Why does every container gardening soil recipe have 10 ingredients?

[u/SashaNatureNomad]

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?

[u/cofi52]

I use basically ~80% coco coir and ~20% nutrients made up of worm castings and espoma fertilizer

I eyeball the whole thing and never measure anything when it comes to soil and my plants are growing just fine

Honestly the numbers are probably closer to 85/15 or 90/10 but again, no idea, I don't measure and I'm pretty sure the plant's don't either so I just make sure not to go too harsh on the nutrients