sharpstick
06-03-2008, 09:34 AM
i have made two mini earthboxes from two square kitty litter buckets each.
- i cut one about 3 inches from the bottom,
- cut slits along one side of each corner. these will overlap so it
will go all the way to the bottom. i marked where the slits are cut with felt pen to make it more
visible in the picture.
- bored a hole in the corner of one bottom for the fill pipe.
- drilled a drain hole at about 2.5" from the bottom of the whole bucket, just below the level of the inside floor.
- draped a folded piece of terry cloth over two sides so it is
trapped under the water and draped over the top to wick the water up into the soil.
- shoved the short piece into the whole one with the terry cloth trapped.
- put a piece of PVC pipe in through the hole(2" is best but i used a
smaller one. the hose fits better in 2"). i cut the pipe at an angle and added a couple notches near
the bottom so the water can flow through easily. be sure to cover the
pipe with something to keep mosquitoes, lizards, etc. from getting in.
- top with soil.
- put a handful of fertilizer in a hole in the corner and cover with
a plastic cup.
- planted basil in the middle.
Picasa Web Albums - william - earthboxeshome (http://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstick2/Earthboxeshome)
(i think the guy called it spicy globe basil and said it was all the same plant, but i suspect they are just two varieties of basil.)
there are other plans for homemade earthboxes on the web.
the other one has a dwarf cavendish in it with 3 daughters already.
http://www.bananas.org/attachments/f2/669d1212489806-banana-dead-bananas-4.jpg
- i cut one about 3 inches from the bottom,
- cut slits along one side of each corner. these will overlap so it
will go all the way to the bottom. i marked where the slits are cut with felt pen to make it more
visible in the picture.
- bored a hole in the corner of one bottom for the fill pipe.
- drilled a drain hole at about 2.5" from the bottom of the whole bucket, just below the level of the inside floor.
- draped a folded piece of terry cloth over two sides so it is
trapped under the water and draped over the top to wick the water up into the soil.
- shoved the short piece into the whole one with the terry cloth trapped.
- put a piece of PVC pipe in through the hole(2" is best but i used a
smaller one. the hose fits better in 2"). i cut the pipe at an angle and added a couple notches near
the bottom so the water can flow through easily. be sure to cover the
pipe with something to keep mosquitoes, lizards, etc. from getting in.
- top with soil.
- put a handful of fertilizer in a hole in the corner and cover with
a plastic cup.
- planted basil in the middle.
Picasa Web Albums - william - earthboxeshome (http://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstick2/Earthboxeshome)
(i think the guy called it spicy globe basil and said it was all the same plant, but i suspect they are just two varieties of basil.)
there are other plans for homemade earthboxes on the web.
the other one has a dwarf cavendish in it with 3 daughters already.
http://www.bananas.org/attachments/f2/669d1212489806-banana-dead-bananas-4.jpg