If you are growing vegetables in containers, I would highly recommend the book, "The Bountiful Container". It will answer your questions in great detail, and truly is one of the very best "how to books" on veggie growing that I have read. The author recommends that you add a slow release fertilizer (like Osmocote, but Walmart and Lowe's offer good off-brands too) to the potting mix at the time you plant. And Then, Additionally, you should give your plants liquid fertilizer at half strength every week or at full strength every two weeks throughout the growing season. You can use Miracle Grow, though it's expensive and unless you're careful, salts can build up in the soil very quickly. My favorite liquid fertilizer is Fish Emulsion (The Alaska brand is the easiest to find for me.). Don't let the numbers on the bottle fool you. This is a GREAT fertilizer. Plants, especially seedlings love it like no other I have tried. Its one fault is, the smell is just about the worst thing ever. I simply cannot tolerate it inside the house except in the basement. I always laugh at the word "deodorized" on the label. :) And, it sometimes draws cats and other critters to dig in pots, so I put chicken wire over the pots. I have done trials on plants using FE on one set of pots and MGrow on another set of identical plants. Every time, the FE group does better.

Thanks, Kim, for the confirmation. I checked on Chinese chives, it's the same as garlic chives mentioned in Field Roebuck's book. He stated, "In at least one controlled experiment, when planted underneath roses, garlic chives completely eliminated spider mites and reduced aphids." Rose magazine site stated that high-nitrogen chemical fertilizer does encourage aphids. The Canadian website that advocated fall fertilization, rather than spring, cited less insect problems with earlier nitrogen fertilization for wheat fields. Garlic chives have white flowers, it is listed among the invasive species. In my experience with invasive species, it's the least invasive, since it can be pulled up easily. It's a tiny bulb - rather than invasive roots. If you cut the flowering stem off before it becomes seeded, then you stop the growth. I was hoping it becomes invasive enough to gather a gallon for making pot stickers -but it did not spread fast enough in our 40" inch annual rain and high germination in magnesium rich soil. I also have the American chives with purple flowers, this is invasive since it spreads by roots. This chives is more drought-tolerant than Garlic, or Chinese chives. Calendula, or potted marigold, is just as pretty but more drought-tolerant than regular marigold. Calendula host many beneficial insects, especially green lacewings. These lacewings fly around and eat Calendula's pollens. But they give birth to larvae, named aphid lion. More info: "Each lacewing larva will devour 200 or more pests or pest eggs a week ... After this stage, the larvae pupate by spinning a cocoon with silken thread... the adult will live about four to six weeks...Each adult female may deposit more than 200 eggs. Nectar, pollen, and honeydew stimulate their reproductive process." What I like the most about garlic chives, or Chinese chives is its medicinal and anti-inflammation properties. It's especially yummy in potstickers, better than green onions. I like Calendula (comes in bright yellow and bright orange), since they are drought tolerant and still bloom during frost. Below is a picture of Calendula in my tomato garden:

Buddingherbalist, That is amazing! To think you did that for that many years and in New Jersy for that matter. Would you please post a picture of it here. I would LOVE to see what it looks like. Is it grafted? Was it from a seed? Was it from a cutting? It is great to see that a calamondin can live this long and that you certainly know how to care for it..:-) If you wouldn't mind, could you share with us your technique and cultural habits with it? Like, how much sun did it get during winter? What kind of containers do you use? What kind of mix? When do you bring it indoors and outdoors? Where do you normally grow it? The same part of the yard every year? Full sun? The same spot in the home? A south window...? Do you provide artificial lighting, or just a sunny window? Have you ever dealt with pest's with it? How did you rid them? What kind? I think a lot of us could take some info away from you and be encouraged, whilst you get info from us and get enlightened.. Thank so much. Welcome...:-) Mike

Beware of folks like Larry. Keep your tree a little on the dry side. When the top one inch is dry, water it. Do not repot a tropical until summer time. The tree has had all spring to grow and gain strength. When you do repot in summer, don't bare root the tree completely. Leave the upper part of the root ball alone, just trim to shape and repot using a good quality inorganic bonsai soil. Crushed lava and turface, or pine bark will do just fine. Set in a location where it gets morning sun fertilize once a week with miracle grow and the tree will thrive. Just be patient. Remember, Larry's tree died, but yours doesn't have to.