There is a Difference. It is vital to understand the specific differences between our EZ Garden Premium Soil Mix and common soil. Soil is a thin layer of material on the Earth’s surface in which plants have their roots. It is made up of many things, such as weathered rock and decayed plant and animal matter. Soil is formed over a long period of time. Soil formation takes place when many things interact, such as air, water, plant life, animal life, rocks, and chemicals.
EZ Garden Premium Soil mix is a controlled blend of high quality compost, peat moss and perlite. As a result of the premium controlled ingredients, which do not contain water, your initial “charging” of the mix becomes important to the success of your gardening. It is important, therefore, to introduce water to the entire contents of the mix BEFORE planting. One of the greatest advantages of the E-Z Garden Premium Soil Mix is its remarkable ability to hold moisture for prolonged plant use.
Precharge before planting. After determining a suitable location for the EZ Garden Grow Box!™ it is important to properly “charge” the soil mix with sufficient water. This can be achieved in a variety of ways, but the most common way is by simply adding a portion of water and then allowing sufficient time for the water to be absorbed into the soil mix. This process will need to be repeated several times until you can verify that the entire mix has been saturated with water. (Stirring in the water is also a popular option.) You are now ready to plant!
Fresh Seeds. Fresh seeds provide the highest percentage of germination, but you can still have success with planting older seeds if the seeds have been properly stored in a cool, dark place (like a refrigerator) in a moisture-proof container.
The right vegetable varieties for box gardening. Yes, there are vegetable and herb varieties specially developed for small-space gardening. They have names that include dwarf, tiny, patio, mini, compact, and other thesarus cousins to "small." And know that (typically) it's the plant itself that will be small, not the fruit size or the yield.
Another good move is to use vining crops that can be trained up on supports. So, pole beans instead of bush beans; vining squash, vining cucumbers.
Which Plants to Choose. This from Mel Bartholomew, author of the "All New Square Foot Gardening" book: "[If just starting out] I recommend you review your shopping list from last week and last month. Start simple and easy with foods you already eat regularly. Expand and experiment later on."
Ready to Expand and Experiement? An evening spent curled up with a thick seed catalogue is time well spent, as you'll gain a good understanding of the advantages and purpose of the different varieties. Then take the plunge and give some a try. Keep records of what you've planted from sowing to sowing, as you'll find that—
• certain varieties perform better in your climate.
• some taste better to you than others.
• some produce earlier or bear fruit longer.
Keeping good notes will ensure you'll arrive at and grow the right variety for you.
Plant at the right depth. Most seed packages come with planting-depth recommendations, but if not, a good general rule of thumb is to plant at a depth two to four times the thickness of the seed. Besides, because the EZ Garden Grow Box!™ soil blend is loose and airy, you don't have to worry about planting seeds too deep.
Watering. Over watering conventional soil makes soil temperatures colder and also reduces the amount of life-giving oxygen in the growing medium (plant roots need air as well as water!). It can also lead to disease. The excellent EZ Garden Growbox!™ soil blend holds moisture well and also efficiently drains off the excess, making it almost impossible to overwater. The soil over germinating seeds must be kept moist so the sprouting seed will not dry out. And once your seeds are sprouted and growing, water your box garden as soon as plants appear slightly droopy or wilted. Use lukewarm water for young sprouts.
Go Lettuce. Looking for a care-free crop? Go Lettuce! Lettuce is highly productive in limited space. Most lettuce varieties mature in 45 to 55 days, meaning your can plant two or even three crops in an outdoor growing season. And looseleaf and butterhead leaves can be harvested at just about any time in their development. Heading varieties take longer to mature. You can tuck the low-growing lettuce around tall veggies like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peppers, eggplants—the lettuce will help keep the soil moist and cool and you'll maximize your growing space. And lettuce is a great replacement crop after early-producing veggies are harvested.
Thinning Plants. You only need to plant a pinch of seeds, but if too many sprout, then the best way to thin them back is to snip of the weakest with a pair of scissors, rather than pull them up, disrupting the roots of the plants you want to keep.
Fence it Off. If you plant it, they will come. The cute little (and big) wild critters. Count on it. The big-garden growers can afford to share. We small-space producers, no.
Harvest. With many root vegetables—like carrots, radishes, onions—you don't have to wait for full maturity to harvest and enjoy. And leafy vegetables like the leaf lettuces can be harvested continually as long as you don't take too many leaves from a single plant at any one time.
More Information. Please take advantage of this page of gardening resources—information, seeds, supplies.