The mix is likely going to be fine. I wouldn't advise reusing it. Peat based mixes break down quickly and are only intended for a short season of annual flowers or veggies, nothing longer term.

I understand you feel a bit intimidated by making your own, but you have this season to use what you have and then taking the late fall/winter to learn more and gain confidence. I used to not make my own mix because I was intimidated by the idea.

I can tell you that these days I am not intimidated at all by the idea, in facts it's really easy and I couldn't imagine having to use store bought again. It just wouldn't feel right.

I garden in 3'x1' containers on wheels (from Gardeners Supply). I filled them years ago with regular Miracle-Gro potting soil amended with organics (Bone Meal, Greensand, Epsom Salts, Sul-Po-Mag, and Blood-Meal). They work great. Never had a problem with drainage -- the soil stays uniformly moist, not damp. I renew the organics every year. I have been reusing the potting soil for nearly a decade (I top it off with a little new potting soil when necessary). The only difference between regular Miracle-Gro and Organic Miracle-Gro is the starter fertilizer they put in (chemical versus their ground-up poultry and feathermeal-based stuff).

That one person relates he has figured out a way to make a particular practice work to his satisfaction is not a clear indication it will work to the satisfaction of others, or that it is even a good idea at all.

There are many reasons to limit the use of the same soil to a single season, or two if you need to stretch the useful life of a more durable, bark-based soil. There is no way to deny that particle size gets continually smaller in a soil that is pressed into years of service. As particle size gets tinier, water retention increases. You cannot amend a soupy soil with larger particles of fresh material and claim it drains well and stays evenly moist. Science just doesn't work that way. E.g., how much perlite would you need to add to pudding to make it well-aerated and free-draining?

As far as the bone meal, green sand, E-salts, Sul-Po-Mag. and blood meal goes: the bone meal remains largely (almost totally) unavailable in plantings used for a year or two, blood meal is very fast to give up it's N and is very volatile, losing more N to the atmosphere than plants use and releasing too much ammonia to be safely used at soil temps below 55*. The Sul-Po-Mag and and Epsom salts both contain Mg and S, so the only advantage from the Sul-Po-Mag is in the fact that it supplies K. It is already very high in S, so the inclusion of it in a program with E-salts (Mg + S) is almost completely redundant & unnecessary. It would make much better sense to add a half cup of potash/cu ft of soil for the extra K than to unnecessarily raise EC and TDS with unnecessary S and Mg to get a little K. Alternately, why not just use ProTeKt 0-0-3.

Or, you could skip all the extra steps & simply use a good fertilizer like Peter's Professional 24-8-16, MG 24-8-16 or 12-4-8, or another very good fertilizer that contains ALL the macros, secondary macros, AND micros in the right ratio, Foliage-Pro 9-3-6.

Al

Rob, Earthbox folks at their farm are on their 7th year using the same mix, planted twice each year for a total of 14 crops. I don't know if there is a reduction in yield or any of the particulars. But many people can't change out the mix every year for each box at $14 a pop.

ok, you planted everything using MG Garden SOIL (not mix), correct? The bag with the two tomatoes on it which says "not for use in containers"? If that's what you mean, I did the same thing (well someone else decided this on my behalf). I used this (the MG organic veg garden SOIL) in raised beds, but I also added composted manure and pine bark mulch (I just felt it was going to be too dense and had not yet read the bag where it said not to use in containers...only use for in-ground planting). So I think my issue may be less significant due to the amendments.

Unfortunately, I can't answer your question about what to do now. I also have a lack of direct sun problem. I AM having problems (some, but not very robust growth), but I don't know whether it's due to the growing medium/lack of direct sun/both or some other random reason. (I personally think it's due to both lack of direct sun.)

Is it too late (are the plants already established for awhile) to amend by adding in some soil conditioner (shredded/composted pine bark pieces), perlite, vermiculite, etc.) or something else to make the soil more aerated? When did you plant everything?

Good luck, I understand how you feel!!!

I just did something similar.

I am a first time container gardener and had a difficult time finding dirt / potting mix. I went to the Home Depot and the MG organic was recommended to me. Since I had read the back and seen it wasn't for container gardening, I mixed it at a ratio of 1:4 with some basic soil.

My question is, why is it not for container gardening?
Is it because of the texture?
Or is there something toxic about it (maybe that needs to dissipate?)

I try to be very careful about my food and don't want to grow my vegetables with unsafe levels of something. Can anyone explain the science or reasoning behind this labeling?

It's not suitable for containers because it contains a high % of fine particles that compact to the point where they cause soil to retain much to much water and far too little air.

What soils are made from isn't important in container culture, as long as they hold air and water in a favorable ratio, remain structurally sound for the life of the planting, and aren't toxic to plants. It's also considered a + if they can hold on to nutrients for more than a few minutes. ;o)

Al

If you used the MG Organic Potting Mix, you should be fine. Container plants, most of the time, require more frequent watering than in-ground ones anyways. Now, if you used the MG Organic Soil, you might be in trouble. =) I'd read Al's posts (and maybe have him translate some of them into English for you, lol...) if you want further advice.

Thanks to everyone who weighed in. I'll hope for the best and next year try my hand at the homemade stuffs, perhaps. Just to clarify it's potting mix I'm using, so that helps with the hope apparently. To any and all interested a link to last weekend's garden pics. . .

Jessica

Here is a link that might be useful: It's a gardenish thing that's mine!

Nice pics, Jessica! I see you've been a very busy girl. ;o)

Al