Re: oops - more on "Earthboxes" - pro/con

**J-P Duncan u*@yahoo.com**

Hi Judy, and all,

       It's been a while since I worked with our team using Earthboxes here in Scranton PA (where Earthboxes are made); but as I recall you don't have to use the fertilizer. The yield will not be the same -- at least it wasn't for kids who tried to grow organically in them. They produced, but the yield wasn't as great.
      The SAFARIS (Share A Farm And Raise Invigorated Students) after-school project has been using the Earthboxes for a while, with help from the manufacturer and The Growing Connection in one of our city parks. We made a presentation on it at the ACGA annual meeting in Toronto a couple of years ago. For our purposes, the Earthboxes were great. However, they were difficult to move. For herbs and flowers, using a two-wheel dolly was OK. Tomatoes and squash proved a bit difficult. We built a wooden frame in which to set the boxes; which also supported a mesh trellis. Since our growing space was fenced, we didn't need to move them so much -- but I imagine that casters could be added to the wood frames.
      Our kids were growing flowers, herbs, tomatoes, squash, and peppers -- taking some home and selling some at a Farmers' Market in the park. They found that it was easy to work with the earthbox -- no weeding, no problem watering etc. When they planted in the ground, they were not as diligent in caring for their crops.
      I prefer planting in the ground. But in DC, if you don't have the space, then the earthbox can be a put to good use.

  jp duncan
  Shalom CDC
  Scranton, PA

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