Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post - Is There A Difinitive Mix for Self-Watering Buckets?

nolabelle · September 6, 2013

Wow, thank you all for being so helpful! I may be beginning to understand some of this.

@cythaenopsis, your plans for next year raises questions in my mind. I hope you don't mind the following deluge of questions. My comments/questions are in parentheses and italics below the bullet points.

My Tomato Growing Plan for Next Year

Use an Earthtainer construction for one or more pots (PDF).

(I plan to begin small with 5 gal. SW buckets to see if I can do this before going on a larger scale, thus spending more money.)
Use a well regarded potting mix. Something like Premier Pro-Mix HP and/or Raybo's 3:2:1.

(Either of these mixes is something I can do. The ingredients are readily available through numerous local sources.)
Combine potting mix with composted cow manure, about 50/50.

(You mean, as in adding composted cow manure such as Black Kow to the Pro-Mix or 3:2:1 mix? Like 50% Black Kow and 50% Pro-Mix for the growing medium?)
Combine potting mix with trusted fertilizer, like Ferti-Lome Tomato and Vegetable Food.

(I have two different kinds of Miracle Grow fertilizers for tomatoes and both have different rates of NPK. I suppose this would be considered a fertilizer NOT to trust? I also have fish emulsion. Where does this come in?)
Mix in Azomite powder in the lower half of the container, for a wide array of trace nutrients.

(I plan on looking around for this stuff or something similar. The local feed and garden center carries many kinds of soil amendments. I may find it there.)
Add pulverized eggshells in the root bed for long term calcium release into the potting mix.

(I already have (and still saving) a plastic bag of egg shells in the freezer for when I finally do start my SWCs with tomatoes.)
After a few weeks of solid sun exposure, cover top with organic natural wood chip mulch.

(I'm sure I can find this somewhere local.)
If compost is available, make a compost tea and feed to the plant once weekly. Otherwise, use a periodic fertilizer regimen that contains micro-nutrients (like Food For Everyone micro-nutrients).

(Would bagged compost be acceptable for this? I saw a video about making compost tea using an air stone in the mix. Along with the compost, they also added fish emulsion and molasses. I'll check into the "Food For Everyone" item.)

(I also think a soil test kit would be a good learning tool for me. I recently found a new garden center in my area and plan to check them out in the near future.)

(I also am of the opinion that all this sterile potting mix can use some organisms as stated in the post below yours. I will be researching the use of this as well.)

September 6, 2013	#10
nolabelle Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: N.O., LA (Zone 8b) Posts: 136	Wow, thank you all for being so helpful! I may be beginning to understand some of this. @cythaenopsis, your plans for next year raises questions in my mind. I hope you don't mind the following deluge of questions. My comments/questions are in parentheses and italics below the bullet points. My Tomato Growing Plan for Next Year Use an Earthtainer construction for one or more pots (PDF). (I plan to begin small with 5 gal. SW buckets to see if I can do this before going on a larger scale, thus spending more money.) Use a well regarded potting mix. Something like Premier Pro-Mix HP and/or Raybo's 3:2:1. (Either of these mixes is something I can do. The ingredients are readily available through numerous local sources.) Combine potting mix with composted cow manure, about 50/50. (You mean, as in adding composted cow manure such as Black Kow to the Pro-Mix or 3:2:1 mix? Like 50% Black Kow and 50% Pro-Mix for the growing medium?) Combine potting mix with trusted fertilizer, like Ferti-Lome Tomato and Vegetable Food. (I have two different kinds of Miracle Grow fertilizers for tomatoes and both have different rates of NPK. I suppose this would be considered a fertilizer NOT to trust? I also have fish emulsion. Where does this come in?) Mix in Azomite powder in the lower half of the container, for a wide array of trace nutrients. (I plan on looking around for this stuff or something similar. The local feed and garden center carries many kinds of soil amendments. I may find it there.) Add pulverized eggshells in the root bed for long term calcium release into the potting mix. (I already have (and still saving) a plastic bag of egg shells in the freezer for when I finally do start my SWCs with tomatoes.) After a few weeks of solid sun exposure, cover top with organic natural wood chip mulch. (I'm sure I can find this somewhere local.) If compost is available, make a compost tea and feed to the plant once weekly. Otherwise, use a periodic fertilizer regimen that contains micro-nutrients (like Food For Everyone micro-nutrients). (Would bagged compost be acceptable for this? I saw a video about making compost tea using an air stone in the mix. Along with the compost, they also added fish emulsion and molasses. I'll check into the "Food For Everyone" item.) (I also think a soil test kit would be a good learning tool for me. I recently found a new garden center in my area and plan to check them out in the near future.) (I also am of the opinion that all this sterile potting mix can use some organisms as stated in the post below yours. I will be researching the use of this as well.) __________________ I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it!