Can You Save Money with a Self-Watering Gardening Container?

When we moved from our house in Tarzana, CA (which had a flat half acre) to a house in nearby Studio City (which is in the hills and has very little flat land), I regretfully gave up gardening because there wasn't a good place to make one. But then I heard about EarthBoxes, which are plastic garden containers that have a self-watering feature.

I bought three "Ready to Grow Complete Kits" for $55 each and set them up on my deck. Besides all the components (inlcuding casters so you can roll the boxes around), they come with potting mix, a bag of organic fertilizer, and a bag of dolomite with trace elements. As the website says, all you need are plants and water. I planted peppers, basil, and sunberries (which may or may not have been a a result of Luther Burbank's experiments with plant breeding) and they are thriving in the EarthBoxes.

The self-watering feature comes in handy -- a screen separates the box, so that the bottom holds water and the top holds the potting mix. A column of potting mix leads down into the reservoir of water, and the water is drawn up through this column to the rest of the potting mix. I refill the reservoir with water every couple of days. If I forget to water, it's not a big deal, as the reservoir is fairly large. (I've tried growing vegetables in traditional containers, and you really have to water them every day, or even twice a day when the weather is hot, or you'll stress the plants.)

Does an EarthBox garden makes sense, financially? I mean, is it cheaper to buy produce from a market? After all, the boxes are pretty pricey.  Let's assume an EarthBox lasts five years. A replant kit containing fertilizer, dolomite, and 2 covers is $15. So $55 + ($15 X 4) = $155 = $23 per box per year. (if you have multiple growing seasons, the per-season cost would be less, assuming the box would still last five years). I haven't had a harvest with my EarthBoxes yet, but it sure seems like I'll get at least $23 worth of produce out of each box, especially when you compare it to the prices at an organic farmers market.

I should also figure in the pleasure value of using the EarthBoxes. My kids and I really enjoy tending the plants together, which one major credit card company calls "priceless."

I'll post an update once I start harvesting my yield.

Mark Frauenfelder – Editor-in-chief of MAKE magazine and the founder of the popular Boing Boing weblog, Mark was an editor at Wired from 1993-1998 and is the founding editor of Wired Online.

Comments

[Florida Gardener]

If you're looking at it strictly from a financial standpoint, the Garden Patch Grow Box would be a much wiser purchase. Their planters hold more water, have better features for the home gardener and cost 25-50% less. You'll also get the same to a bigger yield. Check them out at www.aGardenPatch.com

[Gerri]

I took a gardening class with the inventor of the Earthbox here in Florida. He's in his 70s (?) and still going strong.

My parents have grown beautiful tomatoes with their Earthboxes so I hoped mine would turn my black thumb green. But you still have to water it... (oops!)

I am going to try my second round of planting soon. Wish me luck.

[Mark Frauenfelder]

Thanks for the tip about the Garden Patch Grow box -- I'm going to give them a try!

[Tomato]

I was reading your post and just wanted to see if you’ve heard of the Grow Box? I've tried it and it's actually a bit better and a whole lot less expensive! They hold about a gallon and a half more water. Check it out at http://www.agardenpatch.com
Happy Gardening!

[Lise]

I keep looking at your math and it's not adding up. $55 + ($15 x 4)= $55 + $60 = $115. You got the per-year cost ($23/year) correct, but that's $115 divided by 5, not $155 (which would be $31/year - still a bargain!).

[Robert]

Two points:

1. One of the truly valuable things you're paying for at the grocery store is the price of risk assumed by farmers. Last summer my fiance tried growing herbs. Some died early on, but most made it through the summer and the return on investment was fairly high. This summer she tried again, but for some reason all of the herbs died early on. In this case we ended up with the expense of the plants as well as the expense at the grocery stores.

2. Aside from risk, there's also labor considerations. Although I'm guessing that for you, much like my fiance, the need to care for the plants actually contributes positively to your utility since it's more of a hobby than a job. Of course there are other issues like opportunity cost for the space the gardens take up, etc. On the other hand, the herbs we grew were superior in taste and smell to what we bought at the store. Given all these non-price related difference, I think that the better economic analysis isn't to compare these planter to purchasing vegetables at the grocery store, but rather to compare them to other planters which is far less favorable for these planters.

In general, I think the real determining factor for deciding the value of DIY is whether or not the task is enjoyable. If it's fun like a hobby than view it that way and get into it without worrying about whatever marginal money you'll save. If it's not, then you're probably better paying someone else to do it since often the indirect costs will overwhelm any savings.

[Don Doumakes]

Save money compared to what? If you grow your own produce, you can get organic veggies, which aren't consistently available at the mega-mart. You can get varieties that are never available commercially, that taste superior to what gets shipped to the grocery store. And you get benefits from the activity of gardening. A pound-for-pound price comparison would be easy, but misleading.

The basil looks yummy BTW.