Dumb question?

[b54red]

Do any of you container growers ever try using garden soil in your mix and compare the results with the more expensive mixes mentioned frequently on this forum?
The reason I'm asking is because last winter I grew a couple of tomatoes in a mix of garden soil, mushroom compost, regular compost, peat, perlite, and a little cottonseed meal and they did good with no disease. This year I am growing some in a mix of peat, potting soil, perlite, and bark and the plants are not as big and lush as the ones last year.
I'm just wondering if the advantage of containers is mainly in keeping the plants further up from the ground. I am a month behind where I got tomatoes off my container plants last year, but it has been much colder and more cloudy this year. So far no disease this year either.
One thing I noticed last year with the pots containing about 1/3 garden soil was that when they finally got too big for my little greenhouse and I emptied the containers they were full of worms.
The main reason I asked this question is because of something I tried last year in the garden in an attempt at keeping disease down. I pruned all of the growth off on the bottom 18 or so inches of about half of my plants. The result was slower production at first but less disease as the season progressed and the plants that were kept clean of foliage at the bottom lasted longer, were more disease tolerant and in the end produced more. This may be only because we had such a wet year and with our high temps and humidity the plants were able to dry off quicker and get more air flow.
I'd like to hear from others from the sweat belt because I am a novice at growing in containers during the regular season; but am interested in trying a few this year and would really like to know if adding garden soil defeats the purpose of growing in containers. My little experiment in the greenhouse hasn't answered that question.

[chalstonsc]

b54red,
Looking forward to the discussion of this. The first container tomato expert I followed used a mix of 2 cu. ft. of pine bark fines (mulch) and 40lb bag of humus. I'd say the humus in this mix works much like the garden soil and composts you used, in providing beneficial organisms like bacteria, fungi,etc. that help plants feed and help protect them from disease.
.
Other container experts I've followed say that any soil in the mix in a container will compact the mix, depriving the plants of of maximum oxygen and slowing root development. The best of these growers also use additives like mycogrow and Actinovate,which to me, end up acting like the beneficial organisms you got from the garden soil and composts.

I've used both approaches, and still haven't settled on which works the best in the sweat around here. I'm no expert, can't use any soil because mine has bacterial wilt in it that kills the plants, but right now I'm guessing garden soil to a point, as a partial ingredient, can work OK. But I also agree that minimizing the compacting of the mix and maximizing the oxygenation is very important too. I expect I'm going to run some side-by-side tests this year....

As for getting tomatoes sooner from container plants, that may be in part due to the weather, but could also be largely due to the fact that the temperature of the soil in containers warms faster, which tomatoes really like and make them mature faster(my eggplants and peppers do too).

Containers do keep the plants somewhat off the ground and will help soil borne diseases like my bacterial wilt, but I don't think they decrease the sweat belt diseases that are not soil borne.

My two cents probably is that there is probably more than one way to be very successful growing in containers.

[Blueaussi]

If you're sure your garden soil is disease free, there's nothing wrong with it.

[darwinslair]

I have always mixed my garden soil about 3 to 1 with compost for my containers. Works fine for me.

And filling 50 or so pots every year would cost me a fortune if I had to buy mix to do it.

It is how I grow most of my peppers and eggplants.

I grow a few tomatoes that way, and found that Stupice does just as well in a pot as it does the ground.

Tom

[mtbigfish]

You should see what amideutch(mostly containers), rnewste or container ted have to say - rnewste and container ted grows exclusively in containers
rnewste uses containers he designed and provides the plans on how to create for free - their plants grow incredible

In the past I was forced to grow some plants in containers where soli has diseases. So I didn't use soil only pro-mix bx (can get with biofungacide) I add extra white pumice, ferilizer and add mychorrize endo and ecto - you can add a veggie compost also like garden and bloom etc

one 3.8 cu bale costs $27+ but when you take the time and thouroughly break it up you get close to 40 gallons from one bag

Also there are many plants that grow or are recommended for pots but I would really check with the 2 growers above - I am sure there are more
Yes and Stupice, Black Krim,Matina, Dona(op), Black Prince, Carmello, Crazy (many cherries do well) Eva Purple Ball, Fireworks, Juane Flamme', Green Zebra, Japenese Black Trifele, Lime Green Salad (many Det) Martinos Roma, Opalka, Paul Robeson, Sophies Choice I have found do very well in pots and there are many others

Dennis

[mtbigfish]

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=12535