Just finished watering my plants and thought of several other variables regarding compost use in containers & potting mix drainage. I don't think you should be concerned about how many seasons it takes for your compost to be used up because different plants have different horticultural needs and would require different types and formulas of fertilizers to thrive and be productive. For example, sun-loving tomatoes and roses need rich and fertile soil (but in alkaline and acidic soils respectively) and lots of water but wildflowers in containers generally will die from over fertilization and watering. Therefore, fertilizers and the amount of compost used should be adjusted according to the horticultural needs of a plant. The amount of compost used and its use should be more as a soil amendment, mulch, and not as a reliable fertilizer in containers even if it does slowly convert usable nutrients through the decomposition process. Additionally, compost in containers probably doesn't get entirely "used up" just like the use of soluble fertilizers in containers and hydroponics and thus a good deep watering to flush out unused salts periodically and monthly is highly recommended. Since the maximum nutritional values in crops and fertility of soil in a garden derived from compost use only come several years later (can't recall at the moment the actual number but want to say 5-10 year range) according one comparative study I read, the fertility of potting mix derived from compost use in containers would theoretically also be the same number of years if not longer (due to less buffer and uncontrolled balance of microbes in containers for decomposition) or at best 1/2-3/4 that duration in the other direction if we assume that there is a higher concentration of beneficial microbes in a smaller area in a container to convert the necessary elements and metals into usable nutrients for a plant. In addition, as the fertility of the container potting mix and porosity change with the growing seasons and crops, you'll need to amend your container mix from time to time either by topping compost or new potting mix for long-term plants or remix and repot your short-term crops. There are three other indicators and usable feedback you could use to monitor your use of compost and drainage - the overall health and appearance of the leaves, the rate of plant growth, and the average frequency of watering needed. There is nothing more joyous to see than a totally unblemished and healthy plant to me. Good tasting fruits and fragrant or beautiful blossoms can only follow once the fertilizers are also adjusted as needed based on day length, maturity, and plant needs. Moreover, you could find out the absolute maximum number of days required for your plants and crops to start to wilt on average between watering as a response and during the active growth period. The higher frequency your plants and crops need to be watered or need water replenished, the healthier and more growth is taking place. But as a compromise for plant health and as a technical and enjoyable hobby for an avg gardener and for water conservation and time investment, a two-day lapse between watering and caring during the active season would be doable and a good buffer both for the gardener and for most of his/her plants.

Thank you, Len - First off, it's clear that you care about your garden and desire to harvest quality fruit. So now the question is, whether you are willing to become sufficiently knowledgeable about YOUR garden soil to accomplish that end (i.e., become a more serious gardener). Everybody posting here will have different opinions and offer different advice and suggestions, so YOU will have to make determinations which you believe are based on sufficient evidence. If you are serious about producing a healthy, abundant garden, our advice/suggestions may be of some help in your education. If not, our advice/suggestions will only serve to further our own education (or not). Your choice. And please don't be 'turned-off' by the ocassional (disrespecful) 'bickering' - just accept it as 'going with the territory'...which I'm learning to do as well. Some of these 'old dawgs' are not willing to learn 'new tricks'. Some of that evidence you will need to obtain yourself, from MA soil professionals - starting with soil testing to establish the nutritional values, pH and organic content of your soil (Routine + Micro + % Organics). About $35 with postage. Find SEVERAL local Master Gardener folks that can visually inspect/feel/smell that soil and offer advice based on reality of this situation, and use the information posted here MAINLY to ask questions of us AND your LOCAL gardening 'experts'. Recommend that you include about half of the 'mustard-colored' layer 10" down (how deep does it go?), in your soil sample, since it is in the root zone of almost every vegetable plant. Scrape off the snow, scrape away the leaves, and take samples according to sampling instructions. Take a LARGE sample so you will have enough left over to put in ziplock bags to provide small samples to others you request help from. Get a sample to the soil lab in the mail soon. Second, some strains of fungus and bacteria ALWAYS exist in healthy soil, and are essential for good vegetable harvests - but garden soil may also contain some strains of fungus/bacteria are very detrimental to vegetable plants. Worms are NOT an indication of a bad (to plants) fungal issue, since worms eat fungus that's working on decomposing matter. YOU must determine IF 'bad' fungus exists, and if so, what course of action to take, to target ONLY the bad ones, so as not to kill the good ones. I'm still NOT saying that a bad fungus is the MAIN cause of your soil problem(s). Am developing an opinion, but still do not have sufficient information on which to base expression of it. Answer each of the questions... IF bad fungus/bacteria are indicated as partial cause of this dilemma, you should assume that they proliferated due to something you did (or didn't) do. Don't just blame it on "nature". Take responsibility to take corrective action and learn from it. Have included an 'overview' USDA link written by Dr. Elaine R. Ingham, who produces excellent microbiological works - and am currently studying two of her publications. Also recommend her web site at www.soilfoodweb.com for more information. But do not overlook free assistance directly from soil professionals/teachers/grad.students at U.Mass. who may take an interest in your dilemma. From the information you recently posted, it is my opinion that your soil probably has SEVERAL interconnected, but not necessarily related problems (how much poultry manure, how much, how applied and how often?). But 'yellow leaves' don't necessarily mean a lack of nitrogen (chlorosis) - could also be caused by inability for plants to uptake zinc/iron due to high phosphorous or other reason. Find out. Go through each of the questions posed on this post, and answer them fully in your notebook - to provide specific information to local sources that you request assistance from. To the extent you are able to answer their questions, THAT IS the extent to which they will be able to assist you. Please stay in touch with this thread, to ask questions and peruse opinions/advice/suggestions to help you to determine what questions you should be asking. And keep us informed about your progress... Looking forward to the day that you send us beautiful photos of your prize tomatoes and cucumbers, Robert

Purlisa: I no longer post for the pubic, but I make exceptions when people ask for me specifically. I respect & learn from honest folks like you who share about their garden. I learn more from honest folks who talk about problems in their garden, than gorgeous pics. of roses (with zero details as to type of soil & pH-level & climate & annual rainfall). That's my pet-peeve in HMF, folks just post pics, without specifying if it's own-root or grafted, zero info. on planting zone & type of soil & climate. If you click on my Houzz profile-picture , I updated to include tips on how to tell which own-roots are appropriate for which soil pH, type of soil & climate, just by looking at the leaves. https://www.houzz.com/user/strawchicago I received 8 roses yesterday 6/15 from RU summer sale, they are BIG, and some are over 2 feet tall & with buds & blooms .. very healthy. These roses are bigger & more blooms that the 7 roses I bought full-price early May. My last house was acidic clay: soft & easy to dig, with blue hydrangeas & deep-colors roses. My current house is alkaline clay: rock-hard, need a pick-ax to dig, pink hydrangeas, and roses have faded colors. Roses are much healthier in alkaline clay. My purpose of posting is to help foiks NOT to make the same mistakes like I did in my 30+ years of growing roses, and 110 own-root varieties. My B.S. is in Computer Science, minor in Chemistry, so I want to use my background to help folks. If you have sticky & dense clay, skip the Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate), since it hardens clay further. MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY IS RARE, EXCEPT IN SANDY SOIL (this is from the booklet when I got my soil tested by EarthCo.) My sticky clay soil was tested exceedingly high in magnesium. Skip the molasses, I tested for many years and it attracts rose-slugs, plus sugarly stuff LOWERS soil pH, sugar sours things fast. Azomite is similar to dolomitic lime (both have pH 9), but Azomite works faster. Digging deep, and remove the dense & icky clay & rocks at bottom helps with drainage, so acidic rain water don't sit at the bottom to rot roots. If your clay soil is acidic, COARSE sand (paver's sand) is good on top. BAGGED SAND AT STORES IS VERY ALKALINE, so it will neutralize the acidity of rain. Niels in Denmark, with hundreds of roses, put sand on top of his acidic clay. Skip the alfalfa, it becomes VERY ACIDIC like Kimchi if decays in acidic rain water. Many folks report roses breaking out in blackspots after "sour alfalfa tea", it's like watering roses with sauerkraut or Kimchi-water. At least Kimchi or sauerkraut has salt to control the acidity, but I already tested acidic-alfalfa-tea and it made leaves thinner, thanks to its acidity. Since my clay is rock-hard alkaline at pH near 8, I use acidic pine bark (pH 4) to fix my clay. People root roses in sand. I read a book by a CA rose-grower on the coast (mild temperate climate), he bought a land filled with sand and converted into a rose nursery, to sell cut-flowers !! Here's an excerpt from Houzz when I googled on clay .. folks in CA have heavy abode clay, while I have dolomitic clay. But both are mineral-rich clay. Kittymoonbeam have over 100+ roses in Southern CA, wrote this in Houzz .. from my experience I agree with her 100% .. I killed plenty of roses with acidic organic matter in the planting hole. And Roses Unlimited's tip of 1 cup of alfalfa meal mix-in WORKS ONLY FOR THEIR ALKALINE-TAP WATER inside nursery, but NOT FOR OUTDOOR ACIDIC RAIN, with pH 4.5 in my Chicagoland, and even more acidic rain on the East Coast. Kittymoonbeam - "I just came from a soils class by a local nurseryman. He said DON'T add organic amendment into the soil. The plants only tolerate it, not prosper in it. The short of it is that eventually it breaks down and rots causing oxygen problems in the root zone. A NASA guy said NO terrestrial plant wants to live in ground up dead tree. So most potting soils are only good for maybe 5 months, then they start harming plants. The growers know the plants can only survive a short period before they decline in that mix. Potting up in non amended soil causes no harm. You can grow in 100 percent sand as long as you water and feed often enough. Strawberry leaves from plants grown in sand were twice the size of those in the premium potting mix! There are no overwatering issues. Why the change from propagation in soil to wood products is a long story. However, we've all been taught to do it. But no one ever used to in the old days. Disneyland removed their riverbed soil and replaced with amended soil. After a few years, they took it all out and purchased new riverbed sandy loam and now they only mulch on top. This is all new to me but that's the way it was for millions of years. The organic stuff stays on top where it breaks down and travels to the roots below. Roots want a purely mineral soil with as much oxygen as they can get and still be moist." Kittymoonbeam. Lauren (Los Angeles, 10a, Sunset Zone 19) - kittymoonbeam, that does seem to make sense. Limited personal experience has also showed me that top dressing compost with shredded leaves/mulch produced better results than than simply mixing some compost into the surrounding soil" Lauren

lukkiirish, I'm sorry for your experiences. It sounds like you've been seeing sub-par GP vets, you've become distrustful, and you do have the right to complain. You need a new vet, and you should definitely see specialists when a medical problem seems to be beyond the ability of your GP to treat properly. You can go on your own, no referral is needed. sjerin, I've always had conflicting views when it comes to winter weather and rain. I wish it could just rain overnight and allow these 75-80 degree days all the time. Animal nutrition? it's binary, it's either adequate or not. When a commercial product is found that a pet can tolerate digestively, the pet will receive adequate nutrition with all required vitamins, trace minerals, etc, and will thrive. Changing to a product with sweet potatoes and not rice, or fish and not lamb, accomplishes nothing nutritionally.