newbie_in_nj: First off, the Red Bell Pepper plants should be fine in 5 gallon containers. Smaller pepper varieties can actually grow just fine in 2-3 gallon containers. With Bell Peppers, expect your final fruit size to be almost directly proportional to the size of the container you grow it in. I gew a Bell plant in a 5 gallon last year and got several nice looking peppers from it, but they were only about 2 - 2&1/2 inches long and about 1&1/2 - 2 inches wide. I'd probably recommend a somewhat bigger container, but if you want to grow them in the 5 gallon ones, you should be fine. You can keep the Big Boy & Better Boy plants. I would probably visit your local garden center and grab some 10 gallon (or larger) containers for them though. Most chain stores show a cu ft measure on theirs. 1 cu ft is equal to about 7 & 1/2 gallons. I use the MG Moisture Control for my maters and it does just fine. I use varied mixes per plant type (peppers, maters, etc.). I would definitely use a fertilizer with a normal routine (every 3 weeks, every 2 weeks, etc...depends on how much fertilizer you give at each interval). A good guide to go by would be that if you fertilize according to the directions on the bottle, you will probably only have to do it 2-3 times all year. I dilute mine to about 1/4 strength and do it every 2-3 weeks. I also give my plants a boost of sorts with it, if they've had any trouble (broken branches, etc.). Tomato Tone will do just fine. Once you start the plants on a fertilization plan, don't deviate from it too much or it may affect the plants in a negative way. "I have one 25-30 gallon real plant container but it's like a V shape where it fans out in size from bottom. Think uniformity of straight sides better for roots, correct?" It depends on how bad of a V it is. =) I'd have to see a picture. You're probably right. Even though it's a huge container, it would require extra support & the roots might now grow as healthy due to the odd shape. Always worth a try if you have an extra plant though. Regarding potting mix additives, that's really based on personal choice, opinion & soil tests. =) For my maters, I simply mix the MG with a little Canadian Sphagnum Peat (about 90% MG to 10% Peat) and feed on a normal basis like previously mentioned. I will also spray down the potting soil with warm-water based Epsom Salts spray every week when they start to bloom & produce fruit. That works just fine for me. If you have the funds available, some other additives work well too. Do a bit of research on the Tomatoes forum on here and you can formulate a plan about what you want to use. Hope this helps. - Steve

If it is anything other than an ornamental planting, I never put more than one plant in a pot. I have some long trough planters and I space plants in those the same as I would in the garden. I probably won't buy any more of those. They're really only good for ornamentals. What was your potting medium? What size were these containers? I mulch my plants in containers the same as I mulch my garden. It helps even out moisture as well as cutting way back on weeds.

For my perennials in the garden, I use labels made with a Brother label maker and stick them on 6-7" pieces of metal mini blind, which I cut with my DH's aviation snips so they are pointed on one end. They're not perfect, but they last several years and are easy to read. For my small pots and seed trays, I use a Sharpie marker and those purchased white plant markers that another poster recommended, the kind that come in strips. I'll have to look around here for the kind of marking pen someone called "Sharps-A-Lot". I would try Lee Vallley but there is none in my city. Maybe I'll look for paint pens too. Are they sold in a craft store or in the paint section of a hardware store? P.S. I got the suggestion of a Brother label maker from the Daylily Forum.

Go ahead and use your fish emulsion, but at HALF the recommended strength, no harm there. You didn't mention what type of Salvia you are growing. Different Salvias have different needs, from soil to water, but anything you grow in a pot is going to need REGULAR FEEDING to produce blooms and healthy growth. Your pot size is what I'd call on the small side if you do not intend to re-pot yearly (again, depending on it's variety) Your best choice if you are not the type who will remember to faithfully feed your plants, is a time release fertilizer like Osmacoat which will feed anywhere from 3-6 months depending on the formula. See the label. In the Bay Area you should have almost continuous growth. Liquid fertilizer should be applied at half strength for any potted plant. Salts also accumulate in the soils of potted plants which needs to be flushed occasionally to promote healthy growth. Do so by soaking entire pot in fresh water until saturated, then draining. After draining, water heavily until water free-flows from pot drain hole. Hope this helps.