SOIL 101

Select the right potting mix recipe for your plants and they will thrive. Skimp

on the soil and you’ll get weak, non-productive plants that require more

work to maintain and are susceptible to all kinds of pest problems.

What is the perfect mix? That depends. Every professional gardener has his

own “secret” recipe just like every Italian grandmother has her own way of

making tomato sauce. However, most experts agree that a good container

medium should be lightweight and drain well, yet contain enough organic

matter to hold moisture and nutrients even through hot, dry weather.

Make Your Own

Of course, you don’t have to purchase potting soil. You can make your own.

Sure, it’s more work, but it can be more gratifying, plus you’ll know the exact

contents of the soil since you’re the one who has mixed it up. A good potting

mix recipe contains sterile garden loam, sand, peat moss (or coconut coir) and other additives as needed.

Classic Soil-Based Mix:

1 part peat moss or mature compost
1 part garden loam or topsoil
1 part clean builder’s sand or perlite

The organic material in the above mix provides structure and the sand will improve drainage. A balanced, slow-release organic fertilizer may also be added to the mix.

Cornell Soilless Mix (adapted for organic growers*):

1/2 cubic yard peat moss or coconut coir
1/2 cubic yard perlite
10 lbs. bone meal
5 lbs. ground limestone
5 lbs. blood meal

* This soilless mix was developed at Cornell University for commercial growers, but is easily adapted for home use. I have substituted select organic fertilizers in place of synthetic fertilizers.