container newbie needs input for soil/container mix

11 years ago

Hi all,

Thanks for taking a minute to read this & please feel free to gimme plenty of input.

I've grown a small garden a few seasons now (in ground) but we now are on a much more limited space than before & I am planning to begin container gardening instead, so I am starting all over-need to learn what to do from the start to get good results.

The containers would be on a red brick patio of sorts (no screen)next to our small screened in patio, the brick area gets a lot of sunshine much of the day with a few short periods of shade or partial shade during the late morning & early evening times.

What type of containers would you recommend? Terracotta pots? Plastic-self-watering pots from Walmart or Lowes?

How big should they be for different vegetables?

Can I save space & make the containers 'work' for me by 'companion planting' in them too?

I am on a fixed income-tight budget with a large family so I have to be as thrifty as I can be & be smart in my spending.

I'd like to grow a few tomato plants, ground cherries, Nardello peppers, jalapeno peppers, listada gandia eggplants, a small assortment of lettuces, pole & or bush beans, a sugar snap type pea, tuscan kale, mustard greens , colorful swiss chard, purslane, parsley, mint, thyme, basil, oregano, a few edible flowers & cucumbers-of course, each in it's proper growing season.

What type of soil/potting mix would you all recommend?

Jungle Growth in bags from Lowes?

Florida Potting Soil in bags from a local nursery?

Ocean Forest from Fox Farms? or Fox Farm Original?

A lot of my purchasing will be made while out on other errands or when my teenager goes with friends on their outings when Mom will say as she hands some money over to teen-please stop here on your way home & buy this & this & that for my little garden-so I am looking for non-complicated ideas/suggestions. There's an Ace Hardware nearby, Lowes, Walmart, a couple of small nurseries & an High Tech Garden Supply that I'd most-likely be purchasing from.

What nursery in Brevard County could anyone

recommend for purchasing 'ready made' container 'soil'?

I don't mind mixing up some ingredients together but it'd be easiest for me to be able to just buy simple things in bags from a few stores close by & mix them up or add to them or whatnot if possible hence nothing too complicated, costly or hard to find.

I saw a video clip on using Black Kow bagged manure as a 'grow bag' & growing two tomato plants out of the bag itself. Any input on this?

Oh, one more thing, I use Maxicrop liquid seaweed & Jobes fertilizer spikes with decent results in ground in the past, any input on fertilizers in regards to container gardening? I know Espoma, Jobes, Maxicrop, Miracle Grow, Peace Of Mind/Happy Frog are brands I have seen in the past at the stores I mentioned.

Thanks a great bunch everyone!

Have a wonderful day! :)

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Comments (4)

amberroses
11 years ago
That's a lot of questions :) Tomatoes like really big pots. Peppers and Eggplants can handle medium size pots. Lettuce tolerates smaller pots. Cheap plastic pots are ok. Size is more important than quality although nicer pots will last longer and look pretty. If you want some good ideas on how to make your own mix, check the container form. If you just want to buy a mix, try and pick the one that isn't heavy and water retentive. I like Lambert's potting soil at Home Depot. Maybe someone else will chime in on this. It would take a whole post to answer each of your questions fully.

Most importantly, have fun!
valkyriemusic
11 years ago
We planted tomatoes in "earth pots" that we made using Home Depot 5 gallon buckets and for other plants used plastic bins. We got the idea online. We drilled holes in the bottom of the bucket and took cotton clothesline from Dollar General, cut it into lengths and pushed them through the holes. We knotted the ends so they wouldn't fall out. Sat a brick in the bottom of another bucket that had drain holes drilled into it around the sides at a certain height and then sat the first bucket into it. Filled it with a mix of Jungle Soil and garden soil. Tomatoes went nuts!
One place to see directions is www.instructables.com
Hope this helps! Good luck!
Val
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Hello, here's a cheap soil that works. 1 part pure rabbit droppings (no shavings), 1 part native soil. Guy in Palm Bay sells rabbit "berries" really cheap.
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Hi! There is some information in the FAQ under POSTS WE LOVE on tomatoes in containers. There is also information on the extension service website on container grown veggies - link below. It has potting mix info, container info, and fertilizer info. I use the 5 gal buckets at HD or Lowes Tina

Here is a link that might be useful: Veggies in Containers

container newbie needs input for soil/container mix

Comments (4)

amberroses

valkyriemusic

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