I'm trying to prepare for next year, have already got 5 20 gallon nursery containers and a 20 gallon smart pot (one of those aerated things).

Because pre-mixed potting mix/soil can be so darn expensive, I was hoping that some of yall could point me in th direction of how to mix my own. I can't make my own compost or anything like that because I live in an apartment.

The ferts I've got on hand are osmocote, fish emulsion, nitrogen sticks, bone meal, and some kind of tomato fertilizer that looks like colored salts. I dont know what it's called but it comes in a bright orange box.

So far this year, I'm growing husky cherry red tomatoes in a 9 gallon pot, hungarian hot yellow wax peppers in the same size, thai hot peppers in a 5 gallon, and a bunch of different herbs. The herbs I all used a gritty mix, and for the toms/peppers I just used miracle gro mixed with perlite. But with the volume of medium I'm going to need next year, I doubt I can throw down enough to fill my pots with just miracle gro and perlite, seeing as the cost stacks up really quickly.

And with the heat down here, I know the gritty mix would start rejecting water very fast.

Thanks in advance,
Emily

How many do you think I could fit into a 20 gallon nursery pot without causing problems?

Al