Like many aspects of gardening, potting soil, or potting mix is something you can DIY. Making your own can allow you to select and avoid certain ingredients, customize a blend for your specific plants, and potentially save money.

A potting mix or potting soil should be different than regular garden soil in a couple of crucial ways. First, it should be well-draining. This is key to prevent plants’ roots from being water-logged in potted situations. A potting mix should also be lightweight and consistent.

Ingredients

There are many ingredients available for potting mixes. What you select will depend on what you plan to use your potting mix for and your personal preference.

Sphagnum Peat Moss

Peat moss is the main ingredient in most potting soils. Though it doesn’t offer a lot of nutrients, it provides structure, is well-draining, and holds moisture well. Peat moss is on the acidic side, so it’s a good idea to use it in conjunction with limestone.

Unfortunately, peat moss may not be the most sustainable choice. It’s not like the moss that grows in your local woodlands. Peat moss forms over thousands of years from plant material (including moss) submerged in wetlands. As these wetlands take so long to regenerate, many consider peat to be a non-renewable resource.

Coir Fiber

Coir fiber or coco coir is sometimes used as an alternative to peat moss. It can often be found in compressed bricks and is made from the husks of coconuts in a process called defibring. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be pricey.

Rice Hulls

Essentially a waste product from processing rice, rice hulls are great for creating light, fluffy potting mixes. They help hold moisture too.

Compost

While some may disagree, compost may be the most important ingredient for many potting soil blends. In fact, a fluffy, well-aged, screened compost can be used for seed starting all by itself.

Perlite

It may look a bit like styrofoam, but perlite is actually a natural, non-toxic ingredient. It’s a type of volcanic rock that expands when it is heated. It improves drainage and can hold and slowly release water.

Like peat, perlite may also have some sustainability issues. Perlite is typically strip-mined in the United States, China, Italy, and Greece.

Sand

Sand is good for creating well-draining potting mixes like those for succulents and cacti. You can use fine or coarse sands depending on what you’re growing.

Vermiculite

Similar to perlite, vermiculite is a type of stone that’s a good addition for creating well-draining potting mixes. It also adds magnesium and calcium to the soil.

However, the mining and processing of vermiculite have some serious environmental impacts. Vermiculite is often found in combination with asbestos which is released during mining and processing.

Fertilizers

There are a variety of fertilizers and amendments that can be used in potting soil. Kelp meal, bone meal, and slow-release chemical fertilizers are common choices.

These are more important if your plant is going to be in a container long-term. For example, you grow tomatoes in containers on your patio. If you’re just starting seeds, the fertility in compost should be more than enough.

Ground Bark or Composted Wood Chips

These ingredients are better suited for potting mixes used for larger plants rather than seedlings. They help hold moisture and aerate this soil. However, these can lock up nitrogen while they decompose so it’s ideal to add a bit of fertilizer like kelp meal if you’re using one of these.

Limestone

Limestone is used to neutralize acidic potting mixes.

Creating Your Potting Mix

When selecting ingredients, you’ll want to consider what you’ll be growing. For starting seeds or propagating cuttings, you’ll want a mix that’s fine-textured, light, and fluffy. If you’re potting up larger annuals or perennials like fruit trees, it’s okay to use a coarser mix. For potting up dry climate plants like cacti and succulents, it’s a good idea to create a well-draining mix.

Here are a few sample recipes you can mix up at home. Feel free to play with ingredients. There are no correct or incorrect recipes, just what works best for you and your plants.

Seed Starting

There are two recipes you can use to start seeds. If you have a tendency to overwater you may want to use recipe two.

Recipe One:

• Screened, well-aged compost
• a bit of sand if desired

Recipe Two:

• 1 part compost
• 1 part peat moss or coir fiber
• 1/2 part coarse sand
• 1 TBS of limestone per gallon of peat moss (not required when using coir fiber)

Container Gardening

• 1 part compost
• 1 part peat moss or coir fiber
• 1/2 part rice hulls or perlite
• 1 TBS of limestone per gallon of peat moss (not required when using coir fiber)
• 1/2 cup fertilizer (like kelp meal) per 6 gallons of compost

Larger Perennials & Trees

• 1 part compost
• 1 part peat moss or coir fiber
• 1/2 part coarse sand
• 1/2 part ground bark or composted wood chips
• 1 TBS of limestone per gallon of peat moss (not required when using coir fiber)
• 1 cup fertilizer (like kelp meal) per 6 gallons of compost

I’ve found that stirring these up in a wheelbarrow is one of the easiest ways to blend the ingredients and allows you to do big batches.

For some gardeners, the ultimate goal is to grow as much of their own produce as possible. If that’s your goal, it can often be tough to plan a garden. How do you decide whether to plant three pepper plants or 20?

The go-to first advice is only to plant what you already eat.

The first step is to take a look at your grocery list or receipts. Look at how often you buy what. How many onions does your family purchase each week? How many cans of tomato sauce? With this information, you can then find out how many your family eats per year.

Unfortunately, even with this information, exactly how much to plant can be tough to nail down. You’ll be facing uncertainties in yields based on different varieties, weather, pest pressure, and much more. It may take a few years of experience before you achieve a plan that works for your family, which brings us to my next piece of advice.

Start a Garden Journal

Keep track of how much you plant this year and how it does! This information will make planning for next year a little easier.

Planting Recommendations

Here are a few planting recommendations for some common crops. These are just starting points! Feel free to alter these depending on your family’s needs. You may find they work perfectly, or you might have different numbers based on a wide range of factors.

Snap Beans

Planting anywhere from 10-50 plants per person is probably a good place to start. If you love beans or plan to freeze or can beans for winter, you’ll want to be on the higher end of this spectrum.

Broccoli/Cauliflower

It may not seem like a lot, but 5-15 plants per person may be all you need. This will allow you several fresh meals during the summer with some to freeze.

Cucumbers 

Cucumbers are heavy producers, so you probably need fewer plants than you’d think. Planting 2-5 plants per person should be enough even if you want to preserve pickles.

Sweet Corn

Depending on if you want to can or freeze corn, you’ll probably want to plant between 20-100 row feet per person. Sweet corn is an excellent crop to succession plant to avoid getting your harvest all at once.

Cabbage

Unless you eat a lot of sauerkraut, cabbage may not be one of your family’s staples. It can, however, be an excellent crop for those looking to be more self-reliant. It’s easy to store fresh or ferment and can be grown during cool seasons. Plant 5-15 plants per person.

Check out the variety “January King” for a good winter cabbage.

Carrots

Like cabbage, carrots can be an excellent storage crop. They also take up relatively little garden space. Try growing 30-60 plants per person. It’s also a good idea to succession plant carrots.

A great storage variety is “Oxheart.”

Garlic

If you like garlic, you may want to plant quite a bit. It stores well alone and is also great for flavoring other preservation recipes. 25-50 plants per person would be a good range to start in.

Greens

Many greens like chard, collards, and kale will continue to provide harvests for weeks. It’s probably safe to start with around 5-10 plants per person, which should give you plenty to dry, freeze, or ferment.

Lettuce

Lettuce grows fast but doesn’t keep long. Start with around 10 plants per person and plan on multiple successions throughout the cool seasons. You can also use shade cloth to help keep lettuce from bolting.

Onions

Unless you dislike onions, you’ll probably want to plant a lot. They take up little space. You may also use more of them than you’re accustomed to if you decide to add them to other preservation recipes like pickles or spaghetti sauce. Depending on your family, 50-100 onions per person should get you through a year.

Adding perennial onions to your garden can also help supplement this.

Peas

Peas are an easy, early crop that takes up relatively little space. Consider growing 20-100 plants per person, especially if you can freeze some.

Peppers

Peppers are quite productive so you probably only need 3-5 plants per person. You’ll want to explore different varieties depending on your goals. Some are excellent for pickling, others are great for stuffing, while some make excellent hot sauce or paprika.

Squash & Pumpkins

Summer squash, winter squash, and pumpkins are generally very productive. Unless your family loves eating tons of squash, you probably only need 1-3 plants per person.

Tomatoes

How many tomatoes you grow will largely depend on how much preservation you intend to do and what varieties you select. If you want to account for all your family’s produce, it’s probably a good idea to grow at least three varieties. Select a slicing tomato for fresh eating, a cherry tomato for snacking (especially if you have kids), and a paste tomato for preserving.

One Last Piece of Advice

Especially if you’re trying to produce as much of your own food as possible, plan to succession plant! This will help you keep fresh food on the table longer. Check out:

• Tomato Successions: why to sow multiple tomato crops
• Summer Succession Crop Planting: Avoid Gluts and Shortages
• Succession Planting 101

Many folks make new year’s resolutions to live healthier lifestyles. Thankfully, gardening is a great way to improve your health. You’ll get exercise and eat better. For folks planning a garden in 2021, these resolutions can make your garden healthier too!

Never leave the soil bare.

Bare soil is unhealthy soil. Leaving soil exposed contributes to erosion and nutrient loss. Having cover crops or mulch covering your soil helps to create habitat for beneficial fungi and insects. Mulch can even help prevent the transmission of soil-borne fungal diseases like late blight in tomatoes.

Save seed.

Saving seed is easier than you think. Many crops like corn, beans, and squash require only simple seed processing. Isolation distances may be less important than you’d think too. Check out our post, Easy Seed Saving with Promiscuous Pollination.

Seed saving helps preserve incredible varieties, adapt them to your climate, and save you money.

Start composting.

Compost is excellent for improving your soil. It adds organic matter, which helps improve soil structure, allowing sandy soils to hold moisture and clay soils to drain better. It also provides plants with nutrients.

Composting also keeps waste like kitchen scraps from ending up in the landfill where it would produce greenhouse gases.

You can find detailed instructions for making compost here.

Plant something native.

Growing native plants is a great way to provide food and habitat for native wildlife, from birds and small mammals to bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Native plants are also typically low maintenance because they’re hardy and adapted to your climate.

Here’s a list of drought-tolerant perennials native to the eastern United States.

Start a garden journal.

This season, take notes on the weather, planting dates, your garden design, and what varieties did well. This process will help you connect with nature and improve your garden each year.

Install a rain barrel.

Put the water off your roof to good use with a rain barrel. They can be purchased or made cheaply with some gutter and a clean trash can.

Test your soil.

Knowing what your soil lacks is the first step to improving your yields. Have your soil tested and learn more about plant nutrients and amendments.

Rotate your crops.

Rotating your crops can help you avoid pest and disease issues and improve your yields. This season keep track of where you plant things and have a plan for rotating them.

Check out Planning Crop Rotation by Plant Family for advice.

Build an insect hotel.

An insect hotel is another excellent way to support beneficial insects. They provide nesting spots for solitary bees, which in turn help pollinate your crops. Learn how to build an insect hotel here.

Learn about your local birds.

One of the best parts of gardening is building a connection with the land. A great way to take this further is by learning about birds and other local wildlife. Some species may be helping your garden grow!

Share.

Share something with a friend, relative, or community member. Share your knowledge and teach them to grow some of their own food. Share seeds so they can grow great varieties. Share a bit of your harvest and cultivate a love for good food.

What are your new year’s resolutions?