EarthBox community garden opens in Florida

EarthBox, the sub-irrigated growing container, is going to good use at a community garden in Indian Shores, Florida.

The Indian Shores EarthBox Community Garden opened July 19 with 45 Earthbox containers. Additional EarthBoxes will be added in phases.

Because the community of Indian Shores has a high percentage of seniors, some of the EarthBoxes sit atop stands which make it possible to garden without bending over. The stands also make it easier to garden for those in wheelchairs.

“I am really happy to get this community garden built,” said Jim Lawrence, Mayor of Indian Shores. “There is a need for this type of garden. Condo residents don’t normally have the opportunity to grow vegetables.”

To participate in the community garden, residents purchase one or more of the EarthBoxes already set up in the garden by the city. The EarthBoxes in the garden sell for $69.55 each, or $112.35 each with a stand. Each EarthBox comes with potting soil, so problems associated with the local sandy soil are bypassed. Automatic watering for each EarthBox is provided by the city, and there is no additional space rental fee. Once a resident purchases an EarthBox, he or she is responsible for obtaining seeds or plants to put into the container.

Indian Shores chose to open an EarthBox garden rather than a traditional, in-ground community garden to create a “zero discharge” garden. Because EarthBoxes contain their own water reservoirs, the containers are designed to be a closed-loop system using water and fertilizer extremely efficiently. Therefore, there is no discharge of water or fertilizer into the neighboring area.