I don't have the time right now to go into everything you inquired about.

Just a few quick observations.

For as much as you plan to grow, making your own mix will save you money over buying pre-made mixes. Peat, vermiculite and perlite are the most common ingredients in store bought mixes. Some also use small bark pieces. There are many recipes for better home made potting mixes and you can read the posts in this forum where Tapla (Al) discusses one of his mixes as well as the properties of mixes in general. Feel free to use whatever is easily and least expensively available in your area, but the Container Soils and Water (or something like that) post will help you understand what to look for.

For cheap containers look to nurseries for nursery container discards. You want the larger ones, 12" and up for most of what you wish to grow. A little duct tape will fix any cracks for a season of growing. Also hit up restaurants and bakeries for free 5 gallon buckets.

Tips on getting good yield? Keep the potting mix moist, don't let it dry out. A plant that wilts in the heat will probably recover if watered soon enough, but it's yield will be affected. Also, fertilize regularly. Use a water soluble fertilizer so it is rapidly available to the plants and use it full strength no less than every other week. High nitrogen (the first number) for plants grown for leaves and lower N for plants grown for roots/bulbs/fruit.

Good growing to you.

A brief word of warning about the different bagged soils. As I recall from some terribly disappointed people from last year, there are products that are labeled 'garden mix' or 'garden soil', and are totally awful for containers. BUT! I think that the label will indicate that those products are for GARDEN use...so keep your eyes open. That will be the cheap stuff.

Have you become acquainted with your local extension office, yet? NC's extension system is a very good one, and I'd bet that a personal visit to the office will result in a handful of (free or nearly so) planting guides and pamphlets pertinent to your location. Might even be lists of some of the newest variety introductions!

I'll attach a link to some on line publications for you. I'm a firm believer in planning and preparation BEFORE planting, lol!

Who is it in this forum with the stellar container garden....he's posted all of those great pictures. If anyone remembers or if HE sees this post, maybe he'll post his site again. He'll inspire you...it's all in 5 gallon buckets.

Here is a link that might be useful: Click here!

Here's what I was talking about...from frequent poster el34.

Here is a link that might be useful: Check THIS out!

Muse, since you admit to having so little space to grow all what you mention, be aware that some of them should not be planted next to each other.
Plants such as potato, should not be near tomatoes.
Since you are thinking containers, it would be best to find out about any pecular need for each of them.

Then too, planting certain other plants can act as a protector against pests that attack certain vegetables.
i.e. nasturtiums...repel the squash and cucumber beetle
sweet alyssum should be planted next to potatoes and squash
Nepeta (mint) may repel a deer or rabbit from dining on your vegetables
Broccoli inhibits growth of tomatoes
Carrots  inhibit growth of dill
Potatoes  inhibit growth of tomatoes and squash Beans Â

Some vegetables do not need fertilizing. Lettuce has such a short growing period, feeding it would prove useless, the ground couldn't provide sufficient nutrition to make a difference.

Um, jeannie...our friend tragikmuse is planning on growing his vegetables in containers. Purported allelopathic influences would not be particularly pertinent in this case, don't you agree?

Any veggie that is grown in a soil-less container medium will need fertilizing. Some lettuces, by the way, aren't harvested all at once, but a handful of leaves at a time. Soluble fertilizers are the way to go.

This does bring up one thought that has crossed my mind regarding veggie gardening in containers. It would probably be very helpful to plant some pollinator-attracting plants near by. Especially with the severe shortage of bees in recent years (which threatens to get only worse with this new disease that's wiping out bees by the droves).

Some vegetables do not need fertilizing. Lettuce has such a short growing period, feeding it would prove useless,
Fertilizing lettuce has not been useless in my yard.

Great info from rhizo and justaguy! I would add that some types of veggies need quite a lot of room to do well, so a collection of containers in varying sizes is useful. Nurseries here often have container recycling spots where customers can drop off the used plastic pots their plants were sold in. Look for these and get some of the biggest (7, 10, 15 gallon) you can find - you'll need ones this size for melons and squashes.

I've attached a link for you on this subject that offers several different potting soil recipes for container veggies and suggests suitable sized containers for different types. And you will find many ezine and online articles that will provide other info. Pay close attention to the watering and nutrient requirements these articles outline - these are the two critical factors for successful edibles in containers.

Here is a link that might be useful: veggies in containers

HAHA! You guys are my favorites on the forums so far. I posted in a few other sections as far as other interests and they were less helpful so TY to all those who replied and for the links. I had actually taken the time to look thru alot of the forums here before posting and had previously come across the man with the 5 gallon garden. he has some nice pics. But I have read elsewhere that certain things need less or more room and it would be hard for me to come across the number of 5 gallon buckets i would need should I plant them all in them. There are a few old potting containers lying around the yard from plants that have died off so I am hoping to be able to put some of those to good use. Thanx for all the enthusiastic replies!

The idea that potato and tomato shouldn't be planted near each other comes from huge commercial growing fields where a solanum pest in the tomatoes, say, could decimate the potato field since they are such close cousins.

These are growing operations where the option exists to separate the two by one or several fields. I really doubt separating two plants in the same family by the space of the average yard would make any difference. Same for crop rotation.

Kristin

As a newbie, I've had GREAT success with self-watering, self-fertilizing, no-weeding EarthBoxes--lots and LOTS of veggies off just a few plants. They make gardening so easy, it's pretty much like cheating. They're expensive, but you can make homemade ones out of Rubbermaid containers which are pretty cheap. Search this forum for "earthbox" and you'll find easy instructions on how to make your own.