See What We’ve Learned with This Year’s Harvest!

We interviewed our resident garden expert, Craig Harmer, to get his take on some of the new and exciting discoveries made at the research farm in 2014.

Gardens Alive: How did this year’s yields and testing compare to previous years?

Craig Harmer: The Grow Tubs produced amazing quantities of vegetables right from the get-go. In my research, I am looking for plants that work well in the Grow Tubs and in containers. Those that are offered in 2015 met all my expectations: dwarfing plant size, ability to grow in containers, pest free, yield equal to what we would find in a regular garden and large, regular-size fruits and vegetables.

GA: What was one of the most impressive things you discovered?

CH: The results from the square foot seed mats used in both Grow Tubs and the Grow Tub Raised Beds were outstanding. The mats make it even easier to get great yields of your favorite vegetables. More and more will be added each year, and we have found a way to offer organic variety seed mats this year [2015].

GA: What new container items will be available for Spring 2015?

CH: Container Nutramato™ Starburst, a new Grow Tub Irrigation Kit and new 1-pound sizes of our exclusive fertilizers including Vegetables Alive! and Root Crops Alive!—perfect for use in our Grow Tubs and for container gardening.

GA: What was the most surprising thing you learned this growing season?

CH: The continued premise that growing all root crops in Grow Tubs is easier and more successful than growing in a regular garden. Voles are a great example of this, as seen on the blog.

GA: What kind of results should home gardeners expect? Is there anything special they need to do to be successful?

CH: Grow Tub gardening is so easy, they should expect the exact same results I get. To be successful, all they have to do is keep the tubs and plants watered and fertilized. That’s it.