How to Choose the RIGHT Bagged Soil for Your Plants
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Date: 2025-05-10
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Comments and reviews: 20
veryberry39
Let me tell you about how I bought dirt this year, in bulk. and apparently the compost in it hadn't fully broken down, because all the plants I put in there are stunted. And the peppers' leaves are falling off one by one. The more I think about it, the more upset I get. not really anger at the business, but just all the time and money wasted. Yeah, the dirt will be okay by next year, but I've spent SO much money and time on seed starting, and buying starts (because I can't resist. My seedlings are only now starting to look like they might grow, but at this point in the Texas season I'm pretty sure it's too late.
I know everyone dunks on Miracle Gro, but at least that dirt literally never betrayed me. And in fact, the grow bags filled with. well, I think it was actually the cheap Walmart brand of dirt, which is probably even worse in some eyes, but the stuff I planted in THOSE are popping off! So yeah, I kinda wish I could have afforded to just buy that stuff in bulk instead, so I'd have thriving tomatoes right now instead of sad little twigs.
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Let me tell you about how I bought dirt this year, in bulk. and apparently the compost in it hadn't fully broken down, because all the plants I put in there are stunted. And the peppers' leaves are falling off one by one. The more I think about it, the more upset I get. not really anger at the business, but just all the time and money wasted. Yeah, the dirt will be okay by next year, but I've spent SO much money and time on seed starting, and buying starts (because I can't resist. My seedlings are only now starting to look like they might grow, but at this point in the Texas season I'm pretty sure it's too late.
I know everyone dunks on Miracle Gro, but at least that dirt literally never betrayed me. And in fact, the grow bags filled with. well, I think it was actually the cheap Walmart brand of dirt, which is probably even worse in some eyes, but the stuff I planted in THOSE are popping off! So yeah, I kinda wish I could have afforded to just buy that stuff in bulk instead, so I'd have thriving tomatoes right now instead of sad little twigs.
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mikasuvanto9895
Hello Kevin. Some question what i have in my mind. I am pretty noobish gardener with few nice success but my question is that. I plant only pots, because we don't have here in city places to plant at outdoor, well we do but those are public places and i kind of hate other humans close to me telling that is wrong and don't do that and my method is better than that etc etc. Sure some might be useful but i wanna learn by myself, one crop at time. Back to the question, i am using pots, and now i've been looking videos where have been talk about how soil can get watering in pots so dense that roots might die because there is no way to anymore get air to soil. So i have this method where i have every now and then took small cocktail stick what i have use to push some holes trough to top to bottom holes but is that any good in the end Should i star using some other stuff also at my soil what might prevent to soil packing bottom there seem to be some variations made from clay and volcano rock.
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Hello Kevin. Some question what i have in my mind. I am pretty noobish gardener with few nice success but my question is that. I plant only pots, because we don't have here in city places to plant at outdoor, well we do but those are public places and i kind of hate other humans close to me telling that is wrong and don't do that and my method is better than that etc etc. Sure some might be useful but i wanna learn by myself, one crop at time. Back to the question, i am using pots, and now i've been looking videos where have been talk about how soil can get watering in pots so dense that roots might die because there is no way to anymore get air to soil. So i have this method where i have every now and then took small cocktail stick what i have use to push some holes trough to top to bottom holes but is that any good in the end Should i star using some other stuff also at my soil what might prevent to soil packing bottom there seem to be some variations made from clay and volcano rock.
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epic_gardening
Omg! The video I didn't know I needed! Thank you! I started my gardening journey religiously making Mel's Mix and never bothered to learn anything about the bagged soil. Fast forward a few years and I started looking for shortcuts for refreshing beds, or added new smaller containers and started buying bags by making wild guesses. I tried reading the ingredients and finding something close to what I'd previously been mixing, but was not really ever happy with the result. I knew the potting soil looked better, but the name is so counter intuitive for outdoor gardening. I thought it was literally for house plants. I just could not figure out why there was so much volume at the nursery dedicated to house plant soil. My plants thank you too! Big fan of Fox Farms. I used them 2 years ago for tomatoes on the recommendation of my tomato vendor.
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Omg! The video I didn't know I needed! Thank you! I started my gardening journey religiously making Mel's Mix and never bothered to learn anything about the bagged soil. Fast forward a few years and I started looking for shortcuts for refreshing beds, or added new smaller containers and started buying bags by making wild guesses. I tried reading the ingredients and finding something close to what I'd previously been mixing, but was not really ever happy with the result. I knew the potting soil looked better, but the name is so counter intuitive for outdoor gardening. I thought it was literally for house plants. I just could not figure out why there was so much volume at the nursery dedicated to house plant soil. My plants thank you too! Big fan of Fox Farms. I used them 2 years ago for tomatoes on the recommendation of my tomato vendor.
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numinous2506
20 bucks for an 11 pound brick of cococoir. 40 bucks for 3 cu. ft. of sphagnum peat moss. 100 bucks for 3 or 4 seasons worth of perlite/vermiculite. 20 bucks for a bottle of fish emulsion. 20 to 40 for some conpost/manure. Pick some fertilizer of your choice and you will have hundreds of gallons of soil. It may be a lot but per gallon it is WAY cheaper and you can go heavier or lighter on the perlite/vermiculite depending on what your plants need. Custom extremely high quality and no filler like wood chips. If you bought 150 gallons worth of the name brand bags of soil like happy frog, it would be hundreds of dollars more and you wouldnt have extra perlite/vermiculite which I use to make my own seed starting mix and cactus/succulent mix.
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20 bucks for an 11 pound brick of cococoir. 40 bucks for 3 cu. ft. of sphagnum peat moss. 100 bucks for 3 or 4 seasons worth of perlite/vermiculite. 20 bucks for a bottle of fish emulsion. 20 to 40 for some conpost/manure. Pick some fertilizer of your choice and you will have hundreds of gallons of soil. It may be a lot but per gallon it is WAY cheaper and you can go heavier or lighter on the perlite/vermiculite depending on what your plants need. Custom extremely high quality and no filler like wood chips. If you bought 150 gallons worth of the name brand bags of soil like happy frog, it would be hundreds of dollars more and you wouldnt have extra perlite/vermiculite which I use to make my own seed starting mix and cactus/succulent mix.
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Donna_G
I didn't even know that there was a rabbit hole to go down. The first time I ever grew anything was when I found a pack of tomato seeds in one of my mom's magazines. I used Dixie cups and dirt from outside. I planted one seed in each cup and set them in the window sill. When the seedlings were big enough, I planted them outside. By the time school started in September, I had tomatoes.
I usually buy a mix of soils; but, this year, I didn't. I'm just going to use the soil that's already in the beds and fill the holes with the good stuff. I have liquid fertilizer from AgroThrive, some bone meal, fish fertilizer and some dry fertilizer from Dr. Earth and Jobes
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I didn't even know that there was a rabbit hole to go down. The first time I ever grew anything was when I found a pack of tomato seeds in one of my mom's magazines. I used Dixie cups and dirt from outside. I planted one seed in each cup and set them in the window sill. When the seedlings were big enough, I planted them outside. By the time school started in September, I had tomatoes.
I usually buy a mix of soils; but, this year, I didn't. I'm just going to use the soil that's already in the beds and fill the holes with the good stuff. I have liquid fertilizer from AgroThrive, some bone meal, fish fertilizer and some dry fertilizer from Dr. Earth and Jobes
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km356
The dirt, or Appalachian clay, around my house actually has lots of worms. Most of my plants are surprisingly thriving: ) Ive read from various sources that clay actually has quite a bit of nutrition, but drainage can be an issue. Thankfully I'm on a slight slope: ) I always dig a much larger area to break up the clay really good all around the plant, and recently started adding a bit of perlite since it's cheap!
Ive been trying to find a local farmer than can sell me a truck load of cheap aged compost since that will be a permanent solution to amending the soil versus mixing in expensive bags of potting soil which is a very temporary solution.
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The dirt, or Appalachian clay, around my house actually has lots of worms. Most of my plants are surprisingly thriving: ) Ive read from various sources that clay actually has quite a bit of nutrition, but drainage can be an issue. Thankfully I'm on a slight slope: ) I always dig a much larger area to break up the clay really good all around the plant, and recently started adding a bit of perlite since it's cheap!
Ive been trying to find a local farmer than can sell me a truck load of cheap aged compost since that will be a permanent solution to amending the soil versus mixing in expensive bags of potting soil which is a very temporary solution.
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abyssal_phoenix
I usually am a simple guy
If i buy soil in bags it's only requiring one criterium, with a secondary one for specifically houseplants
1. Environmentally friendly, aka no peat and bio soil
2. Previous bags shouldn't have been invested with fungus gnat, otherwise i ain't buying again
For the rest I don't care. I mix in soil with my native peat soil, homemade compost and if necessary yellow sand
For extra nutrition i have bone meal, lavameal and animal dung pellets so I even got away with unfertilised garden soil to fill up a raised bed lmao. Lettuce, cabbage, carrots, flowers and roses are doing great in it
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I usually am a simple guy
If i buy soil in bags it's only requiring one criterium, with a secondary one for specifically houseplants
1. Environmentally friendly, aka no peat and bio soil
2. Previous bags shouldn't have been invested with fungus gnat, otherwise i ain't buying again
For the rest I don't care. I mix in soil with my native peat soil, homemade compost and if necessary yellow sand
For extra nutrition i have bone meal, lavameal and animal dung pellets so I even got away with unfertilised garden soil to fill up a raised bed lmao. Lettuce, cabbage, carrots, flowers and roses are doing great in it
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genev325
Umm I would beg to differ. Soil is primarily mineral. It is composed of sand, clay, and silt. What is in those bagged mixes are basically ground up dead trees mixed with chemicals and fertilizer to make the plants grow well for a few months. But then it goes bad because it starts to decompose and emit waste products. Not a good long term solution. Put the compost on top of the soil, and heap organic mulch like wood chips or leaf mulch on top. That will help beneficial bacteria, fungi, and other creatures to break down the mulch and compost on top and incorporate them into the mineral soil.
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Umm I would beg to differ. Soil is primarily mineral. It is composed of sand, clay, and silt. What is in those bagged mixes are basically ground up dead trees mixed with chemicals and fertilizer to make the plants grow well for a few months. But then it goes bad because it starts to decompose and emit waste products. Not a good long term solution. Put the compost on top of the soil, and heap organic mulch like wood chips or leaf mulch on top. That will help beneficial bacteria, fungi, and other creatures to break down the mulch and compost on top and incorporate them into the mineral soil.
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SH-gd9uq
I would like to see a companion planting video. Does companion planting really matter I have limited space and try to rotate crops but sometimes plant things together and some of my friends and family say or tell me those plants don’t do good planted together. But do they really not do good planted next to each other. I have not noticed a real difference but would love to see an experiment with some plants that are not supposed to be planted right next to each other and some that are supposed to be planted together and see if really makes a difference. Thank you for the video.
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I would like to see a companion planting video. Does companion planting really matter I have limited space and try to rotate crops but sometimes plant things together and some of my friends and family say or tell me those plants don’t do good planted together. But do they really not do good planted next to each other. I have not noticed a real difference but would love to see an experiment with some plants that are not supposed to be planted right next to each other and some that are supposed to be planted together and see if really makes a difference. Thank you for the video.
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jenperry427
I dont know if it's 'sterilizing', but after buying a bag of soil completely loaded with fungus gnat eggs or larva, and dealing with that annoying mess in my indoor seed starting room, I started using boiling water. I put the sifted soil into a large tote, and soak it with boiling water, lid it and leave it for 24 hours. I haven't had fungus gnats since, but I also didn't have them before that one terrible bag, so maybe it's pointless but it makes me feel like I'm doing something at least. Then I add azomite, sheep wool pellets, worm castings, etc to make soil blocks.
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I dont know if it's 'sterilizing', but after buying a bag of soil completely loaded with fungus gnat eggs or larva, and dealing with that annoying mess in my indoor seed starting room, I started using boiling water. I put the sifted soil into a large tote, and soak it with boiling water, lid it and leave it for 24 hours. I haven't had fungus gnats since, but I also didn't have them before that one terrible bag, so maybe it's pointless but it makes me feel like I'm doing something at least. Then I add azomite, sheep wool pellets, worm castings, etc to make soil blocks.
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drefunk9458
Nerd here with two soil science degrees- it's kind of fascinating the difference between a gardener's definition of dirt vs soil, compared to soil scientists out in the world. That first example that you showed as dirt I would actually still consider to be soil- because its still a growing medium at the end of the day even if it can't support what you want it to. We classify dirt as what's on the bottom of your shoe. I'd say the gardener's definition and the research's are both correct! just different! Great video as always- thanks for your insights!
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Nerd here with two soil science degrees- it's kind of fascinating the difference between a gardener's definition of dirt vs soil, compared to soil scientists out in the world. That first example that you showed as dirt I would actually still consider to be soil- because its still a growing medium at the end of the day even if it can't support what you want it to. We classify dirt as what's on the bottom of your shoe. I'd say the gardener's definition and the research's are both correct! just different! Great video as always- thanks for your insights!
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jasonschultz9570
Don't listen to Epic Gardening. They are a bunch of sellouts. Fox Farms didn't even do the best in their soil contest a while back. Also, don't go to their website to buy anything. They are just middlemen that upcharge you for things you can get elsewhere. They also endlessly send you emails and text messaages to try and sell you their overpriced products. I don't even watch these snake oil salesmen anymore. I just came to this video to leave this comment. Hopefully it will save some of you some time and money.
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Don't listen to Epic Gardening. They are a bunch of sellouts. Fox Farms didn't even do the best in their soil contest a while back. Also, don't go to their website to buy anything. They are just middlemen that upcharge you for things you can get elsewhere. They also endlessly send you emails and text messaages to try and sell you their overpriced products. I don't even watch these snake oil salesmen anymore. I just came to this video to leave this comment. Hopefully it will save some of you some time and money.
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smb-zf9bd
Cannot believe the price of these bags. Soil for tomatoes in raised beds not to be confused with water retention raised bed dirt or Raised bed vegetable soil - going for prices like $15. 99, $16. 99, even $19. 99, Folks, make your own soil, amend it, add scraps, plow your plants under for rich nutrition. I have so many containers I now use a mix of 1/2 previous soil and a mix of potting soil, compost, vermiculite and general fertilizer. Far cheaper and geat growth.
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Cannot believe the price of these bags. Soil for tomatoes in raised beds not to be confused with water retention raised bed dirt or Raised bed vegetable soil - going for prices like $15. 99, $16. 99, even $19. 99, Folks, make your own soil, amend it, add scraps, plow your plants under for rich nutrition. I have so many containers I now use a mix of 1/2 previous soil and a mix of potting soil, compost, vermiculite and general fertilizer. Far cheaper and geat growth.
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stilettoninja
Not everyone can afford to fill their raised beds with fox farms sadly, it seems also that experienced gardeners are recommending 1: 1: 1 topsoil, compost and sand mix. Apparently, this will keep beds from sinking every year as well which is what happened to me and my bed sank by almost half within a year. Maybe for the Gucci gardeners, go for it! But I’m sticking with topsoil and amending from now on.
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Not everyone can afford to fill their raised beds with fox farms sadly, it seems also that experienced gardeners are recommending 1: 1: 1 topsoil, compost and sand mix. Apparently, this will keep beds from sinking every year as well which is what happened to me and my bed sank by almost half within a year. Maybe for the Gucci gardeners, go for it! But I’m sticking with topsoil and amending from now on.
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mindyfranke5279
Great information. Brings many more questions about how many different kinds of plants can you put in one bed if they all need different kinds of soils How do you know what kind of soil is needed by each plant I feel like I'm probably killing my sproutlings by putting them in the wrong mix now. I'm very much learning that this hobby is more than plant soil water sunlight = edible crops.
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Great information. Brings many more questions about how many different kinds of plants can you put in one bed if they all need different kinds of soils How do you know what kind of soil is needed by each plant I feel like I'm probably killing my sproutlings by putting them in the wrong mix now. I'm very much learning that this hobby is more than plant soil water sunlight = edible crops.
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EmilioPetronez
I've found for potting mix, especially when Home Depot has the. 75ft bags of Miracle Gro garden soil on sale for $2/bag - strain the soil to get the wood chips out, amend with coco coir, perlite and whatever slow-release nutrients you want to boost fertilization, and that should be light enough for containers. The wood chips they put in compact and weigh it down so you gotta get those out
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I've found for potting mix, especially when Home Depot has the. 75ft bags of Miracle Gro garden soil on sale for $2/bag - strain the soil to get the wood chips out, amend with coco coir, perlite and whatever slow-release nutrients you want to boost fertilization, and that should be light enough for containers. The wood chips they put in compact and weigh it down so you gotta get those out
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shineyrocks390
I see a ton of excuses why people aren't going to get off their asses and start growing food! Food is like money, it not a problem until you don't have any. If you think it can't happen to you, you'd be wrong and arrogant to think that. The important lesson to take away is to start, make a start, get started, you start growing food for yourself. The grocery store won't be open forever
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I see a ton of excuses why people aren't going to get off their asses and start growing food! Food is like money, it not a problem until you don't have any. If you think it can't happen to you, you'd be wrong and arrogant to think that. The important lesson to take away is to start, make a start, get started, you start growing food for yourself. The grocery store won't be open forever
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studiorobo
No bagged soil is worth buying, make your own with top soil, peat, perlite, compost, and organic fertilizer. This stuff in particular is insanely expensive and makes gardening cost prohibitive. Cost of growing plants shouldnt exceed the value of the produce you gain. Only case where this stuff might be worth it is in balcony garden situations where mixing your own soil isnt possible.
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No bagged soil is worth buying, make your own with top soil, peat, perlite, compost, and organic fertilizer. This stuff in particular is insanely expensive and makes gardening cost prohibitive. Cost of growing plants shouldnt exceed the value of the produce you gain. Only case where this stuff might be worth it is in balcony garden situations where mixing your own soil isnt possible.
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KamiKomplex504
Foxfarms isn't bad but don't buy bags of soil for gardens. None of them are very special and like he said they are usually for pots. Go for build a soil products and make your own batches. You can substitute worm castings for some manure compost or just start up your own worm bin. It is simultaneously the cheapest and highest quality and most environmentally friendly option.
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Foxfarms isn't bad but don't buy bags of soil for gardens. None of them are very special and like he said they are usually for pots. Go for build a soil products and make your own batches. You can substitute worm castings for some manure compost or just start up your own worm bin. It is simultaneously the cheapest and highest quality and most environmentally friendly option.
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cynthiaj4863
Question, but if many veggies are seasonal, does it matter about some compaction when filling a raised bed partially with garden soil The veggie will be living there, possibly 4 mos before heat or frost kills them off. Especially when a raised bed is placed on top of native soil usually. Worms & micros will eventually make their way up, wont they I curiously want to know
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Question, but if many veggies are seasonal, does it matter about some compaction when filling a raised bed partially with garden soil The veggie will be living there, possibly 4 mos before heat or frost kills them off. Especially when a raised bed is placed on top of native soil usually. Worms & micros will eventually make their way up, wont they I curiously want to know
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