I recently went to my local Max Bahr, a Menard's/Home Depot type of store with all the possible home fixtures and building supplies you can imagine, including a garden center, as part of my spring fever splurge! It's still pretty early to really stock up too much, but I did get a few packages of soil and some seeds (needed more cherry tomatoes) to start things out, as well as a few flower plants. While they (the flowers) are supposedly edible, I don't know if I'll eat them - I just like to have that splash of color between all the greens once things are growing out there, and for the time being they're just something living outside to look at!
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| some soil I mixed yesterday... |
Speaking of which, I've been thinking about soil and balcony gardening recently (now in the planing stages is the ideal time to think about the basis of container gardening, the soil!), mainly due to a poor soil purchase last year which I'm sure was the reason for some plants not growing or producing. Coming from a childhood in the country, I always have thought it to be kinda silly that I have to buy "the earth" from the store for my balcony, yet so it is!
But...
The benefit is the following: you aren't "stuck" with whatever soil your land is made of! You have free reign to decide what kind of soil suits you and your (various) plants' needs. Last year I ended up getting really cheap potting soil made for flowers, but it was too moist (held too much moisture, didn't allow for good drainage, which is absolutely vital for container gardens) for most of my plants, just too dense. Despite not having had rain for days here now, the soil is still sopping wet - I can practically squeeze the water out of it! Yuck!
DIY Mixing
I've recently seen about ways to mix your own soil for each plant, or even household scraps you can use to enrich the soil - very important for containers since they don't have a whole lot of ground to feed them. Composting isn't just for those with land! Here are a few things you can add to enrich your soil:
- Coffee grounds - contains the all-important nutrient nitrogen as well as other trace minerals. Start by just adding a few tablespoons for each long planter (mine are about 2 feet long), mixing it into the soil.
- Egg shells - you've probably heard this one before! Make sure to wash and let them dry out first, then smash or pulverize them. They've got lots of calcium for your plants, just mix in with the soil or sprinkle on the ground near the plants.
- Banana peels - lots of potassium for your plants! I'd be a little cautious with this one on your balcony since you probably don't want to invite a bug problem to your building, so maybe cut up the peel in pieces and add a few per planter to the bottom. Worth a shot!
- Old herbs or grass clippings - just mix in with the soil, but make sure that the clippings do not contain any diseased plant material that could ruin your whole planter!
- Tea / tea bags - again, cut up and mix into the soil, making sure not to add too much, just a few tablespoon for a long planter.
- Think crop rotation is just for farmers? I beg to differ - since beans are nitrogen-fixing, I will put some of last year's bean soil in my other planters to give them a vitamin boost! We'll see if it works/helps. Of course I will still add some new soil as well. I try to add at least some new soil to the planters each season, or completely replace it if it seems that the roots took over the whole pot - don't want to starve my plants!
- DO NOT add any kind of fat or animal scraps!!
- You can add stones or anything that won't rot to the bottom of a pot to allow for more drainage!
Keep in mind some plants are very picky about their soil, so you may have to experiment (some chili peppers, orchids, etc.)
Have fun playing in the dirt! And don't forget to find a suitable liquid or solid fertilizer for later on!
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