Gardening inside the box

By ELIZABETH BETTENDORF
Published April 25, 2007

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ELLENTON - At 77, Blake Whisenant is living his dream in a town known for its outlet mall and a plantation where the Confederate secretary of state hid out at the end of the Civil War.

Whisenant's family has grown tomatoes in the area since 1901 and runs a 2,000-acre tomato, citrus and cattle ranch where Whisenant lives with his wife, Virginia.

More than a decade ago, Whisenant, who holds a business degree from the University of Florida and loves chemistry, found his true calling: the Earth Box.

The Earth Box is a 30-inch long plastic container filled with Whisenant's concoction of soil and fertilizer and blanketed with a mulch cover that keeps out rainwater.

It's watered daily through a built-in tube, a process Whisenant invented more than a decade ago.

A complete Earth Box kit sells for $47.45, not including vegetables.

Originally the Earth Box was intended just for tomatoes, Whisenant said, "but people said to me: 'That's amazing what you can grow in that little old box. Why don't you grow other things?' - so I did."

Now he grows flowers, herbs and vegetables so big many look like prehistoric specimens.

"It doesn't matter what type of soil you have, with this you can grow things on a roof or concrete.

The Home Shopping Network sold 14,000 in one day.

Elizabeth Bettendorf can be reached at ebettendorf@hotmail.com.

Fast Facts:

If you go

Whisenant Farms Earth Box Research Center is at 1023 Ellenton-Gillette Road in Ellenton.

Hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Free gardening classes are taught at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Taking a class with Blake Whisenant is a treat. To be sure he's teaching that day, call first: 941 723-2911.