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EarthBox Education:
EarthBox Horticulturalist
Wins Awards
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Congratulations to EarthBox Horticulturalist and Teacher John Romanaskas, for winning two First Place blue ribbons at the recent Pennsylvania State Agriculture Fair! "The 'Olds' certified, organically grown Mammoth Melting Snow Pea seeds produced the best-looking, tasting, and prolific snow peas I have ever experienced, due to the favorable weather conditions and using the EarthBox system," says John. He received a second ribbon for his photo of last year's zucchini rampicante.
This year, John is growing more zucchini in a 120 EarthBox 'parking lot garden' at work. Last year, he harvested over 16 pounds of zucchini, from just two plants in his EarthBox. EarthBox employees are thrilled to be able to take home some of John's harvest, which includes tomatoes such as Black Russian, German Strawberry and other unique varieties from around the world.
John has been a horticulturalist at EarthBox for three years, and a Penn State Master Gardener volunteer for five years. "I feel horticulture is a dying art among our youth, and I wanted to do something to address that. I have so many fond and irreplaceable memories of planting garlic, onions, beets, cucumbers and tomatoes with my grandparents."
"I also have some great memories of coloring Easter eggs with my great-grandparents, using onion skins they saved all year to create a unique deep golden-brown color. Used red beet juice also created a beautiful deep red Easter egg. It sure doesn't get any more organic than that!"
"I wish that my K-12 education had included the classroom activities presented in the EarthBox curriculum," John says. "Not only would it have engaged me with hands-on activities, but it would have given me the direction to study what I learned to love at the feet of my grandparents -- that is, plant life, the environment, and horticulture." |
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Grab Some Free Goodies!
Want to win an EarthBox gift certificate? Just send us your best EarthBox-related recipe, article, or photo, and you might find yourself a winner.
Here are the categories we'd like you to shoot for:
- A helpful story that provides EarthBox owners with information
- A story on your most successful crop
- A photo illustrating a successful EarthBox crop
- Your greatest number of EarthBoxes in use at once
- Your best disaster story, so everyone can learn from your mistakes
- Your quickest recipe using an EarthBox harvest
- Your spiciest recipe using an EarthBox harvest
- 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 winner in an upcoming issue.
Send your contest entries to photos@Earthbox.com, with the word "contest" in the subject line, and we'll take a look! |
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We Have a Winner!
We've chosen the latest winner in our ongoing "Grab Some Goodies" contest! Becky Bronson will receive a $25 EarthBox gift certificate for her wonderful photo. We'll be posting more winners as we choose them -- and of course, we're still waiting to hear from you!
Here's Becky's winning entry:
"Attached is a photo of our nine-foot-high pea plants! With all the rain we've had the past month, none of our friends and neighbors can believe it...
"We had to move the EarthBox against our porch to support the plants as they grew. These EarthBoxes are truly amazing!"
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Greetings!
Some of you may have recently planted for a fall harvest, but no doubt many of you planted earlier in the year and are just now starting to enjoy your fresh fruits and vegetables. If you're still eagerly awaiting your produce, be patient; Mother Nature's not always predictable. In this issue, we offer some handy tips to let you know exactly when to pick your crops.
Once you do start bringing in your ripe fruits and veggies, be sure to enjoy your bounty with your friends --and donate to a local charity if you have more than you can handle!
Stay cool,
 Frank DiPaolo EarthBox |
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Harvest Hints
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While the harvest schedule you'll find on most seed packets is helpful, you shouldn't be literal to the day. The number of days it takes for fruits and vegetables to mature can vary due to factors like fluctuations in the weather, changes in watering, feeding schedule, soil temperatures, and more.
First and foremost, you'll need to examine your plants daily during harvest season. Be especially vigilant about checking your crops for signs of disease. Harvest the infected produce immediately, and dispose of it. DO NOT compost it.
With some fruiting plants, continual harvesting is one of the best ways to stimulate more production. Plus, you may want to sample some of the produce during development to decide when it tastes best, as this can be subjective.
Some crops can easily be picked by hand, such as beans and peas, but others -- squash, cabbage, and broccoli, for example -- may require garden clippers or a knife. And keep this in mind: your vegetables will be cooler and crisper if you harvest them in the morning.
Cleaning the bounty
Wash your produce carefully under cool, clean running water in a clean sink, but don't soak it. Firm fruits and vegetables, such as potatoes and melons, can be scrubbed with a clean, sanitized vegetable brush. Never use detergents, soaps or bleach on your produce. Not only will these products change the flavor of the vegetables, they may also be poisonous.
Dry your produce thoroughly before storing it, and be sure to wash it again before preparing it. |
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Fresh from the Forum
Mosquito Problems?
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 Don't block the fill tube! If you're having mosquito problems, there are solutions that won't compromise the flow of the system. Visit the Forum to find out how to get the mosquitoes to buzz off. |
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Retailer of the Month
Stauffers of Kissel Hill Garden Center
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At EarthBox, we value our partnerships with our authorized retailers. There are nurseries and garden centers throughout the country that carry our systems. This month, we salute Stauffers of Kissel Hill Garden Center, which has eight locations in Central Pennsylvania.  Stauffers brings years of dedication and experience to the gardening industry. Family-owned and operated since 1932, this business was originally begun as a fruit-and-vegetable farm. Customers are treated to a vast array of exceptional products, including outdoor furniture, garden art, lawn care products, plants for all seasons, water garden supplies, mulch and decorative stone, and one of Central Pennsylvania's largest selections of trees and shrubs. Special events include do-it-yourself clinics and focused activities for children.
For more information, store hours and online gardening advice, visit their website at www.skh.com. |
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From Our Customers
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 "These
are all Bonnie plants. One Big Beef, one Best Boy, two yellow peppers, two
green peppers and two Yummies."
Alexis W.
Zone 6
Newbury County, SC |
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Postscript
Brightest Kidz Accolades
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We're delighted to announce that Brightest Kidz has selected the EarthBox Ready to Grow Kit as one of its top 20 science toys for summer!
Brightest Kidz is a kid-oriented blog that describes itself as "devoted to helping parents and other caregivers help their children learn to love science. We regularly post science activities, review science related teaching toys, and provide links to other online science education resources."
In their EarthBox review, Brightest Kidz pointed out (among other things) the value of our "scientifically engineered container gardening system" and the cross-disciplinary curricula that helps kids develop a hands-on understanding of agriscience, nutrition, and more. To see the entire review, just click here.
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Join Our Community
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EarthBox is on Facebook! Now you can become a fan of EarthBox, joining a community of fellow EarthBox users for conversations, advice and photo sharing -- or just to check out whatever new information EarthBox has to enhance your gardening experience! |
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Ordering
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To place an order, call us at 866-727-5532 (24/7) or visit our online store. |
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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. It's used successfully on a daily basis by commercial farmers, educators, and consumers. Distributors are also finding it to be a popular growing system.
EarthBox is a remarkably easy-to-set-up system that can be used to grow produce virtually anywhere. EarthBox systems have been incorporated into community gardens all over the world, enabling families and neighbors to share fresh produce, while minimizing work and expenses. EarthBoxes can even be found in classrooms. Our EarthBox Pre-K through 12th grade standards-based curriculum support packages can bring science to life, with hands-on cross-curricula lessons that teach principles of growing and nutrition utilizing the scientific method in student-driven experiments.
To find out more, visit www.earthbox.com. | |
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