining about them on the internet.  But we are not going to get bogged down in all that negativity.  This is a great little gardening system and I would like to share it with you today.

We have several of them.  Steven bought them a few years ago and for the first year he had great success growing a multitude of vegetables. Due to his illness last year, our first concern was getting him better, so the earth boxes were neglected.  I thought it was time to revive them, so over the Labor Day weekend I did just that.  Here is my progress.

We began with some rather unpleasant looking, weed filled boxes.

Another,

Another.

And another.  It was time to get serious and get these cleaned out.  So I got started.  Our Earth Boxes sit atop a brick dividing wall between our property and the one next door.  This wall is very wide; at least fifteen to eigthteen inches wide, so they accommodate the Earth Boxes easily.

After a bit of tangling with the weeds, I ended up with clean, weed-free Earth Boxes.

These two boxes on the very last section of the dividing wall were left barren.  I am uncertain just yet what I will plant here.  I will let my mind wander until I come up with just the perfect plant(s).

You will remember the seeds we planted earlier this year in clay pots.  The seeds were a Christmas gift from BFF Bev.  We had good luck with everything taking and, although it is late in the season, I believe we can still expect to harvest.  I removed the seedlings from the pots and carefully placed them in each Earth Box.

Here you see the Cherokee Purple Tomato plants ready to be transplanted.  A very healthy root system.

Burgundy Okra.

And Burgundy Okra to be transplanted.

Finally, I got everything transplanted, mulched and fertilized.  Above is the okra.  In each box, I placed the clay pot in the right rear corner with the name of the vegetable.

 

Here is Ashworth Sweet Corn.

Rainbow Chard.

Cherokee Purple Tomato.

Purple Peacock Broccoli.

This year, I used Osmocote Flower & Vegetable plant food.  I have also used Miracle Gro in past years.  I have had good luck with both products.  I had this readily available, so this is what I am using this year.

 

In addition to my gardening in the Earth Boxes, our neighbor, Ann, planted a garden along her side of the brick dividing wall.  Ann got an early start and, as you can see below, she is having remarkable results.

Her cucumbers are as healthy as any I have seen.

A couple of her plants made their way over the wall.  So we agreed that it would be best to allow the process which had already started to continue.  So in two of the earth boxes, we are letting the cucumbers continue their climb up and around the support structures on the boxes.  Maybe we will enjoy a nice, cool cucumber salad one day soon.

Back to the Wedding

I don't think I posted this selfie of Bev and me on our way to Bob and Bette's wedding.

It was a wonderful day.  Beautiful weather and we were so glad to be invited to witness two of our favorite people as they exchanged wedding vows.  All the best to Bob and Bette.

Back to the Wedding

I don't think I posted this selfie of Bev and me on our way to Bob and Bette's wedding.

It was a wonderful day.  Beautiful weather and we were so glad to be invited to witness two of our favorite people as they exchanged wedding vows.  All the best to Bob and Bette.

We Have New Neighbors

Recently, our dear friend Barbara who lived across from us on Dewey Street, put a Coldwell Banker "For Sale" sign in her front yard.  I think it took about 4 minutes for her to get a contract, because it was only a day or two later that the sign had an "Under Contract" sign attached.  And, no wonder. The house is beautiful.  I was hoping to say goodbye to Barbara before her departure, but that was not to be.  Barbara, if you are reading, we love you and send you well wishes for all that is to come in your life.

I noticed new cars in the driveway last week and eventually spotted our new neighbors.  A young couple and their pre-school daughter.  It is nice to see young people moving into the neighborhood.  I decided we needed to welcome them, so I put together a "Welcome" box much like the "Midnight Snack" box I made for Bob and Bette a couple weeks ago at their wedding.  Below is what I presented to them.

As with the Midnight Snack box, I used one of these gable-end boxes from Paper Source.  I made the label in Microsoft Word and printed it on Avery 5165 Full Sheet Label.  Then I cut it out and centered it on the front of the box.

A little excelsior in the bottom of the box for presentation.

I found these cute kitchen towels with a leaf motif.  Especially fitting since we are fast approaching fall.  Neutral colors are always a good choice when giving a gift like this.  You do not know what colors the new owner has chosen for his or her kitchen, so neutrals are always nice because they can work in any color scheme.

I placed the towels in the box alongside a box of pumpkin votives.

Again, 'tis the season.  Fall is fast approaching and I thought these were really cute.

Earlier I mentioned that the new owners have a small child.  I decided to add something for her as well.  I thought these little Liquid Milk Enhancers were cute.  In my day it was Nestle Quik. Sometimes it was chocolate.  Sometimes it was strawberry.  I loved both.  A glass of either and a cheese sandwich on white bread while I watched black and white television on our second-hand Zenith television that my grandfather brought to us.  My how times have changed.

 
And these milk flavoring straws.  Actually, I thought these sounded really good.  I wouldn't mind trying them myself.

For mom and dad, a couple small bottles of Freixnet with a colorful ribbon tied tightly.

I hope they enjoy our little gift of welcome.  We look forward to becoming more familiar with them at the block party on September 13.

We Have New Neighbors

Recently, our dear friend Barbara who lived across from us on Dewey Street, put a Coldwell Banker "For Sale" sign in her front yard.  I think it took about 4 minutes for her to get a contract, because it was only a day or two later that the sign had an "Under Contract" sign attached.  And, no wonder. The house is beautiful.  I was hoping to say goodbye to Barbara before her departure, but that was not to be.  Barbara, if you are reading, we love you and send you well wishes for all that is to come in your life.

I noticed new cars in the driveway last week and eventually spotted our new neighbors.  A young couple and their pre-school daughter.  It is nice to see young people moving into the neighborhood.  I decided we needed to welcome them, so I put together a "Welcome" box much like the "Midnight Snack" box I made for Bob and Bette a couple weeks ago at their wedding.  Below is what I presented to them.

As with the Midnight Snack box, I used one of these gable-end boxes from Paper Source.  I made the label in Microsoft Word and printed it on Avery 5165 Full Sheet Label.  Then I cut it out and centered it on the front of the box.

A little excelsior in the bottom of the box for presentation.

I found these cute kitchen towels with a leaf motif.  Especially fitting since we are fast approaching fall.  Neutral colors are always a good choice when giving a gift like this.  You do not know what colors the new owner has chosen for his or her kitchen, so neutrals are always nice because they can work in any color scheme.

I placed the towels in the box alongside a box of pumpkin votives.

Again, 'tis the season.  Fall is fast approaching and I thought these were really cute.

Earlier I mentioned that the new owners have a small child.  I decided to add something for her as well.  I thought these little Liquid Milk Enhancers were cute.  In my day it was Nestle Quik. Sometimes it was chocolate.  Sometimes it was strawberry.  I loved both.  A glass of either and a cheese sandwich on white bread while I watched black and white television on our second-hand Zenith television that my grandfather brought to us.  My how times have changed.

 
And these milk flavoring straws.  Actually, I thought these sounded really good.  I wouldn't mind trying them myself.

For mom and dad, a couple small bottles of Freixnet with a colorful ribbon tied tightly.

I hope they enjoy our little gift of welcome.  We look forward to becoming more familiar with them at the block party on September 13.