Lots of people use them, myself included. Many also make their own as the principle behind them is fairly simple. An earthbox (or gardener supply SW container) is simply a self watering container. All this means is that underneath the potting mix is a reservoir holding water. The idea is that the water wicks up into the potting mix and therefore provides a more consistent moisture level for plants for a longer period of time than the same sized container without the water reservoir. The earthbox is unique among self watering containers as it is intended to also be self fertilizing. The 'official' way to use an earthbox is to place granular fertilizer in a band or strip over the top of the potting mix and then cover the container with a waterproof cover. The water wicks up from the bottom and as the surface is moistened the nutrients in the fertilizer enter the potting mix gradually. The idea is the potting mix has a more consistent level of nutrients and moisture for plants than they would otherwise. EBs are a proven method of growing healthy plants and one reason I think they are so popular is they take the guess work out of the 2 major things people often struggle with. Do I need to water and do I need to fertilize and if so, how much. These 2 questions become a moot point with an EB. There is even an automatic top off system available for the EBs now. Mate an EB with auto top off system and you can literally set it up, plant and do nothing else until harvest time (in theory anyway). Some people prefer to have more control over watering and fertilizing and thus won't be attracted to EBs or other self waterers, but for others they are a great tool.

JBCarr, I could not agree with you more about monoculture and especially with roses. I'm learning more about gardening than about roses although they will always be my first love. They shine much more when planted amoung other plants rather than with other roses. As I change my gardening habits, I'm keeping this in mind and replacing these monocultures with different shrubs. Just my opinion on gardening, no judgment call. I'm reminded of the story of Mrs. Wilmont's Ghost. Seems Mrs. Ellen (?) Wilmont, a gardener of some repute, was asked by many to come evaluate their gardens. Her assessment was almost always, not enough contrast, not enough diversity. A few weeks after her visit, the gardener noticed a number of sea hollies (a course looking, prickly perennial) sprouting in the bare spots in their garden. Mrs. Wilmont often carried seeds of this plant in her pocket to "help with the contrast and diversity." Len511, I wish my Felicia was doing well. She is bare caned; not pretty at all. Good luck! I hope yours continues to do well. And my Felicia is prone to sending up those long canes, but is too broad to be a climber. Jeri, I suspect weather is the greatest most uncontrollable factor in any garden. We've had years with drought but this year we've had above average rainfall, except for a dry August. Now, with all the hurricanes, our weather has turned wet again. Still, there is very little mildew compared to the last two years. I think most of the roses are going through "withdrawal" from chemical dependency. Some I know will never recover. I can only wait and see. Barbara

I have used the Gardeners Supply Tomato Kits too. I had great results with tomatoes (Better Bush and Bush Goliath were winners), peppers (better than in the ground), lettuce in the winter, and carrots in the winter. I tried cucumbers (limited success), squash (no success), and pole beans on a trellis. The beans grew well but didn't produce. I have since learned that I was probably planting them way too late and it was getting too hot for them. The drawbacks are you MUST water EVERY day with NO exceptions. You must fertilize every other week to have fruit. And, it costs alot more than in-ground planting due to the cost of the pot and potting soil. Otherwise, it's easy. One year, I was still picking tomatoes at Thanksgiving.

Some notes on your herbs. Parsley is a biennial, so if you let it go through the winter, it will self seed the second year. Put it in a place you can give it some protection over the winter if you have many nights below 0*F. You will still be able to harvest it all winter. It will go to seed in mid spring the second year, and give you new seedlings in late summer or early fall. A shade cage in spring can keep the seeds in the same square without too much trouble. Sage, dill and basil are all tall herbs. Often a couple feet or more. The more you trim and harvest them the bushier and more dense they will become. I would suggest you flip them with your carrots next to the tomatoes so they don't shade out your other plants. All three are good for tomatoes as companion plants. They won't compete for surface root space too bad (not like the total root share of tomatoes and carrots, but not a big deal). But they will help to deter pests, and the dill will attract bees if you let it go to seed. If not the dill is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, and does seem to help the tomatoes in that realm. Oregano is a perennial in many areas. It is also low and spreading unless you have a hybrid bred for something else. Thyme is the same way. Both are a freaking pain to keep in a grid. If you can, those are two I would put in pots or somewhere else where they can creep all over and you don't have to hack at them constantly (harvesting leaves for use won't keep them confined, you have to cut back the new growth, which branches, etc.). Rosemary likes it dry, and can be a perennial if you bring it indoors for any temperature below freezing. I only grow my rosemary in pots because I can drown it if I put it in beds with my other herbs. A pot with both rosemary and thyme in it would do well, as the rosemary would grow up with semi-shallow roots, and the thyme would go over the edge with deep roots and keep the roots cool. Both need rather dry soil. Chamomile can naturalize and turn to a weed very quickly if you don't harvest the flowers. Plan to harvest very well when they are in bloom, or be aware of where it will drop seeds to keep it in control. BTW, chamomile and lettuce are in the same family, so you can use that as reference for companion planting. Unfortunately, aside from removing some herbs, you really shouldn't crowd these down any further than they are. If you use them and trim them regularly then they will bush out and fill that entire square foot easily.