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Old 03-02-2006, 10:12 PM posted to rec.gardens
Mark Anderson
 
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Default Building Container Soil

In article says...
I'm a neighbor of yours just north of Chicago. I don't know where you are
getting
your information, but some of it sound suspect. I use the coarse sand in my
raised
beds and containers. Used in moderation, I think it's effect is
contributory. It prevents
topsoil from caking up and assists in drainage.


I'm also on the North side of Chicago. Where do you get this coarse
sand everyone mentions? Last summer I used sandbox sand which I now
find out was not the right ingredient. I only used it because I needed
to get rid of it -- and the drought last summer exasperated this
mistake. I did read many recipes calling for this coarse sand though.
My favorite nursery around here is that Farmer's Market on 4500 N Elston
but since it's winter I'm not sure if they're even open to go shopping
for this stuff.

I don't
know where you heard bad things about compost. It can only be a problem if
it is not
fully processed, which in that case it will leach out nitrogen from the
soil.


I read that compost clogs macropores reducing the drainage capability of
the container. It was also mentioned that micro-organisms, although
beneficial for non-container gardens, can be harmful in a container
environment. This is why I'm confused because there are so many
different scientific explanations proposing opposite solutions. I would
prefer to use compost in the veggie containers. Farmer's Market sells
bags of Mushroom compost that has a lot of texture which would seem to
help improve the soil structure. I'm not sure, however, how much
nitrogen this compost leeches since it looks like it might be under
decomposed.


Never hurts to research this, but I think you are putting too much
emphasis
on this soil thing. Don't hesitate to add compost and sand to your
mixtures.
Proper watering, good seeds, and sufficient sunlight are much bigger
factors
in successful vegetable growing.


My veggies are on the main rooftop so they get sunrise to sunset sun in
the summer. It's encouraging that the soil isn't the biggest factor and
maybe I just need to make small adjustments to my mix. As others have
pointed out in this thread, I think my tomato problems might have been
due to root burn. I use 20 gallon plastic tubs (with holes cut for
drainage) and it does get pretty hot up there. This summer, along with
a different soil mix, I'm going to build something to shade the soil and
the pots from getting hit with direct sunlight.