I container garden, and I was planning to do an April trip to Home Depot. That's not happening. I have some seedlings that I started already. Is there any way to stretch potting soil so you need less of it? And I have some Jobe's houseplant fertilizer sticks; is there harm in using them for other plants?
I'm not sure where you are, I'm in Michigan..we can still get potting soil at home depot. But... maybe use newspaper at the bottom of your pots first. And I believe a fertilizer stick works well for any plant...
You can start making your own rich soil for no cost just by composting your fruit and vegetable scraps, egg shells, peels..get great quality soil for free.
You can start making your own rich soil for no cost just by composting your fruit and vegetable scraps, egg shells, peels..get great quality soil for free.
& coffee grinds
while compost is a wonderful idea, it takes time to break down ... like 6 months
I would put one fertilizer stick in a gallon jug of water, and then use that to water the plants. As the plants get established, cut it down to 1/2 of a stick.
You can stretch your potting soil by digging up ordinary dirt, and putting it through a colander that has large holes. You can get the cheap plastic ones that are used for pasta, where the holes are big enough for a lentil to fit through. Just keep sifting and breaking up the clumps, removing stones and weed roots as you go.
You can speed up the process if you mix a mud slurry, and then run the mud through the colander, then mix the mud with dry potting soil. If you live in an apartment and don't have access to a yard, get a bucket and find an empty lot.
I have the opposite problem. Lots of access to dirt, but no potting soil or fertilizer, and nobody is delivering in my area. So frustrating!
I actually ordered soil, potato grow bags, and straw from Walmart. But to tell the truth, the weather has been so wacky this year, I’m in New York, I have only started a few things in the house using hydroponics.
