Patent Application
20170094912
NOT APPLICABLE
NOT APPLICABLE
NOT APPLICABLE
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to portable planter boxes that find application in both commercial and residential environments. The planter boxes of the present invention may contain virtually any vegetable matter that is grown in soil, and is particularly adapted for raising vegetables and fruits, such as strawberries, broccoli, carrots, and the like. More particularly, a planter box may be comprised of collapsible wall portions to make the device more easily transported and/or stored
2. Description of the Related Art
Planter boxes that are collapsible and which contain internal watering apparatus have been described in the prior art, however there has heretofore not been described a planter box having the unique attributes of the planter box described and claimed herein. The prior art must be viewed in light of the specific features of the present invention described and claimed herein, to wit: portability, collapsibility, elevated off the ground, with built-in heat retention/bird-bug repellant, and internally hydrated.
Planter boxes have been used in residential environments for years, but have found little or no application in the growing of crops on a commercial scale. The reason for this is that crops are typically grown on very large scale, requiring the use of large tractors and harvesters on large tracts of land, often times with the added requirement that the land be certified organic. With changing food consumption habits, consumers are increasing demanding premium fruits and vegetables that are grown in warm weather climes for winter harvest. Such crop land has increased to prices that exceed the means of all but the richest and largest growers. For example, farm land in and around Yuma, Ariz. routinely sells for $30-40,000 per acre. In the prime warm weather winter growing areas for vegetables and fruit, after the summer heat has dissipated farmers can typically harvest their crop 4-5 times before it becomes too warm again in the late spring/early summer. The land then lies fallow or is planted to less-productive crops.
The planter boxes described herein can be utilized in a small plot commercial environment without the necessity of incredibly expensive land; the planter boxes can be positioned on inexpensive unproductive land of any sort. Additionally, when the prime growing season has passed, the planter boxes can be stacked and transported with soil and plants intact to a cooler clime where the plants remain productive. When growing high value crops such as strawberries, an additional 2-3 harvest cycles greatly increases the economics of small-plot farming. While not required, means may be provided so that when stacked upon one another the planter boxes are frictionally secured one to another.
Separate and apart from the commercial application of the planter box of the present invention, it finds particular application in a residential environment. Many homeowners find it impractical or inconvenient to till a garden in situ; many homeowners don't have the land to do so, and others don't want to, or can't, exert the physical effort to till a garden. The present invention is ideally suited to such environments, as it permits homeowners or farm labor to till relatively small plots without the necessity of stooping over to plant, weed, water and harvest a crop.
In a first embodiment, the planter box of the present invention comprises a stackable box having a bottom and at least 3 side walls, preferably 4, arranged in a square or rectangular orientation. The planter box may be provided with at least three, and preferably 4, removable legs to elevate the box off the ground. At least one of the side walls is provided with a fitting to receive a drip watering system; in a preferred embodiment at least two of the side walls are provided with such fittings to enable the planter box to be positioned adjacent another planter box and the watering systems engaged in series. A mechanism may be provided to secure multiple planter boxes adjacent one another. The bottom of the planter box may be provided with a drain in order to remove excess water pooling in the bottom of the box.
While it may not be preferable in a commercial environment, in a residential environment the planter box may be provided with side walls that either hinge so that they can be laid upon the bottom to reduce the storage size, or alternatively, provided with alternative means for removal and reassembly. An example of such alternative may be walls that slidably attach to one another and to the bottom, as with male-female slidably engaging members.
In either the commercial or residential environment, removable legs are preferable for storage or shipment of the boxes. In a commercial environment, the boxes with soil and plants in place may be stacked and shipped, with the legs removed, to another growing location.
In almost any location there are periods when it is too cool for effective growing of crops. In such cases, providing a “hot box” for early planting of crops extends the growing season and therefore crop yield and profitability. Providing side walls with means to receive support members and flexible cover members to cover the crops will provide a heat trap in cool periods and provide protection against pests and birds when crops are ripe and ready to harvest.
As illustrated in
In order to more easily package, ship and store the planter box of the present invention, the box is preferably capable of being collapsed and/or disassembled. In one embodiment illustrated in
Growing seasons in most locales are restricted at the early and late portions of the growing season; this season can be extended if plants are provided shelter from ambient coot air. In
In order to make the planter box relatively portable, the legs 34 of the invention may be provided with casters 98 which may be removably affixed to the leg or permanently affixed to the legs.
Multiple planter boxes of the present invention may be adapted to be removably affixed adjacent to one another, either side-by-side or end-to-end. In this manner the planter boxes may be secured and made available for larger scale and more efficient production of foodstuffs.
The descriptions and drawings of the present invention are presented herein for purposes of illustration only. There are undoubtedly numerous minor modifications that could be made to the invention disclosed herein that will be within the scope of the invention. The specific metes and bounds of the invention should be deemed to be delineated solely by the scope of the Claims appended hereto.
