Did you know that with just five simple, all-natural ingredients, you can create the best homemade potting soil around? It’s true! And even better, it can save you big on your gardening budget by not having to purchase those expensive commercial brands!
There are a near endless amount of potting soil varieties available today. Not only can they be quite pricey to purchase, many also have a long list of added fertilizers, fungicides and other additives in their ingredients that are far from organic.
It can be bad enough using these commercial brands to simply grow flowers, but it can really be an issue for those who like to grow herbs and vegetables they consume in containers, pots and raised beds that are filled with that potting soil.
But here’s the good news – there is simply no need to use potting soil with questionable ingredients. Especially when you can create your own incredibly powerful homemade potting soil from just a few basic organic ingredients.
Not only can it save you money – you’ll also have the satisfaction of knowing what’s in your soil – and more importantly, knowing what’s not!
How To Create The Best Homemade Potting Soil
Before we get to the recipe, it’s important to know what make a potting soil great for plants. For starters, healthy potting soil needs to be lightweight for containers and baskets. It also needs to be able to retain moisture, but still be loose enough to drain excess away water.
But in addition to all of those needs, great potting soil needs to have plenty of nutrients to help feed plants for the long haul. Ones that release and feed plants slowly. And it just so happens, that “perfect mix” of soil can be made right at home. All with simple, easy to find – and most importantly – 100% all-organic ingredients.
For years, we have been tweaking with our potting soil recipe to come up with a perfect blend of power that plants love. Finally, back in 2018, after adding a bit more power with worm castings to the mix, we hit on a simple formula that grew our container plants beyond our wildest expectations. And ever since, we have been growing our potted plants in it exclusively.
It has truly been incredible for powering our flowers in pots, hanging baskets and containers. And it works equally well for the vegetables and herbs we grow in containers too. Not only is it lightweight, it’s also full of natural, slow release fertilizers.
I think what we like most of all is that at the end of the growing season, we can simply dump the soil into our compost bins without any worry of chemicals or additives getting into our compost!
The Perfect Recipe – How To Create The Best Homemade Potting Soil
Along with the recipe below, we have also included a little information about what each ingredient does for the mix. The recipe can be scaled up or down to make as much or little potting soil as needed. As long as you keep the ratios the same, the mix will stay at full strength.
- Compost – 6 cups
- Top Soil – 6 cups
- Worm Castings – 2 cups
- Spent Coffee Grounds – 1 cup
- Perlite – 2 cups
Compost (6 cups) – How To Create The Best Homemade Potting Soil
Compost is a must in creating great potting soil. Not only is it lightweight, it’s filled with an incredible balance of nutrients as well. Nutrients that are released slowly to the roots of plants over time. It also helps to keep the potting soil light and loose.
Compost will also absorb and retain water in massive amounts. In fact, it can absorb 10 to 15 times its own weight in water! That absorbing power helps to create potting soil that keeps from drying out to quickly.
When using compost in potting soil, always make sure that it is screened or very loose and fine. This will help it mix into the soil with ease.
Listen In Below To Our Podcast On Making Homemade Potting Soil!
Loose Top Soil (6 cups) – How To Create The Best Homemade Potting Soil
Top soil is simply soil that is fine and loose. It is taken from the upper level of soil that is usually more full of nutrients and power. You can often find it bagged or in bulk at mulch & soil stores. You can also soil from your garden as long as it is loose and not thick or hard to crumble.
Together, top soil and compost make up the biggest percentage of ingredients in the potting soil mix. But to really power up the soil, it’s time to add worm castings and coffee grounds to the mix!
Worm Castings (2 cups) – How To Create The Best Homemade Potting Soil
Quite simply, worm castings are one of the most crucial parts of this recipe. Worm castings are the manure of worms, and can do they ever provide an incredible balance of slow-release nutrients to plants. And all while keeping the soil lightweight and absorbing water. Product Affiliate Link: 100% Worm Castings
We actually use worm castings everywhere on our farm to power our plants. Not just in our potting soil, but also to make an incredible liquid fertilizer. We also use them as a top dressing for potted plants and hanging baskets to provide low and slow fertilizer. They are truly a secret all natural ingredient to powering plants everywhere!
Coffee Grounds (1 cup) – How To Create The Best Homemade Potting Soil
Coffee grounds are one of the most powerful, humus-building organic ingredients around. And even better, they are easy to source and usually for free!
Much like worm castings, they help to add all-important structure to potting soil. They also contain a fair amount of trace nitrogen, which is extremely important for it’s fertilizing capabilities. Even more, they also help to absorb moisture which can help potted plants in between watering sessions.
Now that we have a good base of soil from compost and top soil – and added power from worm castings and coffee grounds – it’s time to add the final ingredient to lighten the mix. And that ingredient is all natural perlite!
Perlite (2 cups) – How To Create The Best Homemade Potting Soil
It it’s natural state, perlite is 100% all-natural volcanic glass. But when heated, it pops open almost like popcorn. And it has near magical powers when used as an ingredient in potting soil.
Perlite not only helps to improve drainage, but keeps the soil mix light. And that popcorn-like substance also absorbs moisture, and a lot of it! Like compost, coffee grounds and castings, perlite can keep moisture around the roots of potted plants, releasing it back out as the soil dries out.
Perlite, with a neutral PH of 7, also won’t affect the make-up of the potting soil. Just another reason it is the perfect soil-lightening additive!
Here is to making your own potting soil this year. And even more, to growing amazing potted plants all around your landscape! Happy Gardening – Jim and Mary
Old World Garden
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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