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Teaching Kids Healthy Habits
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The Walter Reed Youth & School Age Services Garden Club recently used six EarthBoxes for our 2008 Summer Gardening Club's Vegetable Garden. The participants planted cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, cantaloupe, and dill in the portable containers. They found the EarthBoxes easy to set up; it took teams of two approximately twenty minutes to prepare each box, with very little help. The kids thoroughly enjoyed moistening the soil and packing it into the EarthBoxes.

Asha James inspects produce that she helped grow in EarthBoxes at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. We planted from seeds, and our EarthBox gardening project ultimately produced ten cucumber plants, eight tomato plants, a row of dill, six cantaloupe plants, and six broccoli plants. The children loved the ease of the EarthBox watering system, and learned that it takes teamwork to make sure everything is watered properly. Watering was the most popular thing to do in the garden, until it came time to harvest! The first vegetable to show fruit was the cucumber plant. After we harvested the first two, they began to sprout really fast. We made home-made pickles, and used the cucumbers and dill for a summer camp lunchtime salad, as well as tomatoes picked fresh off the vine. The tomatoes are still flourishing, and over the next few weeks we anticipate harvesting broccoli and cantaloupes, too. The EarthBox system helped us create our very first vegetable garden. It also helped us learn a bit about entomology, as bugs also like gardens!
Heather K. MacTavish
Director, School Age Services
Walter Reed Army Medical Center |
Grab Some Free Goodies!
Want to win an EarthBox gift certificate? Just send us your best EarthBox-related recipe or article, and you might find yourself a winner.
Here are the categories we'd like you to shoot for:
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A helpful story that provides EarthBox owners with information
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A story on your most successful crop
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Your greatest number of EarthBoxes in use at once
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Your best disaster story, so everyone can learn from your mistakes
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Your quickest recipe using an EarthBox harvest
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Your spiciest recipe using an EarthBox harvest
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Articles on non-traditional uses of the EarthBox
Your entry should be brief and to the point. We'll pick a new winner every month, and we'll post each month's winner in an upcoming issue of the newsletter.
Just send your contest entries to photos@Earthbox.com, with the word "contest" in the subject line, and we'll take a look! |
Send Us Your Photos and Success Stories!
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To place an order, call
888-445-6295 (24/7) or visit our online store
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Greetings!
At the end of the growing season, it's a good idea to clean up your EarthBox and prepare it for the winter. Not only does winterizing your EarthBox help protect it from the harsh elements, it makes it easier to prepare it for planting once warm weather makes a reappearance. Your first task is to remove the remains of the previous season's plants. Next, dig out the fertilizer strip and discard it, then drain the water reservoir so that the contents don't freeze up and damage the system. You can do this by tipping over the EarthBox; just be careful not to let any soil spill out of the container. Once it's clean and dry, cover your EarthBox until it's time to plant again. You should have received a second cover when you bought your unit. If you can't find it, you can make do with plastic sheeting; even a good plastic trash bag will do in a pinch. You should also cover up the fill tubes. While PVC pipe caps are preferable, even a plastic baggie or plastic wrap will work. For more tips on protecting your EarthBox from Jack Frost, visit the Forum. Enjoy your winter! 
Frank DiPaolo EarthBox |
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Fresh from the Forum
Growing Blueberries |
 Andre recently asked, "Has anyone grown blueberries in an EarthBox for several years, so you can tell me how large the shrub gets? I am assuming that the shrub only gets about half of the height/width that it would in the ground. Any info would be appreciated." Visit the Q&A section of the Forum and check out the responses! |
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Retailer of the Month
Betty's Azalea Ranch |
We're proud of our dedicated, authorized EarthBox Gardening System retailers around the country. Every month we highlight one of our valued partners, so you can learn more about them and their products.  This month, we honor Betty's Azalea Ranch of Fairfax, Virginia. Betty's is a full service, discount garden center. Established in 1962, they feature the largest collection of azaleas of any garden center in the nation. In fact, their 16 acres display the largest selection of trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, bulbs, turf and garden supplies (including EarthBoxes) and water gardening materials to be found at any single garden center in America! Betty's experienced Landscape Division specializes in design service, including the installation of patios, walkways, water gardens and a huge variety of beautiful plantings. Come visit them at: 12507 Lee Highway Fairfax, VA 22030 703-830-8687
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From Our Customers
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 "Here are some EarthBox-grown onions drying out. I also have some bell peppers and tomatoes."
Tom Albuquerque, New Mexico |
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About EarthBox
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The patented EarthBox was developed by commercial farmers, and proven in the lab and on the farm. Our maintenance-free, award-winning, high-tech growing system controls soil conditions, eliminates guesswork, and more than doubles the yield of a conventional garden -- with less fertilizer, less water and virtually no effort. To find out more, visit www.earthbox.com. | |
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