DIY EarthBox-inspired large bottom-watering container

Comments · 162

• HO

  @holleymother9026 · 4 years ago

  It's important not to place the overflow hole too close to the barrier. It should be an inch or more below the barrier to make the roots air prune and not grow into the water reservoir and rot. It's an easy fix. If the hole is too close to the barrier just drill a hole or two at a lower level. You don't want to rot your roots.

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• TH

  @theBullringLive · 4 years ago

  Problem I found with a lot of water is that it can go rancid/ anaerobic. I make mine to hold about 2 gallons. My overflow is at the opposite end from my filler tube. When I water, I will keep watering for 5-10 seconds after it starts running out the overflow so you get some exchange going with fresh water/nutrients. Exterior boxes I paint white. In FL, black boxes cooked the roots. Just use a shot glass as a cover for fill tube. The screening will clocg up the air exchange between layers- especially if you have worms in your boxes.

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• MA

  @mangofever4681 · 3 years ago (edited)

  The drain hole should be at least and an inch below the bottom piece. The one inch air gap is mandatory to prevent root rot.

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• DI

  @diannaboykin7628 · 4 years ago

  I've watched many videos on self watering containers, but you are the first one I've seen screening the water tube and overflow. I live in area with way to many mosquitoes, and my big concern would be creating stagnant water and getting more mosquitoes. Thanks for addressing that for me

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• DA

  @davidward1259 · 5 months ago

  One suggestion I would make is to drill a hole in the fill tube so you can tie wrap it to the bottom support.  My grandson though it was fun to pull ours out and swing it around like a stick.  Not fun to put it back in after the tub is filled with "dirt" on top however.

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• SM

  @SMCGlassBlowing · 2 years ago

  I'm a 75 year old gal and don't have your arm or wrist strength, so I stayed away from those super strong hard textured lids and went with containers that have smooth easy to cut out lids, cuz that extra step of having to cut off the "bumps" around the edges looked like way too much work! I also, for similar reasons, do not use the hard plastic drain pipes to support the shelf, I don't have a table circular saw, did not want to spend hours of sweat time sawing them by hand (probably crookedly) and I believe strongly in using what you have on hand. What I had on hand was lots of saved 5" high plastic planting pots from years past that I drilled full of holes and inverted under the shelf and they work fine to support it and form the water reservoir! Does not have to be dedicated drain pipes. When I ran out of them I went and bought more at the hardware supply store for $1.39 each. You could probably buy them in bulk online for a lot less but I wanted them immediately to finish a box.

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• EN

  @EngineerCatPyro · 1 year ago (edited)

  I know this is 3 years old, but I've built 10 of these pretty much the same way 5 years ago. This is a perfectly good build and works great. However, I have found that that much water in the bottom will keep the soil over saturated. I would suggest the drainage holes be half the height it is located at. Also I don't bother with covering the top like that, you'll still get weeds. Easy option is to top it with 2 or 3 inches of seedless hay. You want the rain water to get in there and fill the bucket when it's raining. There seams to be some confusion that fertilizer gets washed away, but it's in a container! The water that ends up in the bottom of the container to be wicked back up is fertilized because it remains in the container. So when other people are saying they fertilize Weekly or bi weekly, you don't need to do that with a self wicking container system. Once a month is more than adequate because you are not loosing the fertilizer when it rains. Your only replenishing the nutrients that were used up by the plants.

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• CL

  @claudeloi · 3 years ago

  Exactly the Earth box I want to build with the readily available materials on hand. Thanks.

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• FA

  @farmervee_yt · 3 years ago

  This is one of the best I've watched on this. Good information. Thank you.

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• FI

  @firecloud77 · 4 years ago

  With the Earth Box you put a band of fertilizer on the top of the soil before placing the plastic.

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• RO

  @robertbissett · 4 years ago

  Very helpful. Made one similar with a 17 gallon HDX. Got it all made with starts setting out in the garden. I used wood chips for mulch instead of plastic sheet. Then, last night it started to rain. Got up early with an idea to prevent water logging. Tomato cage in the middle of the container; 55 gallon clear trash bag to cover everything; hold in place with clothes pins  around the rim. And it doubles as a mini-greenhouse until it warms up around here in a couple months! May need vent holes.

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• GR

  @greggm.9057 · 2 years ago

  👍 Nice job! Appreciate you sharing.

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