GARDENING IN THE GROUND GARDENING IN CONTAINERS
If you want to grow your garden in the ground, buy topsoil
or a blend. “If you’re going to mend a lawn or do seeding,
and you want something heavier, topsoil or top dresser
helps,” Zammit says. “A blend is good for new or existing
vegetable and flower beds.”
Blends often include topsoil and may be labeled as
“triple mix,” “three-in-one,” or “four-in-one.” A quality
blend should contain a combination of loam, peat base,
humus, and some form of compost; if you don’t see these
keywords listed, it’s a red flag suggesting lower quality.
Blends tend to be more expensive than topsoil because
they contain multiple elements. If you’re gardening in a container, Zammit
recommends buying a potting mix, which tends to be
peat- or chor-based. He advises against using actual
soil in a container as it’s too heavy. “It would likely
settle and the plants would suffer,” he says, pointing
out soil life is very different in a container compared
to in the ground.
Watch out for polymers, though; they can reduce the
need to water as often but Zammit tends to avoid these
because they’re synthetic. Instead, he recommends
container mixes that include mycorrhiza: “It’s a soil-
born fungi that helps create a relationship with the
plant, and they are being shown to be very beneficial.”
Look for: Topsoil or blend
“If you want to grow your garden in
the ground, buy topsoil or a blend.”
Organic Matter
If you’re gardening in the ground, Zammit stresses the
importance of adding organic matter. Why? Because
feeding your soil will in turn feed your plants. “Worms
and other organisms are constantly moving and aerating
the soil,” he says. “Organic matter becomes a food source
for the worms, the bacteria, and the fungi, and they will
release nutrients that the plants can then take.”
To do this, you can add your own compost or buy bags
of compost. When shopping for organic matter, look for
keywords such as seaweed, manure, mushroom, bone
mill, soybean mill, fish meal, worm — whatever’s local
and available.
Look for: Container mix
Should I use fertilizer?
If you’re gardening in a container, adding fertilizer
is a good idea. “Gardening in the ground is about
feeding the soil and letting the soil organisms make
the nutrients available to the plants,” Zammit says.
“With container gardening, because we water more
frequently, we often leach out the nutrients in the
pots, so we need to supplement with a fertilizer to
feed the plants.”
Should I Use Fertilizer? “With container gardening, because
we water more frequently, we often
leach out the nutrients in the pots,
so we need to supplement with a
fertilizer to feed the plants”
Consider Getting Your Soil pH Tested First Consider a slow-release fertilizer, which some
container mixes may already include. “Slow-release
fertilizer helps to get plants established and continue
to grow throughout the season,” Zammit explains.
“They release nutrients to the plant slowly over time
over the growing season based on temperature and
based on moisture.”
Fertilizer is meant to help promote plant growth by
improving the fertility of soil but adding too much can
harm soil organisms and alter the soil pH. “Soil is alive,
very much alive,” says Zammit. “We need to feed the soil
and encourage the life of the soil.” Adding organic matter
helps to feed the organisms that do all this great work.
Before you even begin planning what you want to grow,
consider getting your soil tested. “The pH of your soil will
influence how successfully plants will grow, and what
plants will grow,” Zammit says. Since pH is very difficult to
alter, he recommends working with the soil you have, and
selecting the right plants for your soil type and soil pH.
Whether you’re growing edibles or non-edibles
in the ground or in a container, it’s important to
recognize the role of your soil. Choosing the right
soil will literally help you create a solid foundation
for your dream garden.
Maximum Yield
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