Potting Mix

I have two types of potting soil. Both are fine, but this brand has more organic material and may need some red clay balls to ensure better drainage. This soil is great for nutrient hungry plants, like tomatoes.

This soil has some red clay bits mixed in and is pretty much ready to use. 

I add 5% red clay balls (medium size) to my soil (potting mix) to promote better drainage and add some extra minerals to the soil. Plants need nutrients from organic material and fertilizer, but also need minerals, such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), zinc, copper and the like. Most newly bought potting soils have most of the nutrients and minerals your plants will need to get started, but to give your mix a boost you can add mineral pellets, which is discussed below.  

Fertilizer is an important organic component. When I buy fertilizer, I always open the bag and let it sit a couple weeks before I use it. You do not need to add fertilizer to new potting mix since the potting mix generally contains most of the nutrients your plants will need to get started, plus there is a risk that fertilizer may burn the roots of young seedlings. I add one or two handfuls of fertilizer to the top soil of my plants after a few weeks and once they start to grow leaves, but not when they are fruiting. I also use fertilizer to rejuvenate soil I am going to recycle (5%), like with sweet potatoes. Solid fertilizer takes time to break down, so a good source to add to soil for the long term, but plants can get a nutrient boost from liquid and EM fertilizers.

This is concentrated liquid fertilizer. I will water my plants once a week with liquid fertilizer, if I have no EM fertilizer. So this is my back-up. See EM fertilizer below.

This is homemade Effective Microorganism (EM) fertilizer. EM fertilize is different from standard fertilize that simply adds nutrients to the soil; instead, EM fertilizer promotes the grow and health of beneficial microorganisms that plants need to stay healthy. EM fertilizer is easy to make with some molasses, water and EM fertilizer concentrate. There are tons of videos on YouTube on how to make EM fertilizer. I water my plants with EM fertilizer once a week. 

These are mineral pellets (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K)). They last a while and I add a handful every couple of months. There are different amounts depending on the type of plant, but I grow so many types I just get something in the middle.

This is a pesticide. I really do not like to use this since it is harmful to beneficial insects as well, but there are times I must; for example, spider mites, mealybugs and nettle caterpillars. I generally inspect my plants and remove pests by hand when I find them, but spider mites and mealybugs are too numerous by the time you find them and nettle caterpillars are painful. When I must, I will spray in the evening once all the pollinators are gone.