We’ve got our potting soil sorted for the season! So, let’s talk about our preferences and why we choose one of the more “premium” potting soils for our indoor nursery!
We heavily favor ProMix, having done so ever since we first tried it. You can tell they are proud of it, as it commands one of the most hefty price tags for potting soil on the market today. But, the question is, is it worth it?
One of the most attractive things about ProMix is that we find it to be entirely weed and fungus free. This is important for us, since we prefer to use our potting soil for both germination of seeds and as an actual potting soil for our transplants. (Two birds, one stone, if you will.)
A fungal infection, during early germination, can be disastrous. When fungus crops up, it can spread quickly and devastate your seedlings. While you can control it with regular applications of hydrogen peroxide and water, it almost always comes with heavy labor and deep losses.
While potting soils often look and perhaps even feel the same, we’ve found they are not the same. All will germinate seeds and grow plants. But, we find the “less expensive” soils much more prone to fungal infections. They’re also generally less performant in plant growth.
If you’re shopping on price alone, less expensive products like Sunshine Mix will do fine, so long as you keep your guard up! In some years, we’ve had to use this out of necessity. No one will judge you on this, fiscal necessity is a very real thing for many.
Most name brand soils will do great, so don’t overthink it. But, if threats to your garden equal a threat to your food supply, you’ll likely understand why a few extra bucks in soil isn’t worth pinching for us.
