My experiment was a failure. My Earth Boxes, March planting only produced tiny bulbs and large cloves. It was not worth the effort. My friend who planted his garlic in the Earth Box in the fall says all his cloves formed tiny bulbs. I think the problem is that the Earth Box is designed to keep the potting soil moist at all times and that's not what garlic needs. Even though the Earth Box folks says the boxes will grow garlic well, I don't think they know what they are talking about. For me at least, I think the only way to make the boxes garlic-friendly is by drilling drainage holes in the bottom of the box. Of course that means the water reservoir won't hold water, and that pretty well defeats the very purpose of using the Earth Box. By drilling the holes, I would simply be creating a planting tub. I think the Earth Box would do a good job for flowering plants and some vegetables like tomatoes and melons (and probably many other). I will growing something in the three I have but will have to decide whether to use them as-is or as tubs when fall comes. They should/will still do a good job growing, whether they drain or don't drain. The box will simply need more frequent watering if I make it/them drain.
