Help with the final details, please?

17 years ago

Hi there,

So this year I am using my apartment porch/balcony to garden. I have built four SWC following the instructions on Josh Mandel's page using 18 gallon Sterilite tubs. I wanted to build my own potting mix using Al's instructions, but ended up being at a loss for pine bark fines.

So, the mix I chose is called 'Gardener's Secret' and is made by a company local to Oklahoma. The ingredients listed are Sphagnum Peat, Pine Fines and Perlite, in that order. In reading the label, it does appear to have some fertilizer in it. It says:

'Derived from Ammonium Nitrate, Ammonium Phosphate, Calcium Phosphate and Potassium Sulfate. All nutrient sources have been polymerized to provide coated slow release nutrients as .07% Nitrogen, .01% Phosphate and .03% soluble Potash.'

This is what I'm planning on putting in the SWCs. In one I am going to put 3 varieties of bell pepper and 1 sweet banana. Then, I have 2 Dwarf Husky, 3 Jelly Bean, 1 Sun Gold and 1 Arkansas Traveler tomatoes that I'm going to distribute between the other three. Tentatively I'm thinking 2 Jelly Bean in A, Sun Gold and Arkansas Traveler in B and the Dwarf Huskies and 1 Jelly Bean in C.

My first main question is whether I'm asking for trouble with that arrangement? Can I put three tomatoes (two of them dwarves) in one planter or will it not fly? Also, are my plant pairings appropriate or is there a better way to match them up?

Also, with the SWC, is it advisable to definitely put the black plastic (I'm assuming a trash bag would work?) on top or would a mulch of some sort be better?

My next question is fertilizer. In the earthbox instructions, it says to lay down a fertilizer strip. Is that still appropriate here? If so, I have a container of 'Expert Gardener' slow release stuff that has the numbers 19-6-12 on it. Would that work or do I need something different?

Also, I need to put some source of calcium in the hole when I plant my tomato seedlings, right? Bonemeal? Or lime? Something else?

I apologize, the fertilizer/feeding part is what I find the most confusing, and I want to try and get things right. Any assistance you could offer would be gratefully accepted.

Thank you!

~Jennifer

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Comments (3)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
17 years ago
The fertilizer charge that is in the soil will be minimal, nearly to the point where you could ignore it as a nutrient source after the first couple of weeks.

Skip the bone meal in containers. It breaks down much to slowly to be a significant source of Ca or P. The soil may very well (it should) contain lime to adjust pH. You should find out.

Is the 19-6-12 fertilizer you have in a CRF form? does it say "lasts 3, 4, 6 .... months"?

I'll leave the rest of your post to the others that regularly grow in SWCs.

Al
farkee
17 years ago
Your mix seems fine--as long as it is soilless and costs an arm and a leg. Nothing cheap works.

The earthbox people say to just ignore the fact it has fertilizer --they used to say get one without it but have modified their instructions.

And yes you should use a plastic cover--it really is an essential component to an earthbox-type design--ie no top watering and fertilizing only once.

I would not put more than 2 tomatoes per container. I 'think' even the Husky dwarf is a big plant only short.
I prefer only one but most people put 2.

Using Josh's plans you would still use a fertilizer strip and 19-6-12 would probably not be the best. Again EB site says all numbers should be between 5 and 15 and for what you are growing it should not be time-released. More like 5-10-10 or 10-10-10 or something like that. I do like something that has micronutrients if you can it.

Also very important-mix 2 cups of DOLOMITE (not hydrated lime) in every 2 cubic feet of mix.

Good luck.
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binary_eclipse
Original Author
17 years ago
Thank you, guys. That helps a lot. I was feeling a little dubious about the 19-6-12 stuff, and this just confirms it. So I need dolomite, and an alternate fertilizer. And perhaps I will hop over to the tomato forum and query those guys on which of these tomato plants might be a candidate for a 5 gallon home.

Would it be good to look for a fertilizer that specifically says it's for tomatoes? Or are the numbers ultimately the most important part?

Thanks for your time!

~Jennifer