HI All. I am new to greenhouse gardening and need to kinw what dirt/soil to use in the containers. I picked up a bag of garden dirt but it said on the pack not for container use. I will be3 growing Tomato and other vegies and dont think the potting soil will hold the weight of the plant. I will be moving some plants outside for summer. I also plan to use the dirt floor of the greenhouse for carrot and cucumbers and onion. ANY HELP PLEASE. MY HOUSE ARRIVES LATER THIS WEEK THANKS JOEDIRT
Potting mix is certainly heavy enough for tomato plants. It is used all the time, you just need a large enough container. If you greenhouse is big enough, consider using raised beds just filled with dirt from the garden.
It is a 6X8 Poly tek Enthusiest. I have some 12" X 12" X 12" square pots for each plant. I also picked up some 12 X 24 containers as well. Still dont know why you cant use "garden dirt" in containers but the bags of dirt tell me not to. THANKS
Joe--is the "garden dirt" in bags actual topsoil, or some kind of mix without soil? Topsoil won't work well in containers coz it won't drain the same as it does sitting in the ground (to do with capillary action and perched water tables). Containers need very coarse/well draining media. With careful watering, you could manage the soil in a greenhouse container, but a coarser mix is more forgiving of any overwatering. I do grow my greenhouse tomatoes right in the ground, but realize they may become disease ridden over time and need to go to containers and soiless culture one day. The hothouse tomatoes around here all all grown in bags of sawdust, which works well for them with a basically hydroponic fertilzing/watering regime. A container mix could be compost and bark, which you could either make up yourself or buy premixed. There should be about 8 pounds of dolomite lime per cubic yard, this would need to be calculated for your quantity if you mix your own...bagged mixes should have that already. Make sure you have a source of trace elements, too, if your mix or the bought stuff doesn't contain it naturally...kelp meal is one source of these for veggies, for e.g. Cucumbers have done great right in the ground for me as well. Watch out for spider mites when the hot weather arrives, and be prepared for powdery mildew in late summer...two enemies that I don't have great solutions for...
Yes it is comercial bags of top soil sold at Home Depot. It advised against using in containers. I bought miracle grow potting soil and was planning on using that in the pots in the greenhouse. Any other advise? Do I want to add worms to the potting soil as I find them? I also read it would be good to keep a frog in the greenhouse as well?
