Customer Reviews

Garden Patch Grow Box Terra Cotta

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

We bought the new Earth Box (EB) and 3 Grow Boxes (GB) at the same time in March 2010, for the intent of direct comparison of the two.
Both boxes had recently undergone some changes, per the requests of previous owners.
We were fortunate enough to have received the new ones from each manufacturer at the time.
Kudos to EB for much faster shipping than Garden Patch.

Observation before assembly: Both boxes came with clear, easy instructions. Both boxes were easy to assemble. Both boxes are well constructed. The EB has wheels as standard now. The GB comes in two main parts (top and bottom) for easier and slightly lower shipping <-- this method also allows the ingenious ability to ship 3+ boxes stacked together in one slightly larger box, again saving on shipping.

The EB now ships with a fertilizer strip and plastic covers that can be either white or black (choose side you want) side up that covers entire top lid of box. The GB ships with a burlap cover with a fertilizer strip in the middle that gets pressed into the moist soil to dissolve. My wife noted that the GB fertilizer is known for a much lower sodium content to reduce the chance of plant burning.

Observations after assembly: Since we live in Southern Texas on the edge of a desert, having our garden plants outside creates a very harsh, hot environment during the summer months. We decided it would be best to have some on our North-facing front porch and many of them indoors under our compact fluorescent grow bulbs. We quickly discovered having the EB inside was a very big and messy mistake, since you cannot tell the water reservoir (on ours) is full until it overflows onto the carpet.

The burlap cover for the GBs are annoying at best and the plastic pegs (4) that come with each box is not sufficient to hold it down all the way around. My wife decided that safety pins were an effective way to hold the burlap together where we had cut into it to make room for the plants. On the final (3rd) GB assembly we got smarter and cut a circle for each plant directly into the burlap (not beginning on the edge, as recommended) and that eliminated the problem.

Observations of growth: So far, we are very pleased to see the very same plants in the EB and the GB are alive and well. But, the plants in the GB are tremendously larger than in the EB. Our best novice guess is that the fertilizer mixture in the GB is more to the liking of the cucumbers there than in the EB. The wife likes the larger water reservoir in the GB too. The GB has holders for climbing poles in each corner and it is a great fit for the plastic/fiber rods we got from Lowes for this purpose. For the purpose of climbing in the EB, I resorted to using a section of 4' tall wire fencing cut down to fit into the soil to hold it up. This is not ideal, but gets the job done.

Observations Overall: While a few months is hardly sufficient time to do an accurate comparison of the EB & GB, the results are still contrasting. Both are made well and durable now. Both have large water reservoirs. For the purposes of refinements though, we have found that the GB are more practical and easier to use. My wife is still miffed over the water on the carpet from the overflow on the EB. The GB filler area is located in a good position and is much better suited to being indoors than the EB. The narrowness of the fill tube on the EB is a detractor for us as well, and it would seem that the leaves of the cucumbers will soon be covering the fill tube up. The wheels on the EB are nice, but since our boxes aren't going to be moved anytime soon, they aren't necessary for our needs.

Personal Choice: The GrowBox wins!

I have two makes of this type of self-watering planter--this and one from a well-known catalog company--and tested them both for the first time last summer with tomatoes, peppers, and a few other veggies at my rather shady and foggy house in Northern California. I also do square-foot and in-ground gardening.

Being cheap, I bought several of this Grow Box in their package deal, and wasn't expecting much, given their flashy (cheese) advertising and cheap price. However, gotta say I liked it better than the pricier catalog one. I appreciate the outer opening for the water refills--this design is fast and easy to fill up and overflows when you overwater (preventing soggy soils.)

For some of the boxes, I used the enclosed fertilizer strip and plastic cover. For some, I went kind of organic and mixed up compost and peat and perlite like in "Incredible Vegetables from Self-Watering Containers". Both had good results, but the fertilizer strip of theirs was better. I've learned more since last year about the need to feed veggies during the growing season, but the strip took care of that ignorance, and I had my first big crop of hot and bell peppers after years of failure. (They need water and heat, both hard to come by in a Bay Area summer, but more available in these self-watering containers.)

I logged on here and was surprised to see so few reviews for this off-brand version, and thought I'd put in my thumbs up for anyone curious to give it a try. It was affordable and effective and I've just starting planting them up again for 2010.

Out of curiosity, last week I picked up an Earth Box to compare. But only because I was curious, not because I was dissatisfied with my current planters.

Happy gardening!

(2011 Update: FYI, I did add the BT mosquito dunks to the watering basin. I had them on hand for a basketball hoop base, and this seemed to prevent any problems...though mosquitos are not a serious pest in my dry-summer area.)

not just another "neat idea in theory" as another reviewer suggested. These types of planter boxes have been around awhile and they are catching on like wildfire. Do a google search on "rooftop garden" and you'll see what I mean. Chef Rick Bayless has an awesome one using a similar planter. Mainly because they work SO well, almost all sub-irrigations systems do. Those pictures you see of giant tomato plants, etc. are what an average gardener can personally expect. I personally don't have a problem w/mosquitoes, but if I did I'm sure a quick fix exists, like the mosquito dunks for one.

my only complaint is that I don't like the look of plastic. Maybe a cover using natural reed blinds would fix that. I know [...] sells a really nice cover for a similar planter.

I have owned Earthboxes for years but recently when I needed more I decided to try some of the Garden Patch Grow Boxes to compare. Overall, I was happier with the Earth Box for a number of reasons, but there are some advantages to the Garden Patch box as well.

Garden Patch box pros:
Cheaper cost.
Cheaper shipping and less environmental waste since multiple garden boxes can be packaged in one box.
Love the large side hole that makes watering easy without overfilling the box.
The burlap cover is very easy to use and includes pre-measured fertilizer.

Cons:
Thinner plastic
Two piece design makes the Garden Patch box less sturdy especially when moved.
Didn't like the assembly required. Even though it was easy it made box seem cheaper.
Few accessories available. No plant supports, etc.
No wheels for ease of mobility.

If cost is a big factor for you and you don't intend to move your garden boxes or use them for longer than 3-4 years, I think the Garden Patch grow boxes would be sufficient. Otherwise, it is worth the expense to get the more durable Earth Boxes.

These types of garden systems are a great way to grow tomatoes, cukes, and peppers.
My soil is good for pine trees and azaleas, but not much else.
I downgraded this item 1 star due to the lack of mobility. Other products have casters, but they do cost more.
As far as mosquitoes taking up residence in the water supply, you can buy mosquito dunks cheap, break them into 4 pieces. Each piece will last about 6 weeks in the box. No mosquitoes and no effect whatever on the veggies.

I purchased one of these units two years ago, and I have used it only for tomatoes. First, two tomato plants (that's all the tomato plants that you can put in the critter) consume at least a gallon of water a day (in summer more than that), so you either have to set up a timer (like I did) with a hose to unit or simply water it each day by hand. Second, the darn thing worked reasonably well with the following disclaimers: besides water, you have to provide support (like the metal 3 "o ring" system); I did that plus built a thin wooden frame (with 2" x 4" metal fencing attached to wood) around mine; I have deer, so I put mine on a platform 5 feet up (deer are good but not that good); my main problem was some of the tomatoes got brown spots on the bottom of the fruit; I tried putting lime in the potting soil this year; it didn't seem to help much. I have also read that the plant missing water just for a day or two can cause that problem (my hose fell off the unit for a day or two, causing the roots to be only in an inch of water by the time I realized the problem). The green plastic is not very thick, but it seems to hold up all right. I haven't had any problems with mosquitoes, but the water doesn't stagnate since every day fresh water is pumped in. Ok, what's the bottom line? Well, I probably picked at least 30 tomatoes for the summer season. When the weather turned, I carried (dumped the water out) the unit to my shop, plugged in a couple of grow bulbs with a a timer (and turned on my heater in shop) and refilled the water container. The plants are doing well; I have at least 8 tomatoes starting to turn color and new blossoms (I now create my own bees with a small paintbrush); the best sign is each day the water level drops, indicating the plants are hanging in there. The fertilizer pads work well; the plants seem to be happy once they are well established (I did not have good luck putting baby plants in and nursing them til they got big. It was much better for me to just buy a couple of reasonably decent sized plant ( 4 inch pot or up to l gallon or less) and put them in, well established. As the snow falls outside, I think "it's a keeper."

Length:: 0:30 Mins

This video will show you the difference in the boxes.

This is my first year growing stuff.. i was skeptical because i can barely keep a bush alive but i blame it on my clay soil. :) I wasn't sure what would work better and be cost effective and so on so i got the 3 types i could find info about and here are the pluses and minuses...

Growbox: my least favorite but works fine. This was the third box i received and initially i was a little put off because it didnt seem as well built as the earthbox and i couldnt get the two pieces snapped together forever..finally did (there was a little warping on the backside). I dont like that it doesnt have wheels since i will move my boxes when its stormy but its still doable. I dont like the patch thing on top of it that has the fertilizer because as you can see it curls up and can possibly blow away. I do like the fact you can see how much water is in it through the lip thing on the front and i mainly got it because the price was overall cheaper.. however i will not buy this again. note: things do grow fine in it so far and it does get the job done. approx: $30+$7 shipping (takes around 1.5CF potting mix)

Earthbox: I have two of these so far and i will buy more. I like the shape of this and the growbox because when comparing to my homemade ones you have more space overall and more planting room. It comes with the fertilizer that is good for the whole season, dolomite, and several covers (2-3 depending on where u buy) This one is a little deeper than the growbox but takes 2 cubic feet of potting mix.. the stuff i bought was 16.99 a bag (happy frog organic potting mix) so after all of that on my porch we spent hundreds..but it was fun and you can reuse for like 4-5 years so i read. I love the wheels and the over all clean look of the box. Note: you can also buy this for like $30 plus shipping if you just want the box. Otherwise it is $49 on amazon, $56 locally for me, or 50-56 plus shipping online. My plants look great so far and im very impressed with the box over all.

Home Made containers: I like these because they cost me about $6 each to make. These are great because they are deep and you should probably use them to plant deep rooted veggies like carrots, onion etc. I dont like the fact that they take alot of dirt and have such a small top area (5 gallon bucket size) They are cheap and a little labor intensive but you also have to buy fertilizer which i read is to be replaced every month whereas the earthbox and growbox is like each crop or something like that. So that can get spendy. They also dont have wheels and are not worth it to me to make any. they are semi easy to drag to move since they arent huge. As you can see my plants are flourishing in these.

Overall im not sure how long the plastic will last with the homemade ones but i read the earthbox has lasted others since they became established 15 years ago.
from now on i will just add to my collection with earthboxes. (they have a great forum too)

Use neem oil to keep the bugs away! my spinach was infested with white fly and i was devastated but it got rid of them. the only problem i have is green worms on my broccoli and cauliflower and i just keep watch to pick them off.

I bought 3 grow boxes 3 years ago and never regretted it. I have successfully grown cherry tomatoes, medium sized tomatoes(grew over 30 medium tomatoes from 1 plant), summer squash(I would get 1 or 2 big squash a day from 2 plants), broccoli, and herbs. Currently I'm growing a steakmaster tomato plant, a green pepper plant and different kinds of lettuce. I don't have a house or a yard, only an apartment with a balcony. I think as long as my balcony faces south or west, my plants will do best since that is where they will get the most sun.
So far these grow boxes seem to be holding up well. Anyone who wants a successful garden without the hassle, these are a must-get!!

I will say that this grow box did a great job growing some of my herloom seeds just this last year. I now am running a led grow light from led-grow-lights-usa.com that is letting me use it all year

I purchased my first grow box and I can't believe how easy it was to put together. I put two tomato plants in the grow box and one in the ground. The plants in the grown box are already 3 time higher. I will definitely purchase another one.