EarthBox Planting Kit

Nope! We recommend reusing the same growing media over and over, up to 8-10 growing seasons. The reason for this is: 1) it’s a lot easier to leave it in place, and 2) it’s better for your plants NOT changing it each year. The continual addition of dolomite each growing season allows for better concentration and readily available elements to be taken by the plant, resulting in a decreased rate of BER in tomatoes and peppers. In our company garden, we tested tomatoes using a new setup and a replant setup, and the tomatoes showed less incidence of BER in the replanted system vs. the new setup.

If your garden previously suffered from any plant diseases, such as blight, be sure to get confirmation of the disease from your local extension service by having a sample tested. Plant diseases generally cannot overwinter through extended periods of freezing temperatures. If you’re unsure what your winter temperatures will be, you can opt to discard the contents of the EarthBox^® gardening system, sanitize the container and all parts, and start fresh the following growing season.

If you feel the need to discard the contents of the system due to plant disease, do NOT compost or reuse them elsewhere in your yard. Place the contents in a double-bagged trash bin and tie the bags in a knot to seal the contents inside. To sanitize your container garden, mix 1 part of chlorine bleach with 10 parts of water and soak each affected part for 30 minutes. Rinse well and dry completely before replanting.

No. We offer this as a convenience for those who are unable to find good growing media.

Seeds are not included with the EarthBox^® Panting Kits. This gives you the freedom to grow whatever you would like. When available, we do offer a selection of seed packs.

Unfortunately not. All our Planting Kits are final sale items that cannot be returned due to their weight. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you have any questions about this, please contact our Consumer Care team.

The EarthBox^® Natural 8-3-5 Plant Food is derived from meat and bone meal, feather meal, sulfate of potash, and dolomite lime. When available, USDA-certified organic by-products may be used in the manufacturing of this fertilizer, but that is not a guarantee; nor are certified organic fertilizer components required to be used to produce organic-certifiable foods. The term “organic” can only be used to certify USDA food products, and the 8-3-5 fertilizer we offer for growing produce allows for the certification of organically-grown produce. Fertilizer in and of itself cannot be certified “organic” because it is not food, but can be used for organic food production, based on the components and materials of the fertilizer. Our 8-3-5 fertilizer previously was registered with OMRI (Organic Material Review Institute), which is an independent third-party organization that analyzes the materials and components in various agriculture products and the effect they have on the environment. Only those products that pass OMRI’s environmental standards may bear their certification label. Because this certification is extremely costly, and we have had no formula changes to the 8-3-5 fertilizer, we have declined to continue registering this product with OMRI since 2013. The food that is produced with our 8-3-5 fertilizer would still be considered organic. Organic controls (herbicides, pesticides, disease controls, etc.) follow these same guidelines.

Yes! The Mulch Cover is what protects the growing environment of the entire EarthBox^® gardening system. It helps conserve water by limiting evaporation, and it prevents heavy rains from washing away all the plants’ fertilizer and nutrients. The Mulch Cover also protects the growing media from weeds and pests. Place the cover on the system before planting and leave it on until your growing season is over and you’re ready to remove the plants and clean up the growing system.

Always use the Mulch Cover, even in very hot climates. If your local temperatures are typically over 85° F during the peak growing season, place the Mulch Cover on the system with the white side facing up. This will reflect the sun so small plants don’t become stressed from the heat.

For cooler climates where early growing season temperatures may still be too cold for some plants, place the Mulch Cover on the system with the black side facing up. This will attract the sun and warm the growing media to help small plants grow.

We no longer offer the Probiotic Planting Kit for the EarthBox gardening system, but you can purchase the necessary components from each of the suppliers directly. More information about the Probiotic Wellness Garden components can be found HERE.

The number of plants you can grow per system at one time will vary based on the type of plant and which system you are using to grow. The Plant Placement Chart indicates how many plants you need and where to place them. For first-time EarthBox^® gardeners, we don’t recommend growing more than one type of crop per system.

The Plant Placement Chart is the tried-and-true method for the very best EarthBox^® results. With nearly 30 years of success, our researchers and gardening experts have determined the ideal number and position for each type of crop.

Always follow the recommendations in the instruction manual and on the EarthBox^® Blog for best results. The age-old adage “less is more” applies to the EarthBox^® gardening system; by overcrowding the growing system, you risk crop failure due to plants competing with one another for water, fertilizer, and sunlight.

Our fertilizers and dolomite are not intended for human or animal consumption. Consult a physician if swallowed. Keep out of reach of children and pets. Children should be supervised by an adult when using these products. Below are the labels which you can click on to view larger.

We ship internationally to Canada only, which requires contacting us to get a custom shipping quote.

If you wish to order and ship outside the United States or Canada, we recommend using a freight forwarding service such as DHL. All shipments from our facility must be sent to a U.S.- or Canadian-based address.