One of our friends recently asked us, "What kind of soil do you use?" Soil is one of the key components of a successful garden.
Growing Seeds Indoors
When we grow seeds indoors, we always purchase a seed starting mix for our soil. We don't have a favorite right now, but this year we purchased Burpee eco-friendly Organic Starting Mix. It is made of mostly coconut fiber, perlite, and fertilizer. The aeration in seed starting mix allows seeds to sprout easier.
Growing in a Raised Bed/Container
When we purchased our first raised bed, my dad filled it with top soil. Our transplants have grown well in the top soil. Since then, we amended the soil by adding peat moss and other organic matter. For our plants we grow in pots/containers, we typically purchase potting soil.
Growing in the Soil in your Yard
Although we love raised beds, some of our plants are growing in the soil we already had in our yard. We took off the turf and tilled soil underneath before adding transplants. We did not have any trouble growing our plants. We know everyone isn't this lucky. See the link below about amending your soil if you are having trouble growing in the soil in your yard.
Tips
-Read the soil bags before you purchase them. You need to know what's in your soil.
-Ask store personnel for soil recommendations. They have been asked plenty of times before and will have some suggestions.
-Top soil is okay, but a good potting soil is better. Potting soil/potting mix have amendments such as: pine needles, peat moss, perlite, etc. to provide the best environment for the roots of your plants to grow.
Hopefully, this post will be helpful to our friend.
Additional Resources