Hello Everyone I am a beginner gardener I started earlier this year from seeds. I am choosing to grow organically but had issues this year with the heat, pests and I will admit knew nothing about soil etc I made mistakes and some veggies did well considering my lack of experience and knowledge. I lost some plants due to pests, the severe heat. I did container gardening as that is what suites me at the moment with moving etc. I took a break as I recently moved but do miss planting my seeds with my son (2 year old who LOVED waking his seeds up with our lamp and watching them grow!). My question and concern is....I really really want to do things right this time around and I must admit I am educating myself heavily before proceeding. I feel I have the seed starting down for the most part, its the transplanting and continued growth that I struggle with. If someone can PLEASE break down the whole idea and concept and NEEDS when it comes to container soil? Literally in kindergarten level. From what soil should contain, where earthworm casting, compost and fertilizer come in the picture and HOW/WHEN these should be added to my base soil. Can I mix Casting, Compost with a Soil that has fertilizer as I am transplanting? Should they be separated and used at different times? My apologies for lack in knowledge I just want my plants to thrive this next time around and be able to understand better as resources explain but not enough breakdown to say OH I GET IT! Please Help Thank You :) ALSO! Is Bat Guano, Manure etc a MUST? I would like to avoid this along with anything non organic method. I Personally Love Black Gold brands of soils etc so if anyone has experience with their products listings would be wonderful :)

Looking more closely, I see possible leaf miner damage at the tip of that leaf, although I think it is more likely to just be normal environmental damage. But, my understanding is that leaf miners don't really do much damage to cucurbits, like melons, because there are other insects that keep them under control. In fact, it appears that using harsh chemicals like Sevin kills off the good insects and makes it more likely that leaf miners will get out of control. Here's a quote from an extension service discussion about leaf miners: Because of numerous parasites, leafminers are generally not serious pests, but can be sporadic in their attacks. The destruction of beneficials by frequent applications of organophosphates, carbamates, and pyrethroids applied to control other pests can result in leafminer outbreaks. Of the numerous parasites that attack the leafminer in California, the most abundant is the parasitic eulophid wasp, Solenotus intermedius, but Diglyphus spp. and Chrysocharis spp. are probably the most important for controlling leafminers. Here is a link that might be useful: Management guidelines for leaf miners on cucurbits

It's unlikely the test kits were even reasonably accurate, so I wouldn't assume you have a high P potting mix. Even if it were, it would be temporary as potting mixes just don't hold onto nutrients very long. In other words I wouldn't worry about the readings. The 14-14-14 will be fine as will the 15-30-15. Between the 2 I would prefer the 14-14-14 and would return the 15-30-15 to the store if that's an option. On these forums we sometimes spend a lot of time talking about what the ideal is and how to get as close to it as possible. This doesn't mean that things won't do well with something less than the ideal. I think the 14-14-14 will do fine for your plants. Maybe exchange the 15-30-15 for a MG 24-8-16 and you can use that if the time release stuff isn't providing enough nutrients for the veggies. You are likely fine for a season on the calcium because the potting mixes you are using are limed already. If you really want more calcium you could simply scratch in some gypsum and it will release calcium over time. This wouldn't change the pH.

Most purchased potting soils have fertilizer included to keep the plants going for a good while. Seedlings should be fertilized very cautiously if you fertilize them at all. Its is much more likely that seedlings would die of fertilizer burn than from nutrient deficiencies in any but the most deficient soils. Additionally, excessive fertilization -- especially excess nitrogen -- can lead to the problem of all leaves and no fruit.