Potting Soil Recipes for Container Gardening

Make quality potting soil and soil-less mixes at home.

Seedling mix for seedlings in styrofoam flats :

• 2 parts compost
• 2 part peat moss or coir
• 1 part perlite

The second recipe is a soilless recipe based on the Cornell Mix concept; the third is a classic soil-based formula.

Organic substitute for Cornell Mix (large quantity):

• 1/2 cu. yd. Sphagnum peat or coir
• 1/2 cu. yd perlite
• 10 lbs. bonemeal
• 5 lbs. ground limestone
• 5 lbs. bloodmeal

Classic soil-based mix:

• 1/3 mature compost or leaf mold, screened
• 1/3 garden topsoil
• 1/3 sharp sand

Note: This mix results in a potting soil that is heavier than modern peat mixes, but still has good drainage. Compost has been shown to promote a healthy soil mix that can reduce root diseases. Perlite can be used instead of sand. Organic fertilizer can be added to this base.

Prick-out mix for growing seedlings to transplant size:

• 6 parts compost
• 3 parts soil
• 1-2 parts sand
• 1-2 parts aged manure
• 1 part peat moss, pre-wet and sifted
• 1-2 parts leaf mold, if available
• 1 6″ pot bone meal

Organic potting mix:

• 1 part sphagnum peat or coir
• 1 part peat humus (short fiber)
• 1 part compost
• 1 part sharp sand (builder’s)

to every 80 qts. of this add:

• 1 cup greensand
• 1 cup colloidal phosphate
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups crabmeal, or bloodmeal
• 1/2 cup lime