The Soil Situation

A good healthy soil is needed to product healthy, strong plants with large healthy veggies. Through trial and error I have found that potting soil is really the easiest and best.


Quality potting soil is really important for vegetables. Don’t use soil from your garden or yard because it will compact in your container and won’t drain water properly. Plus it can contain diseases and weeds that can harm your seeds and plants. 

Synthetic or soil less mixes are well suited for vegetable container gardening and may be composed of sawdust, wood chips, peat moss, perlite or vermiculite. They are generally more expensive than potting soil and will need watered more as well. 


You can make your own soil mix using equal parts of compost, vermiculite and peat moss. I would recommend this if you are going to do a lot of container gardening, but if you are just starting out potting soil is the best way to go.


 I personally use organic potting soil because studies have shown that there are many benefits to growing produce organically, including better taste and a higher percentage of antioxidants and phytochemicals. 


You will, as the season moves on need to add additional soil to the container as it is moved off by wind and washed out by watering and rain.


At the end of the growing season don't throw away that soil because its still good! I have heard people complain that they planted green peppers in the same pot that they planted them in the year before, but nothing would grow. Well, there are two things your must do at the end of the season. 


One you need to fertilize the soil and two you need to rotate your crops. Just like old McDonald who had a farm, you need to rotate.


Think about it for a minute, if you plant a veggie in a pot that uses a lot of potassium  to grow and you don't re-fertilize the soil and you don't rotate the crop, where is the new veggie plant getting the potassium it needs to grow?


Don't skimp on your soil either. When you plant in a container fill the container to the top. The soil will settle and compact as you water, it will blow away in the wind, it will wash out or splash out as well, so FILLER UP!!

As I mentioned in my earlier post you will need to add soil as the growing season moves on for the reasons I listed above.


Hope this has been helpful.


Dianna :D