Vance, I'd be interested to know just where you got that recipe from.
You are growing vegetables....doesn't matter whether they're in the garden....or in a container, they're growing in soil. All that matters is whether the soil befits the vegetable that is attempting to be grown there.

Most vegetables prefer soil that is rich in organic matter.
Sometimes referred to as being "humusy".
Whether fertilizer should be given a particular vegetable is how the vegetable uses such fertilizer.
Some vegetables, such as lettuce, have such a short growing cycle, it can hardly use what fertilizer might be given it.
There isn't time for the fertilizer to make its presence known in the soil before the lettuce is harvested.
Other vegetables might be just like that.

Some vegetables might prefer a soil that is heavier in a particular element....such as phosphurus....or potassium.
Nitrogen causes plants to grow much foliage and greens it up. Phosphurus encourages root development and bloom.
Potash (potassium) encourages strong growth and resists disease.
So its better to know the needs of the vegetables you are growing instead of paying too much attention to the feeding of the soil---which may not suit what you are trying to grow.

Usually potting soil is quite sufficient to grow perennials and annuals in a container. The potting soil, does in fact, have nourishment contained within it...if it is any kind of decent potting soil. There are potting soils that are "on sale" every day....and as such do not comprise much of anything. But usually, potting soil with a brand name on it can be relied on to do something for a plant.

Its because the container has so little volume, the nourishment is fast used up and therefore, the soil is encouraged to be fattened up with fertilizer.

Before you go too far into what fertilizer to use, I would suggest you read up on "what is fertilizer"...and how is it used".

Blood meal is heavily nitrogen. Bone meal...as the name applies...is crushed and/or powdered animal bones.
This is used as a root and bloom stimulator...much like what superphosphate does....adds phosphurus.

Your well-balanced make-up of your soil can be better gotten by just adding potting soil/mix and amending with organic material....straw, peat moss, composted cattle or sheep manure, builder's sand (coarse sand) to aid in drainage, topsoil, (loam--sometimes called "triple mix".)
Other things you can add; coffee grounds, egg shells, and if you can lay your hands on it, some leaf mold.

I haven't ever heard of the amendments you mention here...in the way you say them. Better soil can come from just buying it with the nourishment already added.
Commercially made composted cattle (or sheep), poultry manures give good results when they are given to the plants that appreciate them.

One of the best things you can do for your plants is to start a compost pile of your own....and in time..(about a year) you can give to your vegetables what they like from your own pile.

Volume is measured in cubic feet. The spreading of fertilizer which is usually applied in miniscule amounts spread over the surface (and dug in sometimes) is by the square footage of the area.

A balanced fertilizer is one that contains the 3 major elements..N ..nitrogen P...phosphurus K ...potash
and contains equal amounts of them ...example 10/10/10
20/20/20 6/6/6

Incomplete is referred to when it is missing one or two of the major elements....such as superphosphate has a ratio of
0/20/0

If you wish to measure just how much soil has to be used to cover a particular area...do this:
measure the length of the area...multiplied by the width of the area ...in feet. Multiply that figure by the depth of layer of soil...let's use 2".
Then multiply that figure by .003
The final figure is the amount of cubic yards of soil needed to cover that area, that deep.
example....20 feet long....25 feet wide....= 500 sq. ft.
500 X 2" deep....- 1000
Multiplied by .003 gives the number of
3 cubic yards to do the task.

I notice that Metromix 500 contains a "starter nutrient charge" according to their website. You added a little more fertilizer on top of that, but not much. Your plants should be fine for a few weeks, but may run out of nutrients soon depending on what exactly was added to the metromix.

The fertilizer you have is fine, though it may not work in containers as well as you would hope. The bone meal, especially, will be slow to release nutrients to the plants. I prefer synthetic fertilzer for container plants, but organic will work if thats the way you want to go. You might want to check into the soluble fish/seaweed products.

For now, simply keep an eye on your plants--if the leaf color is good and they are growing well, then you don't need to fertilize. Be prepared to feed them when they start to lose vigor.

A quick search of the container forum will turn up much information on fertilizing container grown plants, as well as other topics that might be of interest.

Jason

There is a great deal of difference between growing vegetables in the ground and growing them in containers. Simply adding quantities of organic matter to the container medium - as one would do with in-ground plantings - can seriously affect the porosity of the medium and adversely affect drainage. Metromix 500 is a good quality, loosely draining yet moisture retentive medium as is and I wouldn't muck about with it. And you are very correct to assume that there is little nutritive content to most container media, unless incorporated as an additive, and what does exist is rapidly leached out with regular irrigation.

But unless there are sufficient populations of soil organisms present in the medium, dry organic fertilizers like bone or blood meal are not very effective and can be just a waste of time and product. Organic fertilizers require the activities of soil organisms to break them down and convert them into plant-usable forms. Many commercial potting soils contain low quantities of organic matter or nearly fully decomposed material (peat) or have been sterilized so that these populations are very limited and the activity/conversion just doesn't happen or happens so slowly as to be ineffective.

Like Jason, I use a slow release fertilizer (Osmocote) incorporated into the potting mix initially and supplement during the growing season with a liquid. Organic liquid fertilizers - fish emulsion, kelp/seaweed, etc. - are presented in a water soluble state and sidestep the need for microbial breakdown.

There is a line of complete organic fertilizer products recently introduced in my area that are innoculated with a variety of soil organisms held in a suspended state. In addition to replicating the very beneficial relationship that exists bewteen plant roots and microorganisms in garden soils, these products also provide an automatic "conversion team" that digests and breaks down the organic materials so that these products can be used effectively in any growing medium.

They can be purchased by mail order from certain retail outlets if you are interested. Contact me if you would like a source.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dr. Earth Pro-Biotic fertilizers

jeannie7
I was trying for a 1-2-1 or 1-2-2 ratio. The blood meal package said one tablespoon per square foot of soil, so I decided that was good for one cubic foot, and then added bone meal and Epsom plus to match.

Jdwhitaker

I havent read the entire Metromix package, but I did read on it that they recommend a sound fertilizer regimen to begin as soon as the plants are in. I just donÂt know what that is.

gardengal48

I hadnÂt thought of the lack of microbes limiting the effectiveness of organic fertilizers in containers. It makes sense. It might not be such a concern for me as I have ten pots surrounded by a framed cold compost pile consisting of OPL, which will allow microbes access. {{gwi:15615}}. And, since I am growing peppers, which supposedly arenÂt heavy feeders, it might not be such a big deal that the nutrients are released slow. The tomatoes may need more.

As far as my container set up I wonder about the wisdom of putting Âsterile potting soil in pots where bad things can access them, but I think it might work. Nothing but leaves surround the pots and IÂm not sure how many bad for my plants things live in the decomposing leaves. The point is to keep the hot Florida sun off the pots so the roots stay cool. I went to containers because I canÂt rotate my crops and have had soil born problems in the past in ground. But in containers, I have trouble with root zone heat (Florida/black pots) and proper fertilization. I think my set up may be a good middle ground if I can get the fertilization right. Plus, at the end of the year I will move the box frame and start over in a new location with new leaves. The currint spot will be used for next years in ground garden attempt.

I do think synthetic fertilizers in containers makes sense and may decide to go that route if I have trouble.

Thanks
Vance

fertilizer sure sound complicated in this country. In my land we use animal dropings- nice dried and aged- and get nice abundunce of crop. Fresh dropinigs burn- if you ever try that you find out all ready.