Oops - my computer crashed when I was responding to this post. Here's a link on the Happy Frog potting soil. It's very similar to Dr. Earth potting soil with a few more additives.
http://foxfarmfertilizer.com/i...

Cindy,
That looks like really good potting soil! I doubt the places we shop will carry anything but Miracle Gro

Everybody around here carries MG - it's even in perlite! Sheesh! That's why I don't go to big box stores for any gardening stuff. You could try some of the independent garden places.

Cindy,
I can't remember why MG is not a good product to buy. Unsafe fillers? Anyway, it's all that's available. I'll dilute it quite a bit with my compost and bags of dirt we bought.

Dh doesn't like to travel out of the way, so we go to the same places all the time.

I believe it's the salts from the chemical fertilizers.

Cindy,
That might be it.

I got the dirts mixed and the boxes filled. I used plain topsoil, topsoil with peat, composted manure and a little Miracle Grow. The dirt is nice!

For the carrot planter I used the topsoil, lime and my own garden dirt. Most of my dirt went to the bottom as more of a filler. I don't have super long carrots to plant.

Are you planting carrots similar to 'Danvers Half-Long'? I had good luck with those last year - my first year. Hope to do even better this year after the remineralization.

Cindy,
Last year I picked up Scarlet Nantes. They'll get 6''-7'' long.
I'm not happy because I bought Burpee and found out this year, they buy seed from Monsanto. I'll only order from those who sign the safe seed pledge from now on.
I have some vermiculite left to cover the seed so they can poke thru easier. I just hope they are sweet. I can't complain about the taste of store bought, but I don't know if they are watered with clean water. Some things aren't....

Thanks for mentioning the 'Scarlet Nantes'. I have seed as well so maybe will do a mix of the two. Yea - I'm finally graduating from growing carrots in pots.

Laughing! I was about ready to grow carrots in pots! I don't like the taste of them grown in my dirt.

I have grown the little rainbow carrots in pots - more of a novelty for the GDs. I'm hoping to expand my carrot-growing this year as I won't be sowing seed for daikons until later in the season. I don't do the rainbow carrots anymore. If growing carrots in pots, you'll need to keep them watered.

I haven't done daikons for years. Do you fry your's in butter? I think that's what I did with mine. Roasted would be good too, I think.

I didn't get any daikons last year - I was waaay off-base on sowing times. Even though advertised for spring and fall sowing, spring sowing not so good here. Got hot too fast. Lots of pretty yellow flowers but no edible roots.

do you plant them for fall? Daikons?

In my zone, I should be sowing seed around mid-August for a fall crop. Since you're much warmer than I am, you may be planting later. I think there's a thread in the veg forum about daikons and Farmerdill gave me some good guidelines. If I remember correctly, sow seed 6 weeks before last frost and I think you'd want to harvest before frost/freezes. In some of the permaculture references, some folks leave them in place to decompose in the ground, breaking up hard/unamended soil and adding some nutrients back to that lower layer. I think Rick C does sow them in spring, allowing them to flower and produce seed for future sowing.

Cindy,
I did plant mine in the spring and they did well. I should try a couple in the planter boxes next year.
On TV I've seen them plant foraging radishes. Those things got huge!

Sally - Not clear of "foraging" - is that for humans or animals? Wow - your daikons did well planted in spring? How early did you plant? I sowed mine last year when I did carrots and radishes but all I got was flowers and a long spindly tap root. I did end up letting them stay in the ground over winter. I would try pots but I think they might get too warm too fast.

Cindy,
This explains it better than I could.

http://fifthseasongardening.co...

I most likely put them out with the radish, as early as the ground could be worked in late April.

It was the first time I ever tried them. I gave one to my neighbor because they liked them.

Wow - had never heard of the tillage radish. It's huge! Did you see the comments that said it smelled awful while decomposing? Might keep some of the furry pests out of the garden - maybe. Seems like it would accomplish the same thing as daikons could. Are you going to try it first???