r/containergardening • u/SashaNatureNomad • 9h 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/byoshin304 9h ago

I would use Happy Frog and I fill my containers all the way to the top. I don’t understand why so many people only fill them half way.

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u/SashaNatureNomad 9h ago edited 8h ago

Filling containers only halfway has always confused me too. You're basically giving up root space that you already paid for 😅 I've never used Happy Frog personally, but I hear people mention it a lot alongside FoxFarm products. Have you noticed a big difference between it and cheaper potting mixes, or is it more of a consistency thing for you?

I actually put together everything I learned (what worked, what didn’t, and my simple setup) here if you want a deeper breakdown: https://barksecret.com/best-soil-for-container-vegetables/

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u/RustyMcMelon 5h ago

🤣 OP - they were talking about YOU. Have you seen your photos?