I think you have to let your plants tell you if they are happy or not.

The approach you have taken is not one I would recommend (I have used variations on the organic in containers theme in the past), but if the plants you choose to grow perform in a way that meets your expectations then I think you are doing just fine.

What part would you not recommend? The organic fertilizer vs. non organic due to availability to the plants? Or is there other things you wouldn't recommend that I am doing?

Ania

When I say I would not recommend something what I am really saying is I wouldn't recommend it to other people. If I recommend something it's because I believe a very high percentage of people trying it will be successful.

This isn't to say I would presume to tell you not to do as you wish. I also won't say you won't grow plants you are very pleased with.

I, personally, do not recommend organic fertilizers in containers, but instead recommend water soluble fertilizers for containers. Conversely I generally don't recommend water soluble fertilizers for those growing in the ground, but recommend organic matter. The reason is control over what the plants are getting. It's fine, in theory, to put some composted manure into the container, but what nutrients will it release and when? There is no way to know. If one adds manure to the container and then concludes that plants aren't getting enough nutrients, then what? Add more? What if the adding more nutrients happens to coincide with the manure releasing a bunch?

Typically when manures and other organic matter are used in ground based gardens the organic matter is added well in advance of the plants and given time for biological processing to do it's thing. In a container it's rare I see anyone allowing the time required for biological processing of the organic matter.

So, yes it really does, for me, boil down to being able to control what the plants get and when. If I have a planting not do well and I am using nutrient sources with an uncontrollable delivery rate it's darn near impossible for me to know how to correct the problem or do better the following year. If I am using a well balanced, soluble fert and plants have nutrient problems it's pretty simple. Use more or use less depending on the problem.

I also wouldn't recommend supersoil for containers. If you go to the Scott's website you will find that past users of it in containers have given it 2 out of 5 stars. That's at the manufacturer's web site. Doesn't really say good things about the soil in containers ;)

I would instead recommend mixes made of ingredients that are larger in particle size to promote better drainage and that resist breaking into smaller particles for as long as possible.

Having said all the above, if you are happy with the results, then does anything else really matter?

I won't know that I am happy with the results until the season is over :)

But you have provided me with some really good information and I appreciate your explanation.

I bought the supersoil because it was least expensive and I didn't know what else to buy. What would be a good example of a potting mix that has larger particles and would work better? Is there a good commercially available one that won't break the bank?

Maybe next year I will experiment with organic fertilizer vs. non-organic.

Ania

If your desire is to stick with commercial, inexpensive mixes then I can't really help you much as I don't use them and haven't for long enough I don't know what is what anymore.

If you decide to try your hand at making your own mixes then search the forum for posts by Tapla as he has an excellent series of posts on this topic.

One problem I have with recommending a store bought mix is that some are available in one place, but not in another. Also the quality control is often non existent so one bag is great and the next not so much.

If you must stay with store bought mixes that 'won't break the bank' then I would say that Miracle Grow potting mix (not the potting soil) is a common one that people tend to have the most consistent luck with in terms of it being the same from bag to bag and year to year. I don't think it's "the best" on the market, but better quality products like Fafard mixes are harder to find and usually cost more (though you get what you pay for in a sense).

At all costs stay away from any potting mix whose primary ingredient is sedge peat or any potting mix sold by weight instead of volume (these are typically not meant for containers). Also I recommend staying away from the so called organic potting mixes made up largely of what is called 'composted forest products'. Nobody I have talked to knows what that actually is and from reports I hear they tend to be terrible in terms of consistency from one batch to the next.

BTW - it will always be less expensive on a per volume basis to make your own soils from ingredients purchased in bulk quantities (2-4 cu ft bags of pine bark, peat, and perlite) than to pay even normal 'sale' prices for commercially prepared mixes.

Al

ania, I also do not buy prepared mixes, but the in terms of containers, the folks at the EarthBox forum (these are mostly users of the EarthBox products, but some people using other self-watering containers) often have good results with one of the ProMix formulas. I think they tend to use the BX, but some people have used the HP formula, too.

You can, as JaG suggested, try mixing your own. I don't know if it is less expensive, though I imagine it is when you compare how MUCH mix you make. I buy large quantities and they are not much more than much smaller bags of premade mixes. They are exactly as I want them and for what seems less money (but not less time) than the premade mixes.

Per the organic, it's a tough decision. I've always been organic in the ground and it was natural for me to want to do the same in my boxes. But, as JaG pointed out, it's not the same. Soil works differently in the ground than in boxes and has different requirements. This doesn't lend itself as easily to organic that can be applied in a way that you can be sure its working as you want it to.

I've chosen to test several methods this year to see what I get. I've chosen to go organic in some boxes with soil mix and ferts, using things that add microbes and then sustaining them throughout the season. In others, I'm using organic liquid ferts that don't require me using an organic soil approach, but that I can add to the water that is wicked into my containers (I'm using all self watering containers). And, in others, I'm using inorganic ferts, also liquids.

So far, in one box of lettuce compared to the other, there is a slight difference between yields of the organic vs the inorganic. I did notice larger root systems in the organic box where I'd mycorrhizal inoculant when I transplanted starts. Some had been "held" in a box treated with the mycorrizae and others had been held in a box without it and with inorganic fert. Did that translate into anything? A bit; the yield on the organic box also is slightly higher. But, not greatly so.

But, to do this, I did have to work with my soil mix prior to planting. I couldn't just plant and go. So, it's also been more work. Since I like the work, it's OK by me.

Thanks. Maybe by next year I'll get comfortable enough to make my own mix.

One year my mother grew all her tomatos in pots filled with regular dirt/sand from her property mixed with really old horse manure. They did wonderfully. She gave me one of them and it was my healthiest, most productive tomato. I never added any fertilizer.

Ania

There is no shortage of anecdotal reports about container plants growing well with dirt, no fertilizer etc.

Nevertheless there is a reason why almost nobody grows in containers this way any more.

It usually doesn't work very well :)

I think everyone, at least once, should dig up some dirt from their yard, fill a container with it and attempt to grow stuff in it. I would guess that in 90+% of the cases the person would never do it again ;)

Thought I would post a little update. I continued with the organic in the containers cause I'm stubborn....LOL.

Everything is doing really well considering the hard start it got. Tomatoes are sending off new shoots and setting fruit. Bell peppers have lots of fruitset, especially for their size. All other peppers are doing well.

But, the new plants are doing amazingly well. I planted them in supersoil mixed with horse manure 5:1 ratio. The plants look beautiful, are growing really fast, have surpassed the plants I planted 2-3 months ago and are producing already.

I skipped a week fertilizing and did some fish emulsion in a really low dilution yesterday. I'm going to continue once a week, very diluted fertilization following the weakly, weekly protocal.

I posted some pics in the vegetable and herb forums. I'm attaching the link. These are mostly the older plants. I don't have pics of the new ones that are doing even better yet.

Ania

Here is a link that might be useful: Pics of the garden

Be careful with those jalapeno's. We grew some just like that last year, with a regular MG soil, and I couldn't even eat one slice without a glass of milk! And I like 'hot'....
Shannon

Thanks for the warning. My BF uses them to make Salsa. I'll let him know to go light in the jalapenos.

I grew them like that last year and they were quite hot. They are not doing quite as well this year though. Last year I had only one plant and it was huge and produced more than I could ever use.