What Soil To Use For Container Vegetable Gardens

Make sure your container has a drain hole in the bottom and a saucer to protect.

What soil to use for container vegetable gardens.

If you add garden soil to your potting mixture you run the risk of introducing disease causing organisms to your container mixture. Choose instead a soilless mix quick draining and lightweight or use compost alone or combined with a soilless mix. Fill the containers so the soil is at least 2 3 inches below the rim that extra space at the top will give you room to water deeply without overflowing the container. Water the soil just before planting.

Soil taken from your yard or a garden bed is too dense to use in a pot or raised bed. For raised beds you ll want to use a slightly heavier soil made specifically for that type of garden. Use potting soil in indoor or outdoor container gardens. Organic options include kelp alfalfa and fish meals which break down slowly releasing their nutrients to plant roots.

You don t need to worry about the weight of pots that will be sitting on the ground but you do for hanging planters. I prefer organic potting soil because i know it s free from pesticides or other chemicals. It is too heavy can become waterlogged and brings disease and insects with it. Also one of the reasons to garden in containers is largely to avoid dealing with weeds.

Like most other container gardens your veggies will do best in potting mixes made for containers. For best results use only bagged commercial topsoil not the backyard garden fare. Many vegetables such as greens tomatoes and peppers are naturally suited for container gardens while new patio or dwarf varieties make it possible to grow squash and fruit trees in pots. High quality potting soil is important for vegetables.

But if you use garden soil you might be importing weeds into your containers. Organic harvest potting mix soil for vegetables herbs and flowers made from natural and organic ingredients this potting soil is formulated for growing vegetables herbs and flowers in containers. Do not use soil from the garden. Don t use soil from your garden because it will compact in the containers and won t drain water properly.

Good container mix soil will contain organic matter that provides nutrients like worm castings bat guano manure or compost seaweed etc. Instead for containers you ll want to use potting mix also called potting soil a lightweight and fluffy alternative. Before deciding which soil to use in container gardens think about where you want to put your plants. Soil and compost mixes are heavier but are perfect for use in pots sitting on the ground.

Potting soil is for container plantings indoors or out.