Ensure soil has `staying power'
Adding a heavy bagged soil to potting blends will see plants through season
Q I've been disappointed with the quality of the potting soils I buy, for both indoor and outdoor use. They seem to be without much substance. Can you recommend ways to alleviate their flimsiness?
A Yours is a common complaint among home gardeners. Because basic potting blends do tend to be very light, I've always added a hefty-textured bagged soil to a basic mix, at a rate of about a third of the amount of the basic mix.
What that heavier-textured soil might be will depend on what is available where you live. You may have to try a bag of more than one type to find a soil that suits.
What you are looking for is a soil that will add enough substance to the final mix to lend it “staying power” to see plantings through the season without flagging.
Look for an “all-purpose” soil that specifies that it is suitable for indoor use and for seeding as well as for potting in general.
A potting mix labelled “multi-purpose” is not the same. Always check for “all-purpose” and look also for seeding directions as a final confirmation of the product's true all-purpose nature.
Another useful addition, if you can find it at an affordable price, is coconut fibre (coir), a natural material that adds moisture retention to a mix and acts as a buffer against temperature extremes — a rather important feature considering the intense heat of recent summers.
Q I saw an odd little edible in a friend's garden last summer. I'm still not sure what exactly it is. My friend used the name “cucamelon.” Are you familiar with it?
A I grow this interesting little fruit most years, in among the cucumber vines. It is also called mouse melon or Mexican sour gherkin.
The fine vines bear little fruits that look like miniature (grapesized) watermelons and taste like slightly lemony cucumbers, with a pleasant crunch. Seeds are usually found listed among the cucumbers.