Made in Oklahoma

It was Larry and Lane's turn to man our booth at the state fair. While they were there, a woman from the Department of Agriculture who was working the MIO (Made in Oklahoma) booth stopped by. She had heard from the Valley View Pecan Co. people to check out our "MIO" product.

She said that she liked our product and invited us to have a booth at the Department of Agriculture farmers market. It is held each Tuesday in the DOA parking lot from noon to 5:00.

By the way, I loved the MIO booth at the fair. There are some really great products that are exclusive to Oklahoma. Plus, I love how the booth was decorated. I love the old plaid thermos bottles, picnic baskets and wooden ice cream makers. It brings back good memories from my childhood.

Anyway, we had some errands to run today and decided to stop by the DOA to check on attending the farmers market next Tuesday. One thing led to another and we were able to meet with the lady that Larry met at the fair. She is over the Made in Oklahoma products at the DOA. She introduced us to the head of the Farm to School program, the head of the Ag in the Classroom program and the head of the Plasticulture farming program. We were able to spend some time with Micah, the head of the Plasticulture program and learn about how he farms. He said our product certainly qualified as plasticulture...lol. It's made of plastic. 







As we were leaving the building, Micah showed us his garden in front of the DOA building. There were impressive stands of okra, a thick row of kale, tomatoes, corn and sweet potatoes. He was even growing cotton. I couldn't help but think of the lady that bought boxes from us at the fair who wanted to grow cotton in a GAB.

We hope that through the contacts that we made today, we will some day be able to share Garden Anywhere Box with students and teachers and show them a different way to garden. We still have a dream of our Garden Anywhere Bus and traveling around to schools with our portable garden. Garden Anywhere Box-No Weeding. Self-watering. Portable. 

We plan to be at the DOA farmers market next Tuesday. Stop by and say hi. 

Health Benefits of Okra...

I wanted to share with you the health benefits of okra. Last year I learned that okra leaves are edible. You can cook with them just like other "greens" or add them to smoothies. 

Now I'd like to spotlight the benefits of eating okra. If you are not consuming this powerhouse daily, you are missing out. 

Do some research and see what you think. 

History of Okra


Your BEST method is to use fresh Okra. Frozen Okra is nearly as good and much more convenient. Fresh (or even frozen & thawed) Okra gives you ALL the benefits of the vegetable. Water soaking it isn't very effective and takes much longer for the benefits. There simply isn't enough of the Okra in the water to do much good. It will work but takes a rather long time. It's just not very efficient.


All methods or okra preparation have some benefits, but the best way, imho, would be to consume it raw in a smoothie. 

Don't let your fear of okra stop you from trying it raw in a smoothie. You can't taste it. It's not slimy or fried AND you get all of the health benefits. 

My Basic Smoothie Recipe

Almond Milk

Frozen Fruit: Banana, Strawberries, Blueberries, Pineapple, Peaches,etc.

2 cups of greens: spinach, kale, beet, okra leaves,etc.

2-3 small okra pods, tops removed

Coconut Cream Concentrate

Boku Superfood

 (optional)

Directions: Make almond milk. I included a recipe, but mine is really basic. I use 1/4 c. soaked almonds to 3 cups of water. It makes plenty of rich milk with less pulp left over. I don't add dates or vanilla, but you could. Strain into a measuring cup with a strainer. No need to use cheesecloth and squeeze.

I take the few almond pieces that are left in the strainer and add back into my blender with another cup of water. I blend again and get another cup of almond milk to use later.

Pour the amount of almond milk you want into your blender. I use three cups since I'm making smoothies for three. Add frozen fruit, greens and other additions. You can add flax seeds or other seeds if you want. I sometimes add frozen juice cubes like beet, cucumber, carrot or other juices. If I have fresh cucumbers, I'll cut up a whole one and add it to the mix.

Blend until smooth. Drink your smoothie slowly, like you are eating a meal...because you are. Think of all of the goodness concentrated into one drink and be happy that you are nourishing your body with good foods.

Btw, I don't get paid to endorse products that I recommend. These are brands that I use and like and wanted to share with you. 

Famous Faces at the Fair

You never know who you will meet at the fair...

It was so nice that Santa was able to stop by our booth this year. He is getting ready for his busy season. He does not have time to be hoe, hoe, hoeing his garden. Not a problem with Garden Anywhere Box. 

Mary Fallin, the governor of Oklahoma was in our building, saying hello and taking pictures. Larry invited her to come over to our booth. We met Governor Fallin earlier this year at a luncheon at the Governors Mansion. Brent, a friend, suggested that we submit an application to be considered for the Oklahoma Venture Forum award. We did.

We got a call from someone on the committee letting us know that we didn't win...our company was a really small business and just beginning...but, they did like our product. The fact that they even called us to let us know that we didn't win was a big deal. They poured over hundreds of applications, weeded out most, but kept coming back to ours.

We did not win, but we were invited to the luncheon. We were the only business invited to the luncheon that did not win. (Excited and humbled)

We met Governor Fallin, got to listen to and learn from Tom Love, billionaire and owner of the chain of Love's Country Stores and we were recognized for our budding new business in a room full of doctors, lawyers, scientists and other people outstanding in their fields . It was a good day.

As if meeting Santa and the governor were not enough, Larry also caught up with Derrick, the mascot of the OKC Barons hockey team. 

The Fair and Catching Up with Friends

Last year, because Garden Anywhere Box is portable, we took a 5 foot jalapeno pepper plant off of our back deck to the fair. It sat in the corner with a light shining on it to show off.  People would look at it and not believe that it was real. It started out as a six-pack of peppers and grew into a bush. 

We also met Jacob. He was in charge of our building. He would see to everyone's needs. At the end of the fair, we asked Jacob if he would like to have the pepper plant. He said yes.

We were setting up our booth for the fair on Wednesday and Jacob came up to us. (He is back for another fair). He told us that he still has the pepper plant. He brought it in over the winter. One of the pepper plants died, but the rest are going strong. He planted a tomato in the place of the pepper. He said that the tomato did great and had a slight hotness to it.   I WANT PICTURES!!! 

It has been fun to catch up with friends/customers from last year’s fair. We heard about their GAB experiences this past summer. Most experiences were good, but some had issues with Mother Nature...and other things.

We heard about harvesting LOTS of tomatoes and peppers. We heard about squash bugs and vine borers. One tomato plant got blight.One  box had an unfortunate weed-eater encounter.  Another story was about over-planting the box. That is tempting and easy to do. When you get your GAB, with the hope of having success, it is tempting to want to "plant everything" in one box, but don't. Less is more when it comes to GAB. The less you overload the box, the more room the plants will have to grow. The solution to the problem is...get more boxes.

Garden Anywhere Box IS an easier way to garden, but there may be a learning curve. Every year you will learn a bit more than the year before. GAB works! We know it. Once you realize that you can be a successful gardener and can no longer claim “brown thumb” status, it is up to you to become the best gardener that you can be.

There are not many rules about gardening, but there are a few. I wrote a blog post about this earlier.

Learn about gardening. Read books. Educate yourself. Learn what to plant when for your zone and for the season. Learn about companion planting. GAB is the means to becoming a successful gardener, but the journey does not end there. It is only the beginning. 

Green Smoothies and Wild Edibles

Almost every morning I make green smoothies for breakfast. The pink color in the smoothie is from frozen beet cubes. I like to juice some veggies, preserve the juice in ice cube trays and add Juice cubes to my smoothies. Last year, I froze cucumbers, beets and carrots. I still have a few small freezer bags left to enjoy.

I usually add a handful of spinach, Romaine, kale or whatever greens I happen to have. I also add a couple of scoops of Boku Super Food. I really like Boku. I've used it off and on for years. It's full of green goodness. Another good thing to add to smoothies is wild edibles. These are "weeds" from your yard that are free for the picking. They contain valuable minerals and nutrients that your body needs.

I was out foraging for wild edibles this morning to add to our green smoothies. If you don't know the difference between a good weed and a bad weed, here is website with pictures and descriptions. Granted, it's for Oklahoma, but you will probably find some familiar weeds to your area. 

If you've never tried a green smoothie, you really should. It does not taste as bad as it sounds. I think it tastes pretty good. It might be an acquired taste, but your body will benefit from the added greens.  I add frozen fruit to mine and make my own almond milk. I also add coconut cream concentrate.  A green smoothie a day is an easy way to add greens to your diet.

I learned about green smoothies 8 years ago after reading a book called, "Raw Family" by the Boutenko family. It opened my eyes to a new way of looking at food. While I do not embrace a totally raw diet, I believe that raw food should have a high priority in our daily diet.

That is one reason why I am so passionate about Garden Anywhere Box. This way of gardening allows you to grow at least some of your own food. You can provide your own greens for green smoothies and the vegetables that your family needs to stay healthy. GAB gives you freedom. Freedom from weeds and freedom to garden without tilling the ground. With our exclusive watering system, GAB also gives you freedom of a self-watering garden. You don't over-water or under-water. GAB also uses about 70% less water than a traditional garden. If you don't have a yard, if you have poor soil, if you have limited time or energy, you can still have a garden with Garden Anywhere Box. 

Tomato Paste...A recipe and review

Tomato Paste

I posted a recipe for Tomato Paste last night on the GAB FB page. I made tomato paste this morning. I am returning to report. 


I love it! If you've been on here a while, you know that a recipe, for me, is just a suggestion. That being said...

I did not cut and chop my tomatoes. I did not use Roma tomatoes. I did not use sea salt or citric acid.  I used the tomatoes that I had on hand from the garden.

The way I fix my tomatoes is by cutting off the tops and putting the tomatoes cut side down in a jelly roll pan. I load up the pan. I usually just use my big tomatoes, but since I've had so many cherry tomatoes, I add some of those to the top. I might add a cut onion, bell pepper, herbs or figs or whatever strikes my fancy. Then I pour a little olive oil over the top. I pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and slide in the full jellyroll pan of tomatoes. 

I've learned that it can be helpful to have another jellyroll pan on the oven shelf below to catch any tomato liquid that might boil over.

Roast the tomatoes for about 20-30 minutes until they "smell" done and the tops are slightly blackened.

Take out and let cool. Blend all in a blender, juice and all.

Now you can chose what to do with your tomato sauce.  I used this batch to make tomato paste.

After I blended it, peels, seeds and all, I poured it back into the jellyroll pan and put it into the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes. That is all it took to reduce and start smelling done. Watch your tomatoes and make sure that they don't overcook.

Scrape the tomato paste away from the sides and store it. You may choose to can it, refrigerate it or freeze it for later. 



I really like this recipe. It's easy and takes up less storage space. I don't like to can, so I have a freezer full of containers of tomato sauce. It's much easier to process the sauce through to paste in the beginning.

Looking forward to lots of homemade soups and stews this fall. Use some tomato paste and cream for a delicious and easy homemade tomato soup. 

Starting a Business

Something has been weighing on my mind. I wanted to put some thoughts down about how Garden Anywhere Box came to be and our ups and downs along the way.

We didn't plan to start a business. It just happened. One thing led to another and here we are.

It all started because I got tired of all the weeding and heat associated with a summer garden. I had heard about Earthbox and decided to give that a try. We had success our first year. Yay! Larry decided to try to build his own boxes. He found plans on the internet, modified them a bit each year for three years, until he felt that the design was just right and would hold up to years of gardening.

The problem was that I was watering over 20 boxes by hand each day. Larry was working in Chicago doing telecom work. I was watering the garden...

I asked him if there was an easier way to do this besides dragging the hose around to all of the boxes every day in the heat of the summer. He thought about it and decided to see what he could come up with. He tried various ideas with little to no success. One day he hit upon an idea. Now he just had to figure out how to do it. Through trial and error he came up with what we now call Garden Anywhere Box with its exclusive watering system. Our watering system is what makes us different than any other container garden out there. This is when we decided to make this a business. We felt that if we liked to garden this way, others might, too.

Starting a Business

We launched our business at the Home and Garden Show in January, 2012. We didn't even

have a product to sell. We reserved a booth, made some fliers and handed them out like crazy. We did have a prototype that we demonstrated, but that was it. We didn't come to sell. We didn't even know if there would be any interest. We discovered that there was some interest...enough to pursue this as a business.

The problem arose when we could not get the parts that we needed to make our boxes. We had several companies that we were buying from. We could not always get our parts in a timely manner. We dared not advertise for fear that we could not fill orders.

Larry was in Midland at the time...doing telecom. He talked to a nursery owner about carrying Garden Anywhere Box at her store. She was hesitant, but when she sold a set while Larry was standing there explaining how they worked, she decided to give it a try. She order three 3 Box Systems. They sold. She ordered three more. They sold. She ordered 100. OMGoodness!

Larry went to the local hardware store to order some parts that he would need for the boxes. We had parts at home in Oklahoma, but he was trying to build boxes in Midland, TX with only a few supplies there.

He ordered the parts he was missing. He needed 200 of a certain part to do the boxes. He went to the store a few days later to get his order and they had eight parts. EIGHT! He stressed that he really needed 200. He bought what they had and went back a few days later.  Eight more parts...Seriously!  Again, he stressed that he was trying to start a business and needed 200 of the certain part. He went back a few days later and there were 12 parts. No kidding. He realized that he could not deliver what was ordered. He did continue to make GABs for individuals. There are a few GABs sprinkled around Midland to this day, but he's

Martha's garden in Midlandn

not been back to the nursery.

That was the first year. Lots of frustration getting the parts that we needed. We could not understand why companies would/could not work with us. We were paying them MONEY. That seemed like a good deal. We pay you money. You get us the parts we need. We make money selling our boxes and you make money selling us the parts. Makes sense, right?

It did not seem to work that way. We spent the first year of business making and selling a few boxes along the way as we could get parts. In the meantime, we talked with the manager at our neighborhood True Value hardware store. He was more than happy to work with us. (Hallelujah!) The only thing he could not get was the boxes. We still had to go to a larger hardware store for that.

Again, we paid money to have a big order of boxes delivered to the store. It was supposed to come in two weeks. We were told that if we paid in advance, our order would come directly to the store. It did not come in two weeks.  We waited and waited for our order. We finally got about 1/3 of our order and learned that the rest of OUR order had been drop-shipped to other stores in the chain along the way. Seriously? So, we waited. What else could we do? We did finally get our whole order, but discovered that we would need to order a few boxes at a time, all the time, to ensure that we would have boxes.

The Cruel Truth
As with any business,  the first year was one of learning. Boy, did we learn and we're still learning.

The next year, 2013, we went to the Home and Garden Show in January with product, prepared to sell, and we did. We did the second home show in March and sold boxes there,

Our five foot pepper plant at the
fair last year.

too.  We decided to get a booth at the fair. That was fun. We were interviewed by a local television station and won "Most Unique Product" at the fair. Things were looking up.

But, then...in January of this year, Larry started losing his eyesight to macular degeneration. His job in the telecommunications business had to come to a halt. He could no longer see to drive or see the normal print on the computer to do his job. We went from testing the waters of a small business and having that extra cushion of income to grow our business to being cast into the deep end treading water with only the income from selling boxes to sustain us and buy more supplies.

It has been a scary time for us at Garden Anywhere Box. We believe in our product. We know that it works. We know that people can be successful gardeners with GAB. We just need to get the word out and encourage people to help support this small business. You will get a great product and we will be able to support our family.

So, there you have it. This is our story so far. We are trying to figure out how to grow our business and buy supplies with very little income right now. I'm sure this is no different than other small businesses, but it's new to us. We believe that there are big things in store for Garden Anywhere Box. We continue to look for investors who can see our vision. We hope that through our trials, we will learn more and be able to overcome the obstacles in our path. Thank you for being a part of the Garden Anywhere Box family. We appreciate you all. Stay tuned for great things ahead.

Congratulations! You are the Proud Owner of a Garden Anywhere Box. Now what...?

Congratulations and thank you for purchasing a 
Garden Anywhere Box. This is your first step to an easier way to garden.  No weeding. Automatic watering. Portable. 

 If you have had trouble gardening in the past, this is also your first step to becoming a successful gardener. You will not be able to claim brown thumbs for very much longer.

First, you should read the instructions that come with your GAB.

Next, get your 2 cubic feet of potting mix to fill your box. Potting soil will not do. Be sure and get potting mix.

Be sure and pack the potting mix into the wicking chambers. Add a bit of water to wet and then continue to fill the box. Water every couple of inches until you reach about two inches from the top. Add dolomite and fill the GAB the rest of the way. Add the strip of fertilizer, the plastic and the ring to hold it in place and you are ready to plant.

Once you are ready to plant, it is up to you and the season to determine what you want to plant. We have a suggested planting guide on our website. These are just suggestions. Feel free to experiment with your GAB. It is tempting to over-plant your box. We have done that. Sometimes it works great and other times, it's too much. We have found that two tomato plants to a box is plenty plus an herb or two in the front of the box. You could also plant a tomato, pepper, cilantro and a few onions for a salsa garden. We recommend getting our 3 box Starter Kit which comes with three boxes and our exclusive watering system. Once you realize that you can be a successful gardener, one box is never  enough. :)

Seeds or plants work just fine, but some small seeds like tomatoes, should be started indoors to allow them to get a bit bigger and hardier before putting them outside to grow.

When buying plants...or seeds...look for the best quality. Your GAB is designed to work. You should be successful, but part of that depends on the quality of your seeds or plants. We've had great luck with Bonnie plants and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. 

Once your box is planted, be sure to water from the top for a few days to allow time for the water to wick up from below. It should not take long, but to be on the safe side, check your plants from the top. When you see that they are getting water, you should be fine. Just remember to check the water level by filling the white watering tube. When the reservoir is full, water will come out the drain hole on the side.

If the weather is cool, your plants won't need as much water. You should only have to water every few days. If it is hot and you have big, thirsty plants, you will need to check your boxes daily. If, however, you have our GAB watering system, you won't have to worry about watering again. :)

One of the great things about Garden Anywhere Box, besides the "no weeding" part, is water conservation. GAB uses up to 70% less water than a traditional garden. The plastic not only keeps the weeds out, it keeps the moisture in. The plants take just the amount of water that they need through their roots. No more over-watering from the top. No more watering the weeds because there aren't any. GAB is perfect for places who are suffering from drought conditions, but it's just a good idea to conserve water anyway. Why water what you don't want watered?


Like I said, getting a Garden Anywhere Box is the first step to becoming a successful gardener. The next step is to educate yourself.  Read my blog post about Garden Anywhere Box Rules. There are not many rules, but there are a few. Read books about gardening. Learn about companion planting. Learn about when to plant what. Learn about bees and how to attract them to your garden. If you do not see bees, your plants will not be pollinated. Learn about Mason bees and how to attract them to your garden.





Learn about pest control. Yes, there will always be bugs in the garden, but you can learn what to plant together or what sprays work to deter the bugs. Pour over seed catalogs in the winter and dream about spring. Read my blog posts and follow GAB on FB to get the latest recipes, gardening tips and harvest pics. 







If you have a greenhouse or a place indoors with warmth and light, you can garden year round. Because the boxes are portable, you can bring your garden inside for the winter and keep gardening. I believe that you should consider buying or making a greenhouse. Even a small greenhouse will be able to fit three GAB's and allow you to garden year round.  

Our first greenhouse got blown away in a tornado. We built a hoop house, but it was no match for the Oklahoma winds. Again, we built another hoop house on the existing floor, but...WIND. 

We are going to try again this fall. Something different. Stay tuned for pictures. 





Above and to the left is a picture of our first greenhouse. I loved it. There was a place for everything. The next picture is a part of our greenhouse after the 2010 tornado. Part of it ended up in the front yard and one piece javelined  into the side of our house. 

The picture to the right is our (third attempt) little hoop house. We want to build something a bit sturdier and attach it to the house. We hope that this will give it protection from the wind. If at first you don't succeed...or live in Oklahoma...try, try again.

This is our current greenhouse. It is attached to the house. This helps to shield it from the strong Oklahoma wind. Larry built it out of pvc pipe and plastic.  It's not fancy, but it's functional.

After several attempts at having a greenhouse, my advice is to build one that attaches to your home.  I love being able to walk right out my laundry room door and into my greenhouse in the middle of winter.

I would also advise not to build a huge greenhouse that you will have trouble heating.  We heat our greenhouse with a gas heater. Before we had that, we used a propane heater. In my opinion, unless you are trying to grow tomatoes and peppers all year round, you do not need to keep your greenhouse hot. You will need to keep it above freezing, but most of the cool weather crops like it cold.

I discovered a device called a Thermo Cube on Amazon. This is an outlet that plugs into your electrical socket. You plug your heater into the Thermo Cube and it regulates the temperature. It allows your heater to come on when the temperature reaches 35 degrees and shuts off automatically when the temperature reaches 45 degrees. This keeps things from freezing, but does not use heat unnecessarily.


So, this is my basic advice for successful gardening in a GAB. If you have any questions or something is just not thriving, don't hesitate to contact me either by phone, email or FB. We are a family-owned  and operated company. We care about your success. If there is a problem, we want to know so that, together, we can fix it. Garden Anywhere Box is committed to helping you discover an easier...and successful way to garden.