BuildASoil Starter Kit: Earthbox Edition
New to living soil? Start here The easiest way to grow your first plant in living soil. Everything you need comes in one kit: the Earthbox planter and the living soil to fill it. No bottles to mix, no pH meters, no guesswork. You water, and the soil does the rest. The Earthbox is included, along with the soil and amendments to fill it. What is in the kit The planter and everything to fill it. One kit takes you from empty to growing, with no shelf full of bottles in sight. Included The Earthbox Self-Watering Planter The planter that makes this whole kit so forgiving. A reservoir in the base feeds water up to the roots, so you water far less often. With living soil there is one rule that matters most: let the reservoir run all the way dry before you fill it again, rather than topping it off when it gets low. That wet then dry rhythm pulls oxygen down into the soil and keeps your soil life thriving. 1 Cu Ft + 8 Qt BuildASoil Recipe 3.0 Our flagship living soil, and the same mix that earned the number one spot in an independent test of 26 bagged soils. It arrives biologically alive and fully amended, ready to plant the day it lands on your porch. You get a full one cubic foot bag plus eight quarts, right around 9 to 10 gallons, which is just what one Earthbox holds. 1 Gallon BuildAFlower Compost The living, biologically active compost layer you mound on top, built from compost, worm castings, biochar, rice bran, kelp meal, mustard seed meal, and gypsum. This is the layer your plant actually feeds from. You add about a gallon at setup and reapply as the plant grows. 3 lb Bag Craft Blend 2-4-2 Our most popular all-purpose top dress. A slow-release blend of premium dry amendments that keeps your soil fed for weeks at a time. This is the product that replaces a whole row of nutrient bottles. Why living soil, and why this is the easiest place to begin Living soil works the way the ground does in nature. A web of microbes and fungi holds the nutrients and hands them to your plant on demand, so your job gets a lot simpler. •Nothing to mix or measure The food is already in the soil. No bottles, no feeding charts, no pH pen on the counter. •Hard to overdo Living soil buffers itself, so it is very hard to overfeed or burn your plant, even on your first grow. •Gets better with age Reuse and re-amend the same soil for years. It is cheaper and far more sustainable than starting over. •Made for the Earthbox Water from below, then let the reservoir run dry before refilling. That wet and dry rhythm is exactly what living soil biology loves. Setting it up in five steps This is the BuildASoil way to run an Earthbox with living soil. The full walkthrough, including the feeding and watering details, lives in our Earthbox Setup Guide. Fill it with living soil Add all the BuildASoil 3.0 in your kit, a one cubic foot bag plus eight quarts, about 9 to 10 gallons in all. That fills the Earthbox right to the top. Transplant your plant Settle your plant or seedling into the soil first, before you top dress. Add Craft Blend on top Sprinkle a quarter cup of Craft Blend per plant across the surface around your plant, right on top. Mound on the compost Add about a gallon of BuildAFlower Compost on top of the Craft Blend, forming the living, biologically active layer your plant feeds from. It is fine to lightly work the topdress into the soil surface to help the two connect, but it is not required. Everything you put in the Earthbox is basically going into the plant's stomach, and the soil will process it, so there is no need to overthink it. Cover with the mulch cover Put the plastic mulch cover that comes with the Earthbox over the top. That is it, you are set up. The watering method (the important part) Weeks 1 to 2: water gently from the top, around the base of the plant, while the young roots establish. The reservoir comes later. After the roots establish: fill the reservoir through the corner tube, then let it run completely dry before you fill it again. Never keep it topped off. Living soil wants a wet and dry cycle, and the biology thrives on it. Read the full Earthbox Setup Guide → What to add on your end The kit handles the planter, soil, and food. Here is the short list of what to have on hand so you are ready on day one. A seed, clone, or starter plant Light, whether that is a sunny spot or a grow light Clean water for the reservoir Made by people who grow this stuff too Every batch is mixed in small runs in Montrose, Colorado, with the same ingredient and batch transparency we have stood behind for over a decade. Start here, learn the rhythm of feeding the soil instead of the plant, and you will have the foundation for everything you grow next. A look inside your Earthbox The whole system in one picture: living soil and amendments feeding from the top, with roots reaching down into a clean water reservoir below. The EarthBox, Cut Open Water sits below · roots feed on top · no guesswork Optional casters roll the planter anywhere Fill tube pour water in here Plastic mulch cap blocks light so the mulch stays moist & active 10 gal living soil BuildASoil 3.0 Recipe Overflow drain sets the water level 3 gal water reservoir roots dangle in to sip Vigorous top growth roots never run dry BuildAFlower + Craft Blend mounded across the top Feeder root zone roots dig up into the blend Soil screen holds the soil above the water Packed wicking corner tight soil wicks water up 10 gal LIVING SOIL · 1 CU FT + 8 QT 3 gal CLEAN WATER RESERVOIR 29 × 13½ × 11″ OUTSIDE DIMENSIONS BUILDASOIL Illustration not to scale