STOP Throwing Out Potting Soil! 3 Ways We Reuse It

[valeriehowden]

Started a new 4' x 10' raised bed this spring. Filled all summer long with fruit and veggie scraps plus last falls leaves like a lasange garden and let it cold compost. Threw in my old potting soil from this year plus some red wriggler compost worms. Will top off with more leaves before the snow comes and it'll be perfect next spring.

[CandiPrettyface]

I found out from experience that semi compost dirt in a pot with a couple worms will sprout seeds faster. I add the newspaper, food, worms, and all. (Whatever i pull out the compost bin..) And add some old potting soil and i have Great results. MIgardner u have a Beautiful garden and i really enjoy your advice, videos, and your harvest!!!! Take care

[christhomas]

Love your videos Luke. As a new urban gardener, I've learned a TON from you and I greatly appreciate it!! STAY CALM AND GARDEN ON!!!

[reesefewell]

The earth itself has been reusing its own soil over and over for millennia and I think it's working out pretty well so far... hehe It's funny and odd that we would think "it's used so it's no good so I should toss it right?" I guess that's due to the consumer culture we've been living in, lol. Good thing that's slowly changing though! 👍

[charlestessier]

You’re so spot on Luke. It has happened for me to collect some thrown away soil, but this stuff of people leaving on the side of the

[grubsgarden]

I used to pile it up, mix it through, add amendments and then use it but that became too much work in my limited space. The idea this behind this though is that I would "balance out" depleted nutrients from each pot. Now I just add amendments in last season's pot then put new potting soil on top (lose an inch or two each season) and try to plant a different family of vegetable than the previous season, sort of a mini-crop rotation.

If you have some really tired looking potting soil just add it to your raised beds. It will at least add some volume / water holding capacity even if it is really drained of nutrients.

[kathyhism]

Im shocked! Are there people who actually throw out potting soil? Why would you ever want to in the first place?. Ive never heard of that. Good video👍

[pmbramucci]

Just did that yesterday. My new tall raised bed dropped down several inches over the summer as the wood chips in the bottom 2/3 decomposed, and I wanted to clean out my greenstalk planters, so I sifted the dirt into the raised bed and added some rabbit manure to add some compost material. Today I'll plant the Musik and Italian garlic bulbs I got from your store to see if I can grow my own garlic. We have 3 trees on our property and will soon have plenty of leaves to use as mulch to cover them up.

[MissyKay]

Perfect timing. I recycled some potting soil today by topping off one of our beds. I thought it would be fine but glad to have some reassurance ☺️ thanks!!!

[watermelonlalala]

The first time I planted in containers I used a bag of potting mix to patch a big hole along my driveway, it washed away. After that I used homemade compost for hole filler, nothing stayed on that slope until I put pine cones where I could in the washed out part and stomped them down, then dumped compost or whatever on top. Lasted for a year, so far.

[dougzale]

I live in zone 3 Edmonton. Growing up here I piled up all my container and pumpkin pit soil in a pile about 5 feet high covered it with leaves and then snow as it started to snow. This would keep the pile moist and warm.

[RobBackyardGardenerr]

Enjoyed the video Luke. I am such a penny pincher so I do most of this already but... I did overlook filling the low spots in the yard so kudos!!!

[andersonsoutdoors]

I never really thought about it....But I've always just chucked the old potting soil from my containers into my compost pile. I always figured it was rich in stuff that my compost might be lacking (perlite, vermiculite, peat moss, etc.) In my mind, it was totally valuable and certainly not worthy of the dump! I can't believe people toss their old potting it my way, folks! I can use it! Great video. Enjoy your content. Keep up the good

[zmblion]

I use free mulch like you have talked about to fill in low spots works great. Takes a little while longer for the grass but it works and doesn't wash* away so easy.

[leevandyke]

I reuse potting soil in my garden or other pots. In my garden, I mulch about 6 inches in fall. I'm too cheap to get more compost, I'd rather mulch with leaves and let it break down over winter.

[nepurangi]

I wish people left bags of soil on my street 😂 what are they thinking

[shihtzusrule]

Earlier this season, I called my local nursery to see if they made compost and sold it but they didn't. I had a bed that had sandy soil in it. So I asked them if they had potting soil that they had discarded, they did, and I got it for free. I have a 40-gallon horse trough and brought my wheelbarrow and filled it up. It was mums that didn't sell. It was a huge pile in various degrees of breaking down. There were roots and I had to go through it and shake it out, but the big chunks I put in my compost pile. It was some of the lightest, fluffiest potting soil I have ever seen. All it was missing was the Trifecta. I've still got one grey tub and a big round tub cow minerals came in full of the potting soil. I decided not to put it in that bed and just do containers with it. That bed needs some good compost, which I never found.

[AcornHillHomestead]

I always reuse mine. Its too expensive to just toss it out. After all of the the videos and documentaries about waste why are people STILL so wasteful?? I don’t understand it. Thanks for this video Luke! 👍🏻

[StaceyHerewegrowagain]

Thanks for sharing Luke! I love reusing my potting soil. I Never throw anything away. Definitely love repurposing lots of different things!

[Gryphon]

I never throw out potting mix ever! I use that stuff for all sorts of projects, a lot of which is what you suggested which are great suggestions!