r/containergardening • u/SashaNatureNomad • 10h ago

Question Why does every container gardening soil recipe have 10 ingredients?

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Am I the only one who thinks most container gardening advice overcomplicates soil?

I've been growing vegetables in containers for a few years now and every spring I see people recommending these crazy mixes with 8-10 ingredients.

Meanwhile some of the healthiest tomato and pepper plants I've grown were in plain potting mix with extra perlite mixed in.

What actually made the biggest difference for me wasn't fertilizer schedules or fancy amendments. It was stopping the use of garden soil in pots.

The year I figured that out was the year everything suddenly started growing normally lol.

Curious what everyone here uses. Do you buy bagged mix, make your own, or just use whatever is cheapest and available?

And has anyone actually compared the results side-by-side?

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u/[deleted] 9h ago

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u/Remarkable_Peach_374 9h ago

I think the mixes are mostly for bulk/personal preference in consistencey, you could really grow anything in any soil if you did it right, i use some kellogs 3cu foot organic soil straight from the bag, and water every sunday while its almost 110 degrees out daily. I do need to remember to fertilize more often though.

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u/SashaNatureNomad 9h ago

Sorry about that my bad :)

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u/Remarkable_Peach_374 9h ago

All good 🤣 i wasnt sure if you were a bot, a troll, or just made a mistake lol

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u/SashaNatureNomad 9h ago

Genuinely a mistake please, I don't know my toddler is in my hand right now. Lol

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u/Remarkable_Peach_374 9h ago

Again, all good! Mistakes happen my friend. The child is more important than the reddit too!

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u/SashaNatureNomad 9h ago

Thank you :)