Embracing Vegetables
August 26, 2009 
Campbell Gardens prospered for 21 years in Cumming, Ga. The annual bedding plant and flower grower, which began modestly as a single greenhouse and grew to become a thriving operation with 35,000 square feet of growing space in 15 greenhouses, had enjoyed increasing sales virtually every year. Tim and Meg Campbell, the husband and wife co-owners of the company, had built an impressive wholesale business that sold most of the plants it grew to landscapers in the bustling Atlanta suburbs.
Then in 2007, the bottom dropped out of the market for annuals. Northern Georgia was in the midst of a historic drought, and Level 4 water restrictions were imposed throughout the Atlanta area, making it illegal to water annuals. “That nearly killed our business,” Meg says.
What About Veggies?
More bad news came in the form of the economic recession in 2008. Faced with an unforeseen one-two punch that could have literally knocked Campbell Gardens to the canvas, Tim and Meg Campbell had to think outside the box in order to save their business.
Except in this case, thinking outside the box meant embracing a new kind of growing container called the EarthBox.
“One day we got a pamphlet in the mail about EarthBox,” Meg says. “It was interesting, but it was aimed at retail customers so I just put it aside. I am always coming up with ideas and new things to try in our business. A couple of weeks later I said to my husband, ‘Why don’t we grow vegetables?'”
Meg Campbell remembered the EarthBox brochure and went online to do research. She contacted James “Hoss” Morgan, commercial liaison for EarthBox, and arranged to purchase 200 EarthBoxes.
What Are EarthBoxes?
An EarthBox growing container is made of industrial-strength plastic and measures about 1 foot wide, 1 foot tall and 2.5 feet long. Each EarthBox holds 2 cubic feet of potting mix and can accommodate two large plants (such as tomatoes or eggplant) or several smaller plants (such as cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, lettuce or herbs).
The genius in the EarthBox design is the water reservoir at the bottom of the container, which enables water to be wicked upward into the potting mix as the plants need it. A plastic “mulch cover” (that resembles a giant shower cap) eliminates water lost to evaporation and makes the EarthBox an efficient closed-loop growing system that uses 60 percent less water than traditional growing.
“One of the things that appealed to us was EarthBoxes could sit right on top of the gravel floors in our greenhouses,” Meg says. “We wouldn’t have to reconfigure anything.”
Two entire greenhouses were devoted to the new project. When the EarthBoxes arrived in late Spring 2008, the Campbells immediately began to fill the containers with potting mix and planted vegetables in each box. The timing of the new business venture was perfect, because–even in a busy year–summer is the slowest growing season for Campbell Gardens.
“Not only were we getting into a very different kind of business when we started growing vegetables, but we were literally creating a summer crop that we never had before,” Meg says.
Selling Them
To sell their summer crop of vegetables, the Campbells tapped into the local farmers’ market. From mid-June through the end of August, they hauled their crop of fresh tomatoes, beans, squash, lettuce, eggplants, cucumbers and other delicious veggies to the farmers’ market every Wednesday and Saturday.
The Campbell Gardens produce was an instant hit. On a typical day they arrived at 7 a.m. and were completely sold out by 10 or 10:30.
“The produce grown in EarthBoxes not only looks better, but it actually tastes better than produce grown in the ground,” Meg says. “Perhaps it’s because the plants don’t have to deal with pathogens in the ground. Whatever the reason, from the very beginning we sold everything we grew.”
In addition to the purchase of the EarthBoxes, Campbell Gardens purchased a large freezer and refrigerator for produce storage. Even with these capital expenditures, Meg says the vegetable growing business paid for itself the first year.
For 2009, the Campbells added an additional 100 EarthBoxes so they could grow more produce. This year, vegetable produce sales will account for up to 10 percent of total sales for Campbell Gardens. While Meg Campbell admits this new venture is still a relatively small part of the operation, she also says growing and selling vegetables is now the most fun and fulfilling part of the business.
Embracing More Change
Tim and Meg are also embracing other changes. Over the past few years, Campbell Gardens has gradually seen its retail business increase. The primary business of the company will continue to be growing annuals and selling them wholesale to landscapers. But the Campbells are now ready to welcome the growing number of homeowners who stop in to inquire about retail plant sales.
To increase its retail sales, Campbell Gardens contacted an EarthBox distributor so it could become a retailer of the EarthBox growing containers.
“Because we already grow the plants, we thought it would be a natural fit to sell our retail customers pre-planted EarthBoxes,” Meg says. “It’s our way of offering an instant vegetable or flower garden. Plus, we know the EarthBoxes really work. I haven’t found anything that doesn’t grow well in an EarthBox.”
She surveys the inside of Greenhouse No. 12 at Campbell Gardens, which is completely filled from wall to wall with black EarthBoxes. “We are constantly reinventing ourselves and our thinking so we can adapt our business to changing times,” she says.
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