Looking for the perfect soil booster to help all of your annuals, vegetable plants and even your perennials get off to a great start?
There is little doubt that healthy plants begin with healthy soil. And long before specialty soil mixes became popular, we were already creating our own planting blend here at the farm to use when planting our garden and flowerbeds.
Each and ever spring, we mix together compost, worm castings, coffee grounds, and pulverized egg shells to create a nutrient-rich planting blend we can use almost anywhere. We use it in our vegetable gardens, flowerbeds, containers, hanging baskets, and directly in planting holes for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, annuals, and herbs. Over time, it has truly become on of our biggest gardening secrets.
The results are impressive. Plants grow faster and stronger, soil holds moisture better during hot weather, and vegetables produce more consistently throughout the season. Flowers bloom larger and longer, and perhaps most importantly, the soil itself continues to improve every time we use it.
The Perfect Soil Booster – Giving Your Plants & Soil Power!
An All In One Ready-To-Go Solution
Because of how well it worked, we have talked about this formula for years on our websites, podcast, and social media channels. We have always believed that when you focus on building healthy soil first, everything else in the garden becomes easier.
And then something unexpected happened. Out of the blue, a follower of our site contacted us and shared he wanted to create a product based around many of the same exact principles. In fact, he actually wanted our input on what the ratio of each should be. And we were more than happy to help!
Why? Because although all four of those special ingredients are amazing, not everyone has the ability to save and make their own. In fact, we are asked quite often where to get them – and we loved that this product can give people just that! Affiliate Link: The Perfect Garden Soil Supplement Mix
The Perfect Soil Booster Formula
The formula combines uses compost to help improve soil structure while supporting consistent moisture balance and active soil life. And does compost ever create an excellent base for healthier growing conditions because they help loosen compacted soil while improving water retention at the same time.
But what really caught our eye were the additional ingredients included in the blend. The formula features worm castings, coffee grounds, and crushed, cleaned, and sterilized egg shells – three ingredients we have personally relied on for years in our own gardens.
Why We Love Worm Castings
If there is one ingredient we never want to garden without, it is worm castings. Worm castings are packed with nutrients and beneficial microbes that help plants grow naturally and steadily. Unlike harsh synthetic fertilizers that can force weak growth, worm castings slowly feed the soil over time. See: The Biggest Secret To Vegetable & Flower Power – Using Worm Castings!
They also help improve soil texture while helping soil retain moisture at the same time. That combination is incredibly important because healthy roots need both oxygen and moisture to thrive. It is one of the reasons we always add worm castings directly into planting holes for tomatoes and peppers each spring.
Over the years, we have seen firsthand how worm castings help seedlings establish faster, reduce transplant shock, and create noticeably stronger plants. They also help support beneficial soil activity beneath the surface, which is one of the keys to long-term soil health.
Coffee Grounds – One Of The Most Underrated Soil Builders
Coffee grounds are another ingredient we have used heavily in our gardens for years. Used correctly, coffee grounds can provide nitrogen and organic matter that help energize soil and improve overall soil structure. They also help encourage earthworms and beneficial microbial activity.
One of our favorite ways to use coffee grounds is by mixing them into compost piles or directly into planting areas before planting. We especially love using them around vegetable plants and annual flowers that need steady energy throughout the growing season.
As the grounds break down, they help add valuable organic matter back into the soil. Over time, healthier soil structure leads to healthier roots, stronger plants, and better overall garden performance.
The Power Of Egg Shells In The Garden
We have also long believed in the power of egg shells for healthier plants. Crushed egg shells provide calcium, which is essential for strong plant growth and development. Calcium deficiencies are often linked to issues such as blossom end rot in tomatoes and peppers.
For years, we have recommended finely crushing egg shells into powder form. Why? Because smaller particles break down much faster in the soil. That allows plants to access the nutrients more efficiently instead of waiting months for larger shell pieces to decompose.
The fact that this formula uses crushed, cleaned, and sterilized egg shells was another major plus for us. Combined with the other ingredients, the blend provides a variety of nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium to help support healthy plant growth.
This formula also includes Vital Blend activated charcoal to help maintain moisture while supporting nutrient retention. Activated charcoal can help create a more stable growing environment. It helps the soil’s ability to hold nutrients while still allowing good airflow around roots.
We have found over the years that gardens and containers with higher organic content simply perform better during periods of extreme heat. The soil stays cooler, moisture lasts longer, and plants are able to continue growing without suffering from constant drought stress.
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Perfect For Raised Beds, Containers & Gardens
One of the things we really appreciate about this blend is how versatile it is. It can be used in traditional gardens, raised beds, flowerbeds, containers, hanging baskets, and directly in planting holes. That flexibility is important because every gardener grows differently.
For containers and hanging baskets, it can be combined at roughly a 1:3 ratio with potting soil to create a richer growing mix. We especially like the idea of using it directly in planting holes because that is something we have personally done ourselves for years.
Here is to building better soil and growing great plants. All with an all natural perfect soil booster! Happy Gardening – Jim & Mary.
Old World Garden Farms
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.
As always, feel free to email us at thefarm@owgarden.com with comments, questions, or to simply say hello! You can sign up for our free email list in the subscribe now box in the middle of this article. Follow us on Facebook here : OWG Facebook. This article may contain affiliate links.