Lettuces in EBs
- peebee
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Lettuces in EBs
Ohhhhhh yes I'm gonna love this section! Especially since the queen of Earthboxes is on board, all hail Marsha aka ginger
I hesitated using my EBs this winter for cool season crops like lettuce as I was unsure about just using them as "regular" pots as opposed to EBs. Meaning, I took off the plastic tops & am watering from the top now that our winter rains have started. I figured greens would not need bottom watering as tomatoes would. I removed the fert strip & lightly mixed in granular 5-5-5 fert. So my question is, would this somehow mess up the potting mix for my summer crops next year & would this added usage mean the potting mix would have to be replaced earlier than the 3 year expectancy? Thanks.
I hesitated using my EBs this winter for cool season crops like lettuce as I was unsure about just using them as "regular" pots as opposed to EBs. Meaning, I took off the plastic tops & am watering from the top now that our winter rains have started. I figured greens would not need bottom watering as tomatoes would. I removed the fert strip & lightly mixed in granular 5-5-5 fert. So my question is, would this somehow mess up the potting mix for my summer crops next year & would this added usage mean the potting mix would have to be replaced earlier than the 3 year expectancy? Thanks.
Zone 10, Southern California
Will eat anything once before I judge.
Anything meaning any foods of course.
Will eat anything once before I judge.
Anything meaning any foods of course.
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Re: Lettuces in EBs
I bought a whole bunch of EB Juniors and am growing lettuce in them. It's great. I usually use my recycled tomato mix for lettuce, broccoli, not the other way around.
Is your 5-5-5 organic (like happy frog?) - If so, I don't think it would mess you up. I think mixing it, is a good idea. I mixed tomato tone in all my tomato EB vs the fertilizer strip this season and thought my plants took off faster than ever.
I know someone who just bought 6 EB (full size) and is dedicating 4 of them for lettuce.
I am also growing Garlic (first time ever) in an EB. Also broccoli in one too.
Hopefully, Marsha will chime in.
Is your 5-5-5 organic (like happy frog?) - If so, I don't think it would mess you up. I think mixing it, is a good idea. I mixed tomato tone in all my tomato EB vs the fertilizer strip this season and thought my plants took off faster than ever.
I know someone who just bought 6 EB (full size) and is dedicating 4 of them for lettuce.
I am also growing Garlic (first time ever) in an EB. Also broccoli in one too.
Hopefully, Marsha will chime in.
- Ginger2778
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Re: Lettuces in EBs
Barb did a great job answering. A 5-5-5 is likely organic, and they don't remove the fert. strip when it's organic, so mixing the fertilizer in should be perfectly fine to reuse it.peebee wrote: ↑Thu Dec 12, 2019 1:25 am Ohhhhhh yes I'm gonna love this section! Especially since the queen of Earthboxes is on board, all hail Marsha aka ginger
I hesitated using my EBs this winter for cool season crops like lettuce as I was unsure about just using them as "regular" pots as opposed to EBs. Meaning, I took off the plastic tops & am watering from the top now that our winter rains have started. I figured greens would not need bottom watering as tomatoes would. I removed the fert strip & lightly mixed in granular 5-5-5 fert. So my question is, would this somehow mess up the potting mix for my summer crops next year & would this added usage mean the potting mix would have to be replaced earlier than the 3 year expectancy? Thanks.
As an aside, I actually never replace my potting mix, I just solarize to sterilize, replenish the lime and fertilizer, and top off with some new mix.
Thanks for the nice compliment.☺
- Marsha
- peebee
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Re: Lettuces in EBs
Thanks to both Marsha & Barb. Yes, I've known that you don't replace the mix in your EBs Marsha. I've polarized garden beds before so I might try it. Do you do this every year?
Zone 10, Southern California
Will eat anything once before I judge.
Anything meaning any foods of course.
Will eat anything once before I judge.
Anything meaning any foods of course.
- Ginger2778
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Re: Lettuces in EBs
Yes, a 3 mil thick clear plastic bag around the Earthbox. Use clear, not black, clear gets much hotter, and that's the goal. Solarize for at least 6 weeks per UF/IFAS teaching.
- Marsha
- peebee
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Re: Lettuces in EBs
That sounds simpler than I thought. I was ready to remove all the medium into bags to polarize. I'll take my time looking for the best deals on bags online if not locally. Thank you!
Zone 10, Southern California
Will eat anything once before I judge.
Anything meaning any foods of course.
Will eat anything once before I judge.
Anything meaning any foods of course.
- Ginger2778
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Re: Lettuces in EBs
I guess you mean to solarize? Its very simple, takes sbout 2-3 minutes per Earthbox, works really well.
- Marsha
- peebee
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Re: Lettuces in EBs
Haha yes I meant solarize. Spell check on my phone auto-corrected the s to a p. Sorry for the confusion
Zone 10, Southern California
Will eat anything once before I judge.
Anything meaning any foods of course.
Will eat anything once before I judge.
Anything meaning any foods of course.
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Re: Lettuces in EBs
What are the lowest temperatures that one can solarize an Earthbox at? I’m trying to figure out if it’s remotely possible to find 6 weeks to do that and then be able to use the EB. I plant them usually last week in May and early June with Eggplants, Zucchini and greens. That would leave April and first part of May to solarize. There can still be snow on the ground here the beginning of April!
- Ginger2778
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Re: Lettuces in EBs
It works as a South Florida thing because it's too hot and humid here in the Summers, even in May. Im not sure solarizing will work out for you, but then, it is probably OK, because you don't have the pathogens and bugs there that we get. I still wouldn't change all of the soil until you start getting bad results.Gardadore wrote: ↑Sun Dec 15, 2019 10:18 pm What are the lowest temperatures that one can solarize an Earthbox at? I’m trying to figure out if it’s remotely possible to find 6 weeks to do that and then be able to use the EB. I plant them usually last week in May and early June with Eggplants, Zucchini and greens. That would leave April and first part of May to solarize. There can still be snow on the ground here the beginning of April!
- Marsha
- Ginger2778
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Re: Lettuces in EBs
It works as a South Florida thing because it's too hot and humid here in the Summers, even in May. Im not sure solarizing will work out for you, but then, it is probably OK, because you don't have the pathogens and bugs there that we get. I still wouldn't change all of the soil until you start getting bad results.Gardadore wrote: ↑Sun Dec 15, 2019 10:18 pm What are the lowest temperatures that one can solarize an Earthbox at? I’m trying to figure out if it’s remotely possible to find 6 weeks to do that and then be able to use the EB. I plant them usually last week in May and early June with Eggplants, Zucchini and greens. That would leave April and first part of May to solarize. There can still be snow on the ground here the beginning of April!
- Marsha
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Re: Lettuces in EBs
Well it sounds like a great solution for pathogens and bugs and we do get them here as well, just maybe different ones. But if it must be 6 weeks then that would be a problem. Maybe removing the mix in some boxes and putting that in the clear plastic bag could be done for two weeks in May. Might be an interesting experiment. Thanks for your input - kind of suspected what your answer might be!!!