New to United States, Container garden watering & fertiliser questions

[thomas.r.silverman]

Hi all,

Like many others I've very recently started a container veg garden.

I currently have potatoes, kale, red cabbages, yellow onion, carrots, garlic and tomatoes. With black eyed peas and black beans just germitaing.

Further research after sewing has shown me I'm a little out of season for a few of these, but I'm going to press ahead anyway.

I'm from the UK, and this is my first growing season here in east Los Angeles.

I was looking for some watering advice. Sunlight is currently only at 4 hours in my small garden, but increases a fair bit by mid summer I'm told.

I have everything in 5 gallon containers, apart from potatoes in a 10 gallon. I have organic potting soil mixed with compost in each, and straw as mulch to retain moisture.

I also have some Fox Farm fertilisers, nitrogen rich for foliage producing stages, and P & K rich for bud, flower and fruit stages (on plants where this is needed.) I was wondering how often I should be fertilising with my water schedule too?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thomas

 

[oneeye]

If you are using a new organic soil and its NEW, you won't need to fertilize for a while. If you really want to know exactly when to fertilize and you plan on growing for many years to come, I recommend you getting a TDS meter to check the ppm before fertilizing. With a TDS meter you and read the amount of fertilizer in the water, that you catch in the bottom tray in every pot. I never ever fertilize anything unless I check it first with the TDS meter. Also I never fertilize anything over 360 ppm. A TDS meter will cost between $20 to $40 but they are worth every penny. I had mine for 8 years only change the battery once. Welcome and good luck with your grow.

 

[oneeye]

I have seen a lot of people make the mistake of using Fox farms nutrients on soil that was not Ocean Forest or Happy Frog. Using their products with other soils will cause problems because of matching pH. Fox farms soils has a neutral (7) pH and matched with their nutes you can maintain a 6.2 pH. Fox Farm nutes have a pH of 4.2 and when added to neutral pH soil it brings it down to 6.2 perfect pH. If you buy another soil like Pro-MixBx, Pro-mixHP, Sunshine Mix or Roots organic that has a low pH and use Fox farms nutrient line, it will drop the pH down below 4 pH, and kill everything! Don't mix Fox farms nutes with other soils.

 

[thomas.r.silverman]

If you are using a new organic soil and its NEW, you won't need to fertilize for a while. If you really want to know exactly when to fertilize and you plan on growing for many years to come, I recommend you getting a TDS meter to check the ppm before fertilizing. With a TDS meter you and read the amount of fertilizer in the water, that you catch in the bottom tray in every pot. I never ever fertilize anything unless I check it first with the TDS meter. Also I never fertilize anything over 360 ppm. A TDS meter will cost between $20 to $40 but they are worth every penny. I had mine for 8 years only change the battery once. Welcome and good luck with your grow.

Excellent thank you. I shall be purchasing one of these!