Grow Box - Sub-irrigated planter (SIP) by Garden Patch

Sub-irrigated planter (SIP) is a generic name for a planting box used in container gardening and commercial landscaping. A SIP is any method of watering plants where the water is introduced from the bottom, allowing the water to soak upwards to the plant through capillary action. SIP's are available as products, under brand names such as EarthBox, Grow Box, Earthainer, or as do-it-yourself projects made from plastic buckets and boxes.

The Grow Box (http://www.agardenpatch.com) "automatically" adds the right amount of water and fertilizer so you never have to guess. Add potting mix, fertilizer, water and sunshine.

The main comparison is between the original EarthBox, Grow Box that copies the system with added reservoir at the front, and DIY SIP (2 5-gallon buckets or 2 storage containers).





Earthbox drips water. There is no such problem with the Growbox. Unfortunately, the Grow Box reservoir is also a breeding area for mosquitos. The Grow Box manufactures sells "Mosquito Dunks" from their website.

Both require potting mixes. EarthBox offers dolomite with the box while GrowBox does not. Azomite is an alternative available from Amazon:



Blake Whisenant, Inventor of the Earthbox, demonstrates how it works:



Earth Box Set up - HerringtonCatalog video:



Getting Started with your Grow Box - WPHF video:



Here is a helpful video: Grow an Organic Vegetable Garden with John's Favorite Products:





5-gallon bucket at Home Depot.

References:

5 Self-Watering Planters Make Vegetable Gardening Easy : TreeHugger - http://goo.gl/Cn4to

Let’s Make 2-Liter SIPs! http://goo.gl/ZSFgs and http://goo.gl/zbZr1

The Grow Box is Great For Vegetables - About.com http://goo.gl/4ALtj

7 Tips for Growing Vegetables in Grow Boxes - About.com http://goo.gl/ZhzW3

The Garden Patch Grow Box - MrBrownThumb http://goo.gl/SUfsR

Tips for Growing Your Own Food - ABC News http://goo.gl/b8P6N

Earthbox Experiment - a set on Flickr http://goo.gl/lh4i4

Earth Box Garden - Clearwater Florida - YouTube: http://goo.gl/Fx5ri and http://goo.gl/JqKWm

Sub-irrigated planter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - http://goo.gl/enL2b

A Closer Look at How The GrowBox Works http://goo.gl/CQHOo

Does The GrowBox Container Garden System Work? http://goo.gl/fM2Dr