Quote:
Originally Posted by tanstaafl72555
Thanks for the rec on moisture meter above. Will do. Right now I have three kinds of "soil" in my buckets. In some, I have just regular miracle gro potting mix. In some, I have a recipe of 1/3 peat moss, and then 2/3 of a 50:50 mix of compost/soil. In the others it is straight 50:50 compost soil with no peat. I am the most wary of the last group. The soil gets very damp and clingy and packed when you saturate with water with the last. I think what I should have done is saturate, and then go in after a day and turn it good, and then plant.
I have several kinds of tomatoes. I have some Better Boy, some Cherokee Purple, some Burpee brand (can't remember the name), some Burpee grape, and some no name cherries, as well as some leftover heirlooms which did not get labeled correctly (mystery tomatoes!)
I have lost two of the better boys, and one cherokee purple. Some of them are looking scraggly, and some robust. Doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason.
I am learning, here.
I wish I had started this earlier (I am three years into this).
It is almost like raising kids... there are so many things you can (and will!!!) do wrong.
Hopefully, I won't ruin them. My daughters made it and are women of whom I am proud, and they have great kids. I suppose if I did not ruin them, nor their offspring, maybe there is hope....  |
Very good! I think you will like your #2 soil mix the best... #3, second... I also think you would like it better if you added 25% of Perlite to it... It stops the soil from caking-up into solid clumps... keeps it nice flackey... retains moisture too.. promotes good drainage... I would NOT expect much from the Miracle Grow soil...
I like to plant in Heavy Fabric 5 gal buckets with handles on them... So far, they are working great... They allow for good drainage... and are very easy to move around... This is the second season using them... Hope to do better this time... Something just ATE things Big Time last season... I still have Strawberries and Green Onions from last year, growing! This year I am using a fine netting to hopefully keep the plants from being eaten so fast! We shall see... Pretty soon Spring will be here & things will be getting warmer promoting better growth.
Good Luck & thank you in advance for keeping us updated on your experience this season.
And above all, keep washing you hands and Face to help stop the virus from getting to you.
Later...