1. 4 gallons medium or coarse sand
4 gallons moistened peat moss
4 gallons composted bark or sawdust
¼ cup garden lime
3 tablespoons superphosphate 0-20-0
1 tablespoon 10-10-10 fertilizer
2. 6 gallons moistened peat moss
6 gallons perlite
¼ cup garden lime
3 tablespoons superphosphate 0-20-0
1 tablespoon 10-10-10 fertilizer
3. 4 gallons pasteurized garden soil
4 gallons medium or coarse sand
4 gallons leaf mold
3 tablespoons superphosphate 0-20-0
1 tablespoon 10-10-10 fertilizer
Pasteurizing soil: To pasteurize garden soil, moisten it and spread it about 2 inches deep on a cookie sheet. Place a thermometer so that the bulb is about in the center of the soil, but not touching the metal sheet. Put the pan of soil in the oven and turn it on. Heat the soil to 140°F, and keep it at that temperature for 30 minutes. If your oven thermostat can't be set as low as 140°F, heat the soil to that temperature, then turn off the oven and crack the door slightly. Do not heat the soil higher than 140°F or for longer than 30 minutes. This temperature is high enough to kill all disease-producing organisms and insect pests, and will even kill some weed seeds. However, many of the beneficial soil organisms will survive. Clean clay pots can be pasteurized at the same time as the soil.
Planting in containers: When potting, do not put a layer of gravel in the bottom of the container. A gravel layer does not improve drainage, and it reduces the amount of soil that can be used by the roots. If necessary, keep soil from spilling out of the drain holes by placing a piece of screen or broken crockery over the hole before planting. Do not fill the container to the rim with soil. The space between the surface of the soil and the container rim is a watering reservoir. The reservoir should be deep enough after settling so that 1 filling provides enough water to wet the mix to the bottom.
