• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Seed Starting
    • Plant Profiles
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

Soil for Container Vegetable Gardens

April 18, 2017 by Jeanne

Today, my friends, you can call forth your inner science nerd. Today, we are discussing the exciting, the stupendous, the wonderful world of SOIL! That’s soil for a container vegetable garden, and in case you were wondering – yes, it does matter what you use.

Ready? Let’s dish the dirt on soil.

 

The Right Soil for a Container Vegetable Garden

I decided to write an entire article on soil for a container vegetable gardenssimply because this is one of the most frequently asked questions I get when I lecture on the topic.

Soil – not dirt, which is what you vacuum from your carpets – soil is an absolute miracle. The soil in your yard right now took millions of years to form. Wind, water, and erosion breaks down

Wind, water, and erosion breaks down rocks into tiny particles. Bacteria, fungi, and insects break down carbon-based matter, such as leaves and grass, into nutritious particles called hummus.

And it all mixes together in a gorgeous brown stuff we call SOIL.

Now here’s the secret to a great container vegetable garden:

Go to your local garden center. Choose a bagged potting soil that includes a slow release fertilizer. Buy the bag. DONE. You now have soil for a container vegetable garden.

“Wait,” you ask, “is that IT? You’re supposed to be some kind of expert on this stuff, Jeanne…and that’s what you do?”

Yes, that’s what I do. And here’s why.

Types of Soil

Most people starting a container vegetable garden want to use the soil in their yard. After all, it’s free and plentiful. You just dig it up, fill your pot or container, and you’re all set.

Unfortunately, the soil in your yard may be far from ideal. An ideal mixture of soil, nutrients, and particles to provide aeration and drainage is the best mixture for your containers.

Soil consists of particles. Particle size matters to your plants. Fine particles cling together when wet, making it hard for the plant’s roots to penetrate into the soil and take up the nutrients they need. Larger particles may be so coarse that water drains through too quickly, and the plant cannot take up the nutrients it needs.

The picture below shows three examples of very different types of soil mixtures:

  1. Seed starting mix is a commercial mixture ideal for the germination of seeds. It doesn’t work well for a container vegetable garden. It is light and fluffy thanks to the small, fine particles, peat moss, and plenty of vermiculite (the white grains in the soil).
  2. Clay garden soil doesn’t work well for container gardens, either. It’s fine particle size means that the soil particles stick together. That’s how bricks are made. This handful was dug up from my own yard. I tested the pH with my handheld pH meter and it’s around 4.2. Most vegetables need a pH between 5.5 and 6.5, so they’d struggle to get the nutrients they need out of this soil. (There are many types of soil, by the way. I just used clay as an example because that is what I have in my Virginia garden. You may live near the ocean, in which case you probably have a sandy soil. Some lucky people have loam. For more on soil, see Dishing the Dirt on Soil: Garden Soil Basics)
  3. Potting soil from the garden center. This is what I consider to be the ideal mix for a container vegetable garden. It’s the right texture – not too light and not too packed. It contains peat moss, a natural compost, along with vermiculite for drainage and tiny green grains of fertilizer.

Bagged potting soil with the ingredients identified.

Soil from my garden. Yours may be better or worse, sandy or loam. If it looks like this, though, it’s not great for vegetables and containers.

 

Don’t Be Penny Wise and Pound Foolish

Some people try to skimp and avoid buying potting soil. “Why should I buy it?” they ask, “when I have a backyard full of soil?”

That’s like an Olympic athelete eating only junk food. Eventually, the athelete won’t have enough nutrients to build muscle, strength, and stamina.

Your plants need the right balance of nutrients and soil for nourishment and to sustain healthy growth and development. Good vegetables come from healthy plants, and healthy plants grow from great soil. Don’t skimp on your soil!

So when starting your container vegetable garden, the best soil in my opinion for container vegetable garden is bagged potting soil. Pick your brand, buy it local, and start your garden.

 

Happy gardening. Keep growing!

Filed Under: Home Garden Tips

Previous Post: « What Size Pots Are Good for Container Gardens?
Next Post: Should You Start Your Container Vegetable Garden with Seeds or Plants? »

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. 9 Watering Tips for a Container Vegetable Garden - Home Garden Joy says:
    April 27, 2017 at

    […] one mistakes I see among backyard gardeners. They spray the hose on the leaves of the plant and the soil remains dry. Always aim water at the soil, where the roots of the plants are buried. That’s […]

  2. How to Start a Vegetable Garden says:
    February 23, 2018 at

    […] in pots, containers or a raised bed garden, you can skip the soil test since you will add bagged potting soil to these containers or […]

  3. Your Guide to Soil - says:
    March 1, 2019 at

    […] Soil for Container Vegetable Gardens […]

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

As Seen in Porch

 As Seen in Porch

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Explore All Gardening Articles

Latest Articles

  • Growing Eggplant: A Guide for Gardeners
  • Volunteer Plants – Nature’s Unexpected Gifts
  • Free eBook on Herbal Safety

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

Disclosure

Home Garden Joy participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy. Herbal information and recipes on this site are provided for educational purposes only.

Footer

a tea pot, cup and saucer with mint leaves on the saucer

Free eBook on Herbal Safety

The Herbal Academy is offering a free ebook on herbal safety! I just sent an email out to our Home Garden Joy community and downloaded my copy and WOW – not only is it chock-full of information, it’s beautiful to look at, too. And free. Did I mention free? Learn More About Using Herbs –…

Read More

a closeup of watermelon

Watermelon in the Home Garden

Growing watermelon in the home garden is not for the faint of heart. I have plenty of room, and it still threatened to take over the garden. You will either need to leave a lot of room for the sprawling vines or look for varieties specifically marked for containers. Growing it on a trellis is…

Read More

a zucchini growing in a raised bed

Growing Zucchini in Raised Beds

Growing zucchini in raised beds ensures that this prolific vegetable has the best conditions to thrive. You can grow zucchini in pots or containers, but I prefer growing it in raised beds. This is a great vegetable to grow if you have a “black thumb” and kill plastic plants, because it’s hard to grow a…

Read More

a close up of onions

How to Grow Onions in Your Backyard

Wondering how to grow onions? I’ve grown onions here at Seven Oaks Farm in several ways: from “sets” or starter plants and from store-bought onions that sprouted in the bag! Onions don’t require much space, and you can grow a lot for the money you spend on starter plants. Let’s take a look at how…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme