Some pics from this afternoon, three weeks after transplanting. You can see how the tomatoes next to my garage are doing great compared those in my garden. A couple additional items of interest... -This weekend I covered the raised beds with my first batch of compost of the season to serve as a mulch. I had to screen it first. -Any powdery residue on foliage is from DE that I applied two weeks ago. -I am already starting to see some brown spots and holes on my cuke leaves for the third year in a row. Seriously losing hope that I'll ever be able to get cukes to thrive in this garden. My older house just 5 miles away was cucumber heaven.

clarification...3-4 *mini packs of* seeds, not just 3-4 seeds. aka 3-4 separate mini packs, of different varieties of seeds, 20+ seeds to a pack, so 4 packs would be about 80 seeds! So for one 50 sent stamp, you could get 20seeds/1pk-40seeds/2packs-60 seeds/3pks or 80 seeds/4pks. Don't need that many? Take what you need, and use the rest to trade for something you do need or share them locally. I can drive & walk now, but It'll never work as it did before. I can drive, walk & not in pain, so I'm thankful for that. So, seeds can go out ASAP, now.

Thanks for all input! I will try to hold off on the fert. Maybe just the teensiest bit of fish emulsion? I wonder if I should move it to part shade, as one would normally do with a re-pot (I think), to let it adjust? But it is winter now, in fact raining this week so it's not in strong sun. Maybe I'll leave it where it is. (In case anyone wonders, I am only there on weekends...)

Is this a valid concern? Enough to either switch to standard pots instead, or increase the ratio of calcined products even further? I'd say it's a valid concern, given the evaporative surface is probably in the neighborhood of trebled. I can't tell you what to do because it sort of depends on how much you're willing to water. I suppose it you're willing to water daily if that's necessary, a try at upping the water retention with the added water-retaining products is a good bet. Regardless of what you try- why not also try at least one variant container type with a regular mix (if you use 1 pot) or a super soaker mix if you use the fabric bags. - And just out of curiosity, if the unscreened Turface/DE doesn't affect aeration why do you (seemingly) prefer perlite? Cost- or weight-related? I use perlite because I don't want or need the additional water retention afforded by products like Turface or calcined DE. I don't particularly like to water, but my plants appreciate me making soils that require frequent watering. I have at least 200 containers, so I have to make the watering rounds daily (unless it rains) anyway, because I have so many bonsai pots that have 1/2 cup of soil or less. Some plants only need watering every 5 days or so (like pines & junipers), but the little guys demand close attention. That's not the soil's fault - it's related almost entirely to my choices that limit soil volume. Should I water based on the volume of the media with 5-1-1, or should I water based on the size of the plant? Both of those considerations are part of what you use to decide when to water. A well made 5:1:1 is quite forgiving when it comes to the potential for over-watering, so common sense usually carries the day. After a planting is established, you might wait for a weekend when you know you can watch a plant carefully. Water on Wednesday or Thursday, then watch carefully for the first sign of wilt to give you a better idea of where the limits are. It won't take long before you'll be factoring light levels, wind, humidity ..... as a matter of course into your determination of when to water - it'll become almost reflexive. I hardly even think about what I'm doing as I water - usually thinking about something else. If you're in doubt about whether or not the plant will be ok until your next opportunity to water ..... you can usually water w/o ill effects because of the nature of the soil you're using. - Would you recommend the seedlings in an intermediate pot before they go into their final 15gal homes? Personally, I wouldn't bother, but I WOULD be mindful of making sure I keep the soil moist where I think the roots are. IOW, if all the roots are in the top 3" of soil, you better water so the top 3" is moist enough to satisfy water demands. As noted, if you run into this issue at transplant time, you can set the fabric bags on the ground (to take advantage of the earth's wicking action, or set things up so an actual wick is keeping the lower part of the container from staying soggy - say if you have to water daily immediately after transplanting. Don't worry about asking questions. That's what drives the forums. If I can't answer, there are a lot of smart folk here who can help. Once I'm a part of as thread I usually follow it until it fades away, so if you're getting replies from others (say on this thread) and I seem to have gone missing, it's just that I agree with what's being said & there's no need for me to add anything to 'their' able advice. If I think you're not getting good info, I usually offer some sort of input that will make whoever's following the thread view what was said in a light that shows it might not hold up to more than casual scrutiny. With the number of messages I get from people who actually make a point of saying they are totally confused by conflicting information, it's probably as GOOD thing for everyone if we make it more of a point to hold each other's feet to the fire so people can rely on what's being presented as good advice. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Thanks for the kind words, BTW. Al