MFB's

[Ger-annie-um]

Quick question, when you plant tomatoes, peppers or anything else for that matter in MFB's what sort of mix do you use. Just MPC or a mix of MPC and something else. I'm trying to get it right (no I'll never get it right), a bit more right this year.

[Penellype]

I don't use MFBs but I do plant tomatoes and peppers in pots. I use the compost that comes out of the big tomato gro-bags.

[Thelma Sanders]

I find MPC on it's own isn't 'enough' and doesn't hold water well, so I mix 50 -50 with soil from te garden that hasn't grown tomatoes recently.

That said, most of my tomatoes get planted in the greenhouse border, so I only grow a few in pot ones each year.

[johnjohn]

I expect you'r going to get several different responses! When I had the greenhouse (slab base) we generally used MPC on it's own. The exception was if we had grow bags, then we would cut out the bottoms of the MFB's, cut holes to match in the grow bag and push the pot down a bit but it was still just normal MPC that went into the pots. If you reuse your compost then you could freshen it up with some fish, blood and bone or similar.

[jackarmy]

generally normal mpc and as stated above i whack some bfb in as well.
some advocate extra choir but thats something i dont do, trial and error i guess, but itll never end , the quest that is .

[Potstubsdustbins]

I use MPC for everything, but then add small amounts of granular fertilizer to the mix, plus grow more is it is already used compost.

What ever you do the growing medium will lack nutrients after about week five so you will have to feed anyway.

[Cadalot]

10% Soil
40% Coir
60% MPC
and if for potatoes a scoop of potato fertiliser
if Tomatoes some BFB
Drainage holes 10 - 15mm up from the bottom so it holds water at the bottom of the bucket

[Bigmallly]

10% Soil
40% Coir
60% MPC
and if for potatoes a scoop of potato fertiliser
if Tomatoes some BFB
Drainage holes 10 - 15mm up from the bottom so it holds water at the bottom of the bucket

Hmmmmmmmmmm..........110%

[maverick451]

Sorry to ask but whats an MFB?

[Cadalot]

Sorry to ask but whats an MFB?

Morrison's Flower Bucket - they sell them off dirt cheap

[Cadalot]

Hmmmmmmmmmm..........110%

OK got me, I was tying to think of the ratio of Coir to MPC, but I add some soil in there so that the beneficial microbes make it into the mix plus I use the TESCO Square buckets so I need extra The spent mix gets spread over my allotment beds as a soil conditioner and I start again with a new batch each year.

10% Soil
40% Coir
50% MPC
and if for potatoes a scoop of potato fertiliser
if Tomatoes some BFB then comfrey
Drainage holes 10 - 15mm up from the bottom so it holds water at the bottom of the bucket

[Bren In Pots]

Nothing scientific here just a mix of dalek compost MPC and soil then feed with comfrey.

[rary]

Two measures of MPC, one of soil and one course sand, mix well add small amount of feralizer, and monitor for when additional feeding is required

[Mitzi]

Does the feralizer make them go wild?

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Nothing scientific here just a mix of dalek compost MPC and soil then feed with comfrey.

Very much like Bren, 50/50 MPC n home made compost with a slack handful of "Perlite" to add a little drainage, and once in flower, feed with "Tomorite"