Used to baby my indoor herbs with fancy soil mixes now I just use whatever bags are on sale

I got really into growing basil and mint inside during the pandemic. Bought all these expensive potting soils with perlite and vermiculite and stuff. Drove 30 minutes to a specialty shop in Salem. Then last winter I was lazy and just grabbed a random bag of generic potting mix from the grocery store for $4. Guess what? My plants did just as good. Maybe even better. Now I only buy fancy soil if I'm doing something finicky like starting seeds. For mature herbs I just use whatever. Has anyone else found a big brand that's actually garbage quality so I can avoid it?

2 comments

2 Comments

mary_wells26d ago

I just buy the cheapest bag at the hardware store these days. Miracle Gro has been fine for me. I'd stay away from the stuff that feels like mostly wood chips and sand. Bought a bag of that once for my mint and it dried out in like two hours. Learned my lesson.

blake43226d ago

The real trick is looking at what they put in the bag, not just the brand name lol. @mary_wells you're totally right about that wood chip stuff, it's basically mulch pretending to be soil. I started mixing a cheap organic compost with some perlite for drainage and my mint has been way happier. Most store bought mixes are too heavy or too light, you gotta blend your own to get that balance right.