Hi All,

This is my second year container gardening and my first year attempting to make the 5-1-1 I have seen to many good reviews about on this site.

I'm a little nervous about messing it up and wasting not only some cash on the materials but also valuable weeks of growing time, so I have some questions:

I have the following materials available at my local Home Depot - do these look like the right sort of pine and peat for use in the 5-1-1?

The screening - I understand the purpose of this is to remove the really fine pieces so I don't end up with wet sludge when I water, is that correct?

Does anyone have a photo of what the screened pine bark should look like? I have never seen this in person so am having a hard time working out what I should aim for.

Reading through the forum I understand that the 5-1-1 is suitable for self watering containers and that the watering should be done from below - is that correct? If so - how do I know if the mix is wicking enough, or do I just have to go by whether my tomatoes and peppers die or not?

Apologies if my questions are dumb - I'm pretty much a novice at this and would appreciate any help.

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