One of the most important parts of the garden is the soil. Living in a condo, and gardening in containers means the native soil in the area doesn’t matter. It can be red clay or full of rocks and the effect on your garden is zero. I buy Garden Time garden soil in bags at Lowe’s. But this blog is being read throughout the U.S. and in several other countries, and I don’t know if this mix is available everywhere my blog is being read.
In case you can’t buy this specific garden soil, I’m going to give you the dirt on dirt. Mel Bartholomew developed a simple formula that eliminates many of the messy parts of gardening. With this mix, you don’t have to dig out rocks, pull weeds or add fertilizer. When I started my garden earlier this year, I had some of this soil left over. One of my older pots with a flowering vine and two geraniums was a little low on soil. I planted this pot a few years earlier, using another type of potting mix. Since the soil had compacted over time, (This doesn’t happen with Mel’s Mix), I used my leftover soil to top it off. I was surprised and pleased with the results. In just a few days, the geraniums gave me more flowers than they had in three years. They haven’t stopped since. The compliments from my neighbors haven’t stopped either.
If you live in an apartment or condo, and you are going to make the formula yourself, I suggest you use a clean trash can lined with a plastic bag as a “mixing bowl”. Alternate putting in the three ingredients using a large plastic bowl as a scoop and mix as you would when cooking. This way, you won’t make a mess. You will need peat moss, coarse vermiculite and blended compost (compost from five different sources, to give you a range of nutrients). Mix these in equal parts, but don’t measure by weight. Eyeball it by volume. How much you will need depends upon the size and number of containers you plan on planting. The bags I buy contain two cubic feet of mix. I used one bag for two pots. My pots are fifteen inches square and eighteen inches tall.
Drill a small hole in the bottom of each container. Place a piece of panty hose over the hole. Drainage hole filters are sold in nurseries, but why spend the money? Old panty hose work just fine. Scoop sand to fill the bottom third of each pot before filling with your fresh, homemade garden soil mix. The sand allows for proper drainage, and the screen you created or bought keeps the sand from leaking out. You won’t have weeds, since the mix doesn’t contain weed seeds. You won’t need fertilizer, since the compost provides everything your plants will need. Watering is easier too, because the vermiculite retains moisture, while the mix allows for easy drainage of excess water. Just add plants or seeds, and all the "dirty work" is done.
The name of this blog is Easy Condo Gardening. I don’t do complicated. If Garden Time garden soil (Mel’s Mix) is available at a home improvement store or nursery near you, go for it. The steps are simpler if you buy it by the bag. Open, scoop, then plant. What could be easier?
Until next time,
Elizabeth
