Pro tip: don't cheap out on your potting mix

I grabbed the cheapest bag at the garden center, about $4, thinking dirt is dirt. My tomatoes in my Chicago balcony pots just sat there for a month, barely growing. I switched to a named brand mix, FoxFarm Ocean Forest, which cost about $22, and within two weeks everything took off. Has anyone else had a plant just stall out until you changed the soil?

3 comments

3 Comments

terry_thomas19d ago

Yeah, that "dirt is dirt" idea gets you every time. The cheap stuff is basically just peat and sand with no food for the plants. Good potting mix has all the nutrients already in it, so they can just start growing.

terry_martinez6d ago

Ugh, been there! I started mixing a slow-release fertilizer into the cheap bags, which helps a lot (still not perfect though).

nina_hall19d ago

Learned that the hard way with a basil plant last year. Thought I was being smart saving a few bucks on soil. Ended up with this sad, yellow thing that gave up after two weeks. Tbh it looked more like dried parsley than basil. My roommate still brings it up when I try to garden.