Begginer; Just a couple questions about pot gardening.

14 years ago

I'm a first timer. I live in zone 8 (Southern California in Los Angeles County). Where i live it gets very windy, i don't know if that will affect my planting. I am planning to plant in pots but there are some things i still need to know. I planted some tomato (3 kinds), green onion and basil seeds, i have seedlings that are about 3-4in already, their true leaves are growing in nice. I will transplant those.

My questions is, when i go to the store, since i will be putting them in pots, what soil should i buy to use? Potting soil? Do i need to mix it with another kind of soil or some compost? I have a Vegetable & Veggie soil right now. As for fertilizer, what would be best to buy for what I'm planning to plant?

My 2010 Growing List:

1- Tomato

2- Cilantro

3- Carrots

4- Bell Peppers (a mix of hybrids)

5- Yellow Hot Peppers

6- Green Onion

7- Strawberries

My strawberries are going to come bare root (25 plants), i wanted to know how big of a pot i should use and how many i can plant in that pot. As for the carrots, i will plant those in the ground.

Thanks in advance to any helpful answers. I'm a beginner so i know i will ask a lot of questions, do a lot of research and learn from experience, but I'm exited!

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Comments (3)

meyermike_1micha
14 years ago
Hum,

It really is a matter of personal choice..Usually anything will grow in just about any type of soil mix if it is just for a couple of months..But then you have to decide how long you want your soil mix to hold up, and how will it affect your plants, and your growing area.

For me, no matter where I lived and what I plant, and for how long,I would still use the 5.1.1 mix and use Foliage Pro....

I like to get the best growth out of all my plants, even if they are growing for one season..Big roots, massive growth, large yields, and very happy plants..

That is my idea..

But if you decide to go another route, I can't believe that I am saying this, I would buy some bagged soilless mix,and depending on how long you want your mix to hold up, add perlite or some other sort of ingredient to make your mix drain well. I use to use everything from cow manure, to fish, and compost in my containers for vegetables, with tons of perlite, and they seemed to grow ok, that is the ones that out grew their pots and died before the first frost. You can pretty much use any type soil, depending on what results you want..
My father shovels dirt out of the ground and uses this..He gets about a month or two out of his plants, and they are pretty much stunted compared to mine, always turning yellow before summers end,with less yield..

So, I would decide just how vibrant and healthy do you want them to be..I would question just how much yield do I want? How long do I want them to stay wet? Do I want healthy roots that breathe to create huge plants? How long do I want to soil to hold up in structure?

From there, you will pretty much decide what will be best for you. You might get a hundred different recipes and mixes suggested, which will only confuse you.

So ask yourself what is expected from your plants, and realize the best thing you can do for them is to provide a good porous, well draining soilless mix, that will hold up over time. A mix that will not compact around the roots, and that will stay evenly moist while allowing the roots to take up the nutrients needed with no problems because of the good gas exchange you will want your mix to provide, every time you water..

The 5.1.1 mix does all that and more,while the Foliage Pro provides all the nutrients that plants need, that most fertilizers do not..

Good luck

Mike..:-)
adamark
14 years ago
Where do you buy all those ferilizers, mixes, etc whatever you need for your containers - regular stores? HD, Lowes, etc?
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meyermike_1micha
14 years ago
I had to do a thorough search of my area to come up with the ingredients..

My potting mix is a "farfard nursery mix" which I get at a local supplier, which is 80% bark..I sift out all the peat, making two piles..Bark on the right, and peat on the left. Then I scoop 5 parts part and just one part peat. Then I throw in one part perlite..

Many buy bags of seperate bark fines, perlite, and peat,then make it from scratch, adding a bit of lime..Many here buy from all over. I have heard of some getting all the ingredients at HD..

I get my fertilizer at "Worms Way" which is only a 40 minute drive..I had to mail order it until I found out that they sold this product from "Dyna gro"..

There should be many more idea's here on these particular forums..Good luck with your choice..

Mike..:-)

Begginer; Just a couple questions about pot gardening.

Comments (3)

meyermike_1micha

adamark

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