Terra Cotta The Grow Box (RZ.GB270E24)

We used several of these for the first time this summer. We followed all the directions, which were really simple, but had mixed results. The squash and cucumber vines were gorgeous but only produced a little fruit. The okra was wonderful and we got okra until nearly the first frost. The tomatoes did well but we ended up moving some to other containers because we found that you couldn't really grow as many plants in each container as they suggested. We will use them again next summer and may even buy more because the size is perfect for our deck. However, we will probably not use the fertilizer strips that come with them to see if that was the cause of beautiful foliage but little fruit.

I have two makes of this type of self-watering planter--this and one from a well-known catalog company--and tested them both for the first time last summer with tomatoes, peppers, and a few other veggies at my rather shady and foggy house in Northern California. I also do square-foot and in-ground gardening.Being cheap, I bought several of this Grow Box in their package deal, and wasn't expecting much, given their flashy (cheese) advertising and cheap price. However, gotta say I liked it better than the pricier catalog one. I appreciate the outer opening for the water refills--this design is fast and easy to fill up and overflows when you overwater (preventing soggy soils.)For some of the boxes, I used the enclosed fertilizer strip and plastic cover. For some, I went kind of organic and mixed up compost and peat and perlite like in "Incredible Vegetables from Self-Watering Containers". Both had good results, but the fertilizer strip of theirs was better. I've learned more since last year about the need to feed veggies during the growing season, but the strip took care of that ignorance, and I had my first big crop of hot and bell peppers after years of failure. (They need water and heat, both hard to come by in a Bay Area summer, but more available in these self-watering containers.)I logged on here and was surprised to see so few reviews for this off-brand version, and thought I'd put in my thumbs up for anyone curious to give it a try. It was affordable and effective and I've just starting planting them up again for 2010.Out of curiosity, last week I picked up an Earth Box to compare. But only because I was curious, not because I was dissatisfied with my current planters.Happy gardening!(2011 Update: FYI, I did add the BT mosquito dunks to the watering basin. I had them on hand for a basketball hoop base, and this seemed to prevent any problems...though mosquitos are not a serious pest in my dry-summer area.)

Unfortunately, these are no good. I am not sure why as the reviews seemed so high for these. We followed instructions exactly, and make sure to keep the base full of water every 2-3 days. We planted one tomato plant and one eggplant in one container, and to date, we had no fruit from these... they all rotted out or would not grow or ripen. This pot also kept falling over with the weight of the tomato plant even when we put stakes in, and we had to tie strings all right to keep it upright. The other pot we planted one other kind of eggplant and 4 peppers. To date, we only got about 2 small eggplants from this pot and about 3 peppers... the rest rotted out. Very disappointing.

grow box is alright, but my vegetable is not growing to its full capacity.

Not sure what happened, but the bush beans and pole beans I planted in these Growboxes look terrible. Maybe too much fertilizer? I planted and placed the fertilizer strip per instructions but my plants look burnt..even the marigolds I planted beside the beans are shriveling up.

I am very pleased with the grow box. My two tomato plants are growing like crazy! Next year I will add more grow boxes. My one complaint is I had to assemble it. Really, that was a job for my super husband.I would recommend the grow box to everyone. Saves on watering issues too.

So much easier than having to water something every day. They're great quality, easy to assemble, ad grow great plans. Every year after I got my first, I have gotten another one or two. I have had great luck with both tomatoes and eggplants, as well as a few other plants. You WILL want to check them frequently when plants are big AND you're in a hot climate; the plants can soak up an incredible amount of water. You'll also want to use some of these occasionally: Summit 20-Pack Mosquito DunkAlso had great luck using this in them: Miracle-Gro Potting Mix, 2-Cubic Feet (currently ships to select Northeastern & Midwestern states)

An absolute Waste of Money and Time!. I carefully followed directions. Kept it fully watered, in direct sunlight and anxiously waited for results. After 3 months of religiously keeping an eye on it, (shaking, watering, nurturing and following the enclosed instructions, " NOT ONE TOMATO"! I'm very disappointed. Of course the window for return is closed. Even though it takes 3 months for a tomato plant to grow. Don't rely on the Garden Patch Grow Box to do what it says, because it doesn't.