Best Soil Mixing for potted plants and veggie plots

[Jonrek]

Hi to TEGiers!!!

i was wondering how to soil mix for flower plants and my veggies..
iM planning to make a square foot garden for my new veggies.

i read and search but most are jut the same method, there are four/three kinds of mixtures
⦁ PEAT MOSS/COCONUT COIR
⦁ VERMICULITE === i cant find this one and the peat moss here asia..
⦁ COMPOST

but i want to know it from you guys , what is best.
im living here in ASIA..

Hope you can give some advice..
thanks.

 

[so lucky]

If the material that we use isn't available to you there, I would suggest that you go to a nursery and ask them what they use. They may have other materials to use that aren't available to us in the US.
See if you can find a local nursery that grows their own vegetable plants to sell. Hope you find something suitable.

 

[digitS']

You may have to make that compost real, real quick, Jonrek.

Compost would substitute for the peat moss. Coarse sand would substitute for the vermiculite. It should be coarse sand as anything that looks like powder may end up like concrete.

Personally, I would put a couple shovelfuls of your best garden soil in the compost as you are making it. The plant material going in the compost will reduce, at least 50%, so you will not need very much soil. If it goes through hot composting with the other material, weed seeds can be killed.

Is there any chance for you to get mushroom compost and worm castings?

Steve

 

[Carol Dee]

Not going to give soil advice, but will watch to see what is recommended. AND Hello

 

[Jonrek]

there are some worm farm here, wwould like to buy some and make my own worm castings..

thanks for remember i almost forget this.. thanks BTW..

 

[Jonrek]

thanks digitS ^_^

i ask some seller in nurseries. they said they just put rice hull together with their soil.
now i realize that when i buy flower and strawberries and transplant them, i see more rice hulls than soil or compost mix.

is that okay to put more rice hulls?

 

[digitS']

I buy potting soil for plant starts and am afraid to make a change with the routine.

The mix is organic and made from "forest litter," worm castings, and perlite. Forest litter is what - an aged mulch of leaves? Perlite is obsidian rock, treated with heat. Worm castings provide the plant nutrients and is the most important ingredient.

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don’t do square foot/raised bed/container gardening so I can’t help a lot. I’d guess the ideal soil mix would probably be pretty close for all of them. When I prepared a flower bed out front I mixed peat moss and compost with native soil. I mulch it with wood chips and occasionally add compost, thought the wood chips do that as they break down. It’s worked out pretty well but I kind of wish I’d added some coarse sand as well.

There are people that know these things on here a lot better than me, but if you are going to be substituting, I’d think you’d want to know what each component does. I’m guessing on this and hopefully will be corrected where wrong, but I’d think the peat moss/coconut coir is mainly for moisture retention, the vermiculite for drainage, and the compost for nutrients/tilth.

I don’t know where you are in Asia, if you’ve told us blame it in my memory. You might want to modify your profile to add that info to help old people like me. Does the government have an agricultural ministry that could help provide information on possible substitutions or mixes from local products?

I have a couple of soils samples with our extension service that I should get the results back in a week or so. If they provide that service, you might better know what you could mix with your native soil to get where you want. Not necessarily build the soil from scratch but modify what you have.

 

[Jonrek]

im currently living here in Thailand, its not easy to find those here especially the language problems with thai people...the're is not much english speakers here.. its a bit problematic..

 

[Jonrek]

is it okay to put food scraps/waste(except for meat and bone) into my compost pile?

does anyone can tell me, what does this things can help with my soil..??
Perlite=
vermiculite=

thnks and god bless you all..
Happy gardening..