Unleash Your Child's Green Thumb With Grow Box Gardening

The Emsco Group self-watering box measures 20 x 24 inches and doesn't say how tall.  Mine are nine inches tall - the pot only.   Set the pots on a surface that can get wet.  A deck or patio is perfect.  Wheels on the box make moving it easy. 

When assembling the box, a tube is put into one of the corners before the soil is added.  This directs water down to the bottom of the box where roots will pull the water up.  This is all well and good if you have plants with roots long enough to reach the wet soil.  When beginning with seeds, you will have to water from the top.

There are drains on two sides of the box for any water overflow.  If you never see water coming out of the sides, even though you are watering a lot, it could mean that the water reservoir is filled with dirt.  Over time it can filter down.  If this happens roots will become soggy and plants may die.

This small raised bed box is just the right size.  It is large enough to grow a small crop, yet not overwhelming.  Place it somewhere it can be accessed from all sides.  Make the vegetables easy to plant and harvest, even for very young people.

Before you plant and grow, get the little ones involved in setting up the box (it's easy) and adding the soil.  They need to see the whole process to appreciate the outcome.  The more they take part in the time and energy it takes to grow food, the more they will appreciate the food.

Setting up this grow box is super simple.  Take it out of the box, put the mesh in the bottom and pop on the wheels.

It comes with a grate that fits into the bottom.  Also, a weed control mat is included but I have never used those.  Weeds generally do not grow up from under your plants, so there is no need for it.  If weeds grow, that is another learning experience for kids!  Teach them how to pull weeds.  But you must use the grate to give the water a place to go under the dirt.  (Without the grate the box will need holes for drainage.)

The castor type wheels can be used to drag the box around.  Most of my boxes are on the ground, and I still use the wheels although they don't roll as well on dirt and grass!

Bean plants grow fast, give you continuous beans to eat and then they are done.  When there are no more flowers, or beans, and the plants look brownish, it's time to cut them down.

That's right, do not pull them out.  If the children are old enough, give them clippers and have them cut the stalk at the dirt.  All those old bean plants can go into the compost pile (you should have one!).  If you don't have a compost pile, chop up the old bean stems and throw them around the flower bushes or vegetable garden.  The bean roots can stay in the dirt where they will decompose.  No need to wait to plant again.  Fill the grow box with a new crop if there is time left in the season.

I currently have seven of the types of grow box featured on this page.  However I no longer use the self-watering feature.  I never really used it much, as I like to water top down in my climate.  After a while the dirt and roots did clog the bottom water area.  I've had to remove the grate and then drill holes in the bottom of the boxes for drainage.  I added mulch to the bottom, and then dirt.  This actually gave me a deeper growing area.  I wrote a blog post all about it here.

Remember that I use my boxes year round.  Your use may be much less.  I now treat them as big pots on wheels.  The wheels keep the box from sitting on the ground where ants could get in.

Q. Is this box sturdy and will it last?

A. My oldest grow boxes are about 5 years old.  They are terra cotta color, and the old ones are obviously faded from the Florida sun.  They are still in use, although I have made changes to them, as mentioned in the paragraph above.

Q. How often do I need to fill the water reservoir?  

A. That depends on your location, weather, and size and needs of your crops.

Q. Can I use this indoors?

A. Not recommended as the water reservoir can overflow.

Q. How many crops will fit in this grow box?

A. It depends on the crop.  Small, shallow rooted crops, like radish, onions, carrots, chives, beans and lettuce can be more crowded together.  And they are perfect for this type of box.  Larger plants should have a root system that fits the depth.  I've grown peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant in my boxes (one plant per box), but those should be in deep pots, or in the ground.

Setting up a grow box for children to use is a great first step.  Parents are super busy these days, so keeping it simple will give youngsters the chance to do a lot on their own.

Adults who tend to large gardens, may eventually get the kids to help out there as well.  Gardening offers many teaching moments.  We must learn patience and persistence.  We deal with trial and error  in growing, watering, and harvesting.

When kids begin young, and taste the vast improvement over store bought "dead" food, it can begin a life-long love of the earth.  What a wonderful thing!