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..:-)

i solved the problem.. by doubling the bed width ... and moving everything out from under the eave ... and then using the space behind for a pathway to access the back of the bed ... the problem is.. that you planted full sun plants.. in the shade of the eave.. so .. as you note.. they are growing out to better sunlight ... plants that REACH for sunlight are .. by definition ... improperly sited .... tell hubby to extend the bed... it will be less lawn to mow ... and another lesson i learned... whatever you THINK you need in bed width.. double it ... lol ... if you are really enjoying the garden.. MORE SPACE is always an issue .... so make a 10 foot bed from the house.. 2 feet goes to the path at the house ... and then you will have 7 feet of planting space.. and then 1 foot left bare as a transition from lawn to flower bed ... if you are willing to do this.. TIMING the move of certain plants is very important ... e.g. .. it may not be the best time to dig daffs [spring flowering bulbs] ... if you want nice flowers next spring.. it would probably be done after they bloom ... gave up on daffs a long time ago.. so you might find i am wrong on that .. i admit it.. lol ... though many of your perennials.. fall is a great time to move them .... and you should know the answer about the annuals .... good luck ken

70 is the magic number. Most of the common veggie seeds sprout when the temps are around 70 degrees, not too hot or not too cold. Plenty of the plants on your list will handle our winters without a problem but they have to be kinda large to do well since once the daylight shrinks in mid November there just isn't enough light to encourage strong growth. So you have to either start seeds indoors under lights and wait for the summer heat to go away (please please please) or buy seedlings from the garden center. I imagine stuff will show up at the end of August. Carrots taste sweeter if grown in the winter. The biggest problem is that it takes all winter long to get large carrots and they don't sprout well in high heat, and they hate being transplanted so you're at their mercy - sow seeds in mid or late August and don't expect big carrots until next spring. Beets taste better if grown during the cool part of the year also. They're easy and grow fast and don't mind the cold. Chard looks better in the winter but you can grow it pretty much all year long here. (It is just a beet that doesn't form much of a bulb). I've planted my last crop of green beans now and should be picking beans up until frost. There's still plenty of time for them. Bok Choy and all the other Asian greens can be sown the minute the daytime temps get under 85 (hopefully 70). They don't sprout much in high heat. They usually hold up during the minor freezes. The leaves sometimes show damage from harsh winter weather - but usually they do fine and taste better with nightly frosts. Brussels Sprouts are only worth growing if you're gonna leave them on the plant through the winter - otherwise they taste just like storebought cabbage. The sprouts will kinda stand still once things cool off but they get candy sweet when the nights get frosty. I get better broccoli in the winter than in the spring but I usually have to plant store bought seedlings a couple of times to get them in the ground right when the temps cool off - it's always a guessing game. If your garlic bulbs haven't rotted they will resprout and grow all winter - they are unfazed by cold. As far as what else can you grow - I like Arugula or Rocket and any of the small Cress greens. Stuff like Fava beans will grow through the winter here but you don't get beans until mid Spring (keep in mind that some people are allergic to Fava's). I would also plant some Shallots - they do well, are as easy as garlic and you can pluck out a bulb or two whenever you want one rather than having a season like garlic. I protect my winter greens (lettuce, spinach, arugula) with a plastic covering and have never had a problem with the cold. A 4 by 4 space devoted to greens will feed you til next spring when you can grow them without protection. Good luck.

nihal, Ideally soil consist of three parts: 50% solids, 25% water and 25% air. The solids provide a structure to hold roots and nutrients. The water/air component fluctuates depending on the amount of water applied to the soil. Water is used for metabolic processes and to dissolve and transport nutrients. Air (oxygen) is used for respiration in the roots. Because most roots never penetrate more than three feet below the soil level, the water/air ratio below that level has no effect on plant health/growth. So, with info lets look at the possible reasons for the problems/conditions you described. Because of the heavy rains and disrupted water drainage ( concrete slab) the water/air ration moved toward low air %. The excess water caused root rot and the lack of oxygen did not allow for new root growth which affect nutrient uptake thus the yellow of leaves and the "sickly" appearance of your plants. I suggest that when you fertilize to do so using half the recommended strength for the first two monthly applications and full strength monthly for the rest of the growing season. Don't start regular water until the plants begin showing signs of wilt. Check for wilt in the morning rather than at night because plants will natural wilt after a day in windy sunny conditions. The peat you added will improve the soil texture and water hold capacity rather than have any great nutrient value since peat is very low in available nutrients. Come back this forum if you have further questions.