How To Make Potting Soil Mix For Container Gardening, Self Watering Pots, Grow Bags And Soil Blocks

In this video I show how I make potting mix. This peat-based mix works great for all types of container gardening, as well as for making soil blocks. It can be used for regular pots and also for self watering planters, wicking beds, and grow bags. The mix is based on Elliot Coleman's soil blocking mix, but scaled up, and with some adjustments.
Feel free to share this video with anyone who may find it useful.
Correction: 2:47 If you are using a bale of compressed peat like I have in the video, it expands to more than 3 cubic feet. For 3 cubic feet of compressed peat you should add 2 cups of dolomite, instead of 1.5 cups of dolomite.

Here are links for many of the products I use in my vegetable garden. Note that a lot of these items, like the fertilizers and the trays/saucers, have gotten much more expensive lately (like everything else). I shop around to find the best prices on the items and if I can't find something at a reasonable price then I will just do without or find a substitute):

or
or

In addition to the above fertilizers I occasionally use these seaweed and fish fertilizers to give my plants a boost of nutrients. I also use some of the seaweed fertilizer (half-strength) on my seedlings right after I transplant them (Note: I don’t use fertilizers with fish in them for seedlings):

The Following Organic Soil Amendments Add Trace Minerals To The Soil.

Self-Watering Grow Boxes:
or

[gidget]

When I lived in Virginia and used to mix large batches of soil mix, I bought a cheap blue square tarp spread out my peat then my first layer. I mixed them together by picking up one corner and tumbling the content back toward the middle. After lifting each corner, I would take the back of a garden rake or a hoe and spread it back out and add another layer of amendment, tumble it back to the center and repeat. As I aged it was a lot easier on my back than being bent over turning it with a shovel. 😁👵

[samueljaramillo]

Good mixture. Pretty similar to the mix I do.

[tomdifazio]

Great video I’m going to try your mix this season

[TheJademaxus]

Thank you for the comprehensive guide!

[charleywalker]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and keep your videos coming please.

[plu]

Thank you for the video and detailed explanation! Can I substitute perlite with play sand?

[Sullfla]

Hi Elizabeth,

I have been watching your videos which I really appreciate.
I have my tomato seedlings growing inside, and want to transplant them soon. What size grow bags would you recommend❓What vegetables do you prefer to grow in grow bags❓ Wouldn’t the biggest grow bags work for most or all veggies and tomatoes? THANK YOU‼️

[stanceonlife]

Great informative video! One note, the 3 cubic feet of peat moss you have is compressed(I have the same one). Web says it can expand “up to 6 cubic feet”. Something to keep in mind to anyone who gets non-compressed peat moss following the recipe mix.

[crisl]

Thank you for this. I’m in SWFL and it’s nice to see how-to’s for FL gardeners as gardening down here is definitely different than gardening anywhere else. I find my biggest problem is the humidity/water retention in my containers… the TOP of my 5 gallon buckets can be dry while the bottom 1/3 is wet with algae growth on the side—even with like 10 1/4-1/2 inch drainage holes in the bottom AND sitting on elevated bleachers! Any thoughts on why and what I can try to remedy that?

[SouthFloridaSunshine]

I am in 10b Palm Beach County, great video and information! I can’t bring myself to use any mushroom or manure based compost due to the grazon problem spreading even into some commercial mixes. Otherwise, I loved every bit of this except that your neck hurt. ❤️

[leeannmoore]

I wonder if you could use a compost tumbler to mix the ingredients?

[tatertotcountry]

This fantastic. Thank you! ---- I'm growing cucumber with the, so 6.5 would be a good ph to my knowledge. I have the same lime that you have. Would 2 cups be enough to make the soil a little less acidic? Does that sound reasonable? Or more?

[teresaholland]

Rain in Florida 🤣I live in central Florida we get a lot of rain

[jackiekreuzer]

What would you do different for strawberries, if anything..
Very nice video.. I just found your channel..

[saimaakter]

Very nice and informative video. I have a questions, i live in texas, where temperature is very high during summer, i want to grow vegetables in container in my backyard, so is this an ideal recipe for potting soil? What about black cow brand manure? Some says it's very good for plants. Please help me with your advice. Thanks❤😊

[traceybier]

Wouldn't coconut coir be a better resource than peat?

[nyc]

If I can't find compost, can I use humus and manure? And can this mixture be used for potatoes?

[debbiebridges]

I have 3 cubic feet of compressed peat moss should I use only half for the recipe?

[stoicbreathe]

There is no perlite where I live, can you recommend something to replace it with? Thank-you

[suer]

We plant 5 tomato plants in self watering containers that take 35-40 qts of "soil" per container. Would this mix be enough or do I need to double or triple the amounts?