Your fertilizer sounds fine. Many of us use liquid fertilizers in containers with no problem. I agree with jopparich that it would be better if you use a potting mix and not soil in a set up like that, but if it has good drainage, it should be fine with regular use of your fertilizer mix according to directions on the container.

Tec - if you're going to stick to a Miracle-Gro product, a better choice would be either their 24-8-16 or 12-4-8 formulation. They are both 3:1:2 ratios, and furnish the major nutrients (NPK) in about the same ratio as that in which the average of all plants use them. I do use Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 for several reasons, but chief among them are the facts that it also has Ca and Mg, nutrients missing from most soluble fertilizers, and it doesn't derive it's N from urea, so growth is finer and internodes shorter. Using fertilizers in about the same ratio as plants' usage, is especially important when using heavy soils and watering in sips. Ratios that don't closely mimic plant usage quickly cause nutrient levels in the soil become skewed, and that isn't a desirable condition. Also, when using a soluble fertilizer like those mentioned, you reserve control over what your plants are getting and when they get it. Al

Between the 8-7-6 and the 10-15-10, I'd stick with the 8-7-6. Both have much more (P)hosphorous than the plant needs or can use, but the 10-15-10 has WAY more, like about 4x as much as needed. No plant uses more P than N, so it's very difficult to make a case FOR fertilizers that supply more P than N. I just left the following on another current thread about fertilizing. It gives an idea about what the CEO of a fertilizer company thinks about high-P formulations: From Dave Neal: "You are correct. We market high P fertilizers because people "believe" they need them. As you have noted, our Foliage-Pro does a great job start to finish. However, it is simpler to give the market what they think my emphasis] they need than to try to reeducate it. There is some evidence to believe that low N helps to convince a plant to stop its vegetative growth and move into its reproductive phase (flowering), but environmental factors are probably more important. P is typically 5th or 6th in order of importance of the six macronutrients. There is little scientific justification for higher P formulas, but marketing does come into play for the vast majority of users who lack any real understanding of plant nutritional requirements. Therefore, the market is flooded with a plethora of snake oil products that provide little benefit and can actually do harm. For example, one exhibitor at a hydroponic trade show had a calcium supplement with 2% calcium derived from calcium chloride. Can you guess what continued application of 2% chloride would do to plants? I hope this answers your question and am sorry for (Xxxx's) inaccurate response." Cordially, Dave Neal, CEO Dyna-Gro Nutrition Solutions ...."color> It's not that you can't grow healthy plants using 8-7-6 (it's harder with 10-15-10, though), but plants use about 6X as much P as N, so all that extra P has only the potential to limit. An excess of any single element can be as limiting as a deficiency. If I had to make some sort of order out of a few of the more common fertilizers being used for houseplants, from poor to very good, it would be like this: 10-52-10 10-30-10 5-10-5 10-15-10 7-9-5 20-20-20, 14-14-14, or any other 1:1:1 ratio fertilizers 8-7-6 MG 12-4-8 MG 24-8-16 or any other of the other very common 24-8-16 brands Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 The closer you get to being able to supply nutrients in the ratio at which plants use them, the better off your plants will be, unless you understand how to manipulate them with cause and are intentionally taking that control. The last 3 fertilizers listed supply NPK in as close to the same ratio as the average of all plants as you can buy. Al

That would be fine, Michael, but since lettuce breaks down so quickly, you didn't need to freeze it first. I like freezing my food because of the amount of scraps I accumulate, and to keep fruit flies at bay, as I live in an apartment. Freezing breaks down tough veggies like broccoli, cauliflower ends, potato peelings etc.