In a previous article I detailed some of the problem I’ve encountered with commercially available potting soil.  There are some decent soils out there, but you do tend to take your chances with something that is bulk produced as potting soil is.  To solve the problems I’ve had, I decided to make my own, and it really is very simple and easy.

The ingredients:

• Peat moss – available in small and large bales, peat moss provides the organic base for the potting soil.
• Vermiculite – this may be harder to find, but most garden centers should be able to get it for you.  Vermiculite helps retain water and it also aids in aeration.
• Compost – the nutrients for your soil, and source of beneficial microbes.

To make the soil, you simply mix all the ingredients together.  You want to use the same amount of both peat moss and vermiculite, and the amount of compost you use can vary based your needs.  If you’re making potting soil that you’re going to use in containers as permanent or final planters, you want to use a larger amount.  If this is just for sprouting seedlings that will be transplanted later, a lesser amount can be used.  Composting is an article for another day, so if you don’t have any don’t sweat it.  You can safely omit it if you’re just using this soil for sprouting seedlings that will be transplanted later on.

Prior to mixing, make sure you wet everything down fairly well.  If you don’t, you might find that the vermiculite and peat moss will end up all over the place since they’re very light materials and are affected by even the slightest wind current.  For this same reason, I strongly suggest mixing outside.  Nobody wants a mess like that in their kitchen.  Mix until everything is combined and has a nice, even texture.

What you end up with is a very uniform, light soil that’s ideal for allowing seedlings to sprout and their roots to really develop and become healthy while not being inhibited or encumbered by large chunks of wood or fungus that’s competing for the nutrients.  In the picture below, you can see the very chunky and woody composition of some commercially available bagged potting mix…

This really does look like chips of wood and some vagurely organic stuff.

…and the stuff I’ve made here at home.  Little seedlings, especially those that start out rather delicate like lettuce, herbs, and tobacco, will really appreciate the very fine texture as they develop their roots.

A mix of peat moss, vermiculite, and a small amount of compost, this potting soil has a very even and light texture.

One thing to note is that I did not use any sand in this mix.  Sand is not very good at retaining water, and it provides no nutrient value to the mix.  Essentially, it’s simply dead weight, and not needed.