You’re right, and thanks for the comment. I made another post on this topic later here:

http://bifurcatedcarrots.eu/2011/09/weeds-in-a-gravel-path/

but for some reason never provided a link to it. I guess I just assumed this older post would eventually disappear from search engine results, but that hasn’t happened.

Anyway, I just edited this post above to include a link to the newer version.

Also, available for purchase on amazon.com

Just be careful to avoid flammable materials. A gravel pathway should be fine.

Things like coffee grounds and egg shells need to break down a bit before they can be used by a plant. I don’t think there’s enough time in the season for this in a potted plant.

In the garden, what’s left over breaks down during the winter, generally enriches the soil, and can be used by plants the following year. With a potted plant, I think the coffee grounds and egg shells will just sit on top and not do anything.

What you can do is make your own home made compost, add the coffee grounds and egg shells to that, then use this the following year for your tomatoes.

Good luck!

Everytime I’ve bought compost I’ve been disappointed. It’s not impossible to do, only most of the time it’s of very poor quality. Poor quality compost is sometimes okay for the garden, because it gets mixed in with everything else, but for potted plants it’s best to only use compost you know is of good quality. If you do buy it from a store, make sure the label specifies it was made from ‘known materials’, for example wood chips or other garden waste.

If you don’t buy or have your own homemade compost, then I think you just have to use commercial potting soil. Your plants won’t be organic, because commercial potting soil contains chemical fertilizer, but they will probably grow okay.

It’s also possible to buy plain peat moss and mix your own fertilizer into it, but this is tricky, and it’s easy to get the wrong proportions. I would advise starting with purchased premixed potting soil.

Purchased potting soil normally only has enough nutrients for a few months, so it might be necessary to add more fertilizer later.

It’s very easy to kill or damage your plants with too much fertilizer, so go very easy with it. Never use more than it says on the label, and I usually only use about half the recommended dosage. Also, for tomatoes it’s best to only add fertilizer once, usually after you have harvested the first round and the fruits have set for the next round, about August or so.

I’m not growing yacon anymore, otherwise I would be happy to try to send you some. It’s also the wrong time of year to be looking for yacon tubers, which are what’s easiest to send in the mail. Yacon stem tubers can usually be sent just after the winter solstice, Jan/Feb for those of us in the north or Jul/Aug for those in the south. Since you are so close to the equator, you might be able to get the tubers either from the north or south.

Frank of The Vegetable Garden sometimes has tubers: http://www.thevegetablegarden.be or Real Seeds in the UK sometimes has the tubers as well, and might be willing to send some to Malaysia if you sent an email and asked: http://www.realseeds.co.uk

I hope this helps… Good luck!

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