First time gardener

16 years ago

Hello Everyone!

I need help!! I am a first time gardener who has spent a lot of money on building containers to grow organic vegetables. i am renting a house so I don't have raised beds these are completely containers. after a lot of research i also went to my local nursery and they recommended that I plant all my vegetables in compost only to save money. I bought many bags of EB STone compost and nothing is growing! All the vegetables sprouted in February and they did nothing after that. Now I've been going back and forth to my other store and they said I should have planted in potting soil, So now I am digging up the garden and wnating to know what to do with all this compost. Please help!

Also, what do you recommend I do to replant . The onions have been planted since Fevruary and what we dug up just have some baby roots. Please help. I am a sad garderner.

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Comments (5)

iamwell
Original Author
16 years ago
Please help. I want to do a great garden and I am very confused as what to do with all this compost I am now told is not good for container gardening.

Please help!
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
16 years ago
You need to visit the CONTAINER Forum, right here in the gardenweb.
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marlingardener
16 years ago
Iamwell, compost is a soil additive, it is added to soil. The original nursery either didn't know better or just had a bunch of compost they wanted to off-load.
The previous poster gave good advice--go to the container forum and do a search on "container soil". You can still use your compost, you will just have to add other things to it.
Everyone makes mistakes, even seasoned gardeners. You'll have a thriving garden in no time after you get dirt in your containers.
borderbarb
16 years ago
Hello to Austria from California! One thing is for sure, you will NEVER forget your first year of gardening!:) How sad that the first garden center did not give you good advice.[been there, done that]

Re: what to do with all the compost you already have: some of it you may use in building the container soil [see Al/s mix below]. The rest I would suggest holding in a container [can,bag,etc] or pile on the ground. You will eventually find a use for it. ... or if some is still in the bags, return to the garden center.... or maybe trade with another gardener for something you need. GOOD LUCK! let us know how things work out for you.
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Al is the go-to-guy for container soil mixes.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0918361520140.html?103
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Have you seen all the different forums in the garden web?
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/
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Container forum
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/contain/
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European forums
http://www.uk.gardenweb.com/forums/

Here is a link that might be useful: Al's container soil mix
Kimmsr
16 years ago
I have for years grown plants in containers in compost I have made and have started seeds in compost I have made. One the rare occassion I have purchased compost I have found it to be not something I would use in containers because most of it is too fine, and it is barely something that I would use in my soil.
Buying "compost" in a store is like buying "topsoil" in a store, you just do not know what you are getting.