Soil mix for peppers in open containers?

[kath]

This year I need to grow 12 peppers in open containers for the 1st time (so as to leave more room in the garden for tomatoes ) and would like to know what experience may have shown you is a good growing medium for them to thrive. My guess is that if it worked for tomatoes, it would make peppers happy, too, right? After a lot of searching, I found a lot about the closed systems but not open ones. I've got no experience with growing anything but herbs and flowers in containers and have no problem with the inevitable frequent watering that will probably be required. My hope is that I am finally going to be able to take advantage of the late surge of blooming and fruit set that inevitably takes place in the fall and be able to get these late fruits to ripen by bringing the containers into my dh's 'cactus greenhouse' before frost; until then they'll just be set here and there around the corners, paths and empty nooks inside the fenced garden. I've a collection of 4 and 5 gallon containers, lots of garden soil, some of Mel's mix hanging around, a big bag of perlite, 1/2 bag of ProMix, a lot less compost than I'd like, dolomitic lime, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, blood meal, wood ash, rock phosphate, greensand, blood meal, and horse manure that's not as old as I'd like. I'm hoping not to have to purchase much, if anything, if possible. When the time comes, I have Maxicrop, fish/seaweed fertilizer, tomato fertilizer, Spray-n-grow, molasses, and can make compost/manure teas. So if you have any suggestions for what's worked for you and what might work for me (or what hasn't and might not ) I would really appreciate it. Since I love peppers and these will be the only ones, I want to give them a fighting chance!

[rnewste]

kath,

Your containers may be different, but for a self watering one, I have found a 3:3:2 ratio of potting mix, bark fines (small bark particles), and perlite worked well for my Peppers last Season.

Raybo

[kath]

Thanks, Raybo, for your prompt reply! I found quite a few posts concerning your formulation for Earthboxes and swc's today; didn't want to post a question that could be easily answered by using the search option...you appear to be a resident expert, for sure! Guess I'm just hoping to be able to use at least some of what I already have, and I would definitely need more potting mix to fill my containers not to mention having to find and purchase bark fines. Must be others out there who've had experience just using what they had to grow stuff in a container, right? They're probably in bed by now! We'll see.

[rnewste]

kath,

I won't attempt to tell you what won't work - - only what I have field tested that I have seen that does work.

You can find Bark Fines or a substitute called "clay soil conditioner" at any Nursery.

Raybo

[habitat_gardener]

Originally Posted by kath

Must be others out there who've had experience just using what they had to grow stuff in a container, right?

In my experience, it's ok to use what's on hand for containers. The only "must" is to make sure the mix is lighter weight than garden soil, more or less, and drains well. Is there some cactus mix sitting around unused?

Last year, I grew hot peppers (Craig's experimental purple-leaved varieties) in about a dozen 1-gallon pots. I'd bought a block of compressed coir, thinking it was shredded, and it turned out to be chunks! I used it anyway: half coir chunks, half homemade compost. The peppers thrived. I did not water daily. I figured out the proportions by eyeballing what I had -- the coir chunks were large enough to provide lots of pore space, so I didn't need to add perlite.

I also grew tomatoes in 5-gallon containers with the bottoms cut out. I used mostly homemade compost mixed with mulch (originally from tree trimmers, wintered in my garden paths) and possibly a few coir chunks and coir potting mix and some clayey garden soil. Also a handful or so of alfalfa pellets. I sort of neglected them, since they were on the edges of the garden, but they still produced some tomatoes. They got watered a couple times a week.

All containers were well mulched with more of the path mulch.

[kath]

Raybo-thanks for the tip in case I need to go shopping.
Habitat_gardener-Thanks for sharing your experience! Got some good ideas from your reply. No cactus mix around as he plants using sand from the Delaware R.! But lightening the mix sounds like it's key. I have a huge pile of tree mulch, too, that we got early last spring and use exclusively for mulching paths and other non-planting areas. Never thought of using them to mulch the tops of the containers; probably would have used straw, mulch hay, or grass clippings. Wouldn't have used them as part of the mix because I thought they would "steal nitrogen from the growing plants during their decomposition" or something like that-is that not true?

[kath]

Anyone else ever grown veggies in open containers?

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

I grow my tomatoes in open containers using miricle grow potting mix (non moisture control) and have good success.

Craig

[kath]

Thanks, Craig. That's good to know as far as just how fluffy I need to make it using what I have, I guess.

[habitat_gardener]

Originally Posted by kath

... I have a huge pile of tree mulch, too, that we got early last spring and use exclusively for mulching paths and other non-planting areas. Never thought of using them to mulch the tops of the containers...

When I need to lighten up a container mix, I sometimes add fines from the path mulch. I sift the path mulch using a nursery flat (the one with small holes). Just in case the fines are not composted enough, I add alfalfa meal to the mix for N. Now that I think of it, this is what I called "mulch" in the container mix. I use the fines as part of the mix, and the coarser, uncomposted material as a top dressing.

It seems like extra work to sift path mulch, but for weed control I replace path mulch in certain areas every couple years or so.

One year, a local gardener I know used path mulch to grow tomatoes. IIRC, the path mulch was a couple years old. She just piled it on the bed, 6 inches thick or more. If anything, the tomatoes looked like they were getting too much N -- very lush.

[kath]

habitat_gardener,
Thanks again for taking the time to help and explain what you do. What you said about sifting the path for fines totally makes sense to me. Yesterday I was realizing the need to put down more of the mulch on well-trod areas as weeds were popping thru and in pulling the weeds, saw how fine the wood pieces had become just below the surface in only 1 yr.! Another great way to use free materials and we already have alfalfa meal for N insurance. Yeah, a little more work, but good exercise, too! Appreciate your suggestions.

[dice]

Perhaps this document will be useful:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/cn004

[kath]

Thanks, dice, for the interesting link. It exercised some math and science brain cells that haven't been used in a while! I think I'm going to be sort of winging it with what I have around here this year and see how it goes.

[chalstonsc]

Kath- If you like eggplant, they do really well in open containers.

[kath]

Thanks, chalstonsc, we're not fond of eggplant, though.