How to Use Topsoil for a Potting Mixture

Growth mediums are available in different textures, including potting mix, garden mix and topsoil. Each mixture includes similar ingredients but in differing levels of coarseness. Potting mix is very finely ground organic matter. Garden mix is more coarsely ground and is typically added to native garden soil to be used as additional organic matter. Topsoil is a mixture of organic matter and differing soil types, depending on where the topsoil came from. All of these mixtures make a suitable growth medium by themselves.

Things You'll Need

• Bagged topsoil
• Organic compost material
• Large shovel
• Small gardening shovel
• Fertilizer

Instructions

1. Cut the bag of topsoil open with a utility knife or the business end of a large shovel and break it up with a shovel to decompact the soil. Decompacted soil is easier to work with while filling pots. Mix the topsoil with organic compost materials in a 1:1 ratio.

2. Fill pots with the topsoil mixture using a small gardening shovel. Use the small shovel to pack the topsoil into the pots you fill them.

3. Add fertilizer to the soil and mix it well with the small gardening shovel.

4. Add water to the pots when they are filled with topsoil to help the soil to settle before planting seeds or transplanting starts.

5. Add more topsoil to the pots as needed to fill the pots sufficiently for the seeds or starts that will grow in the pots.

6. Place the pots in an area that will provide the plants in the pots with the required amount of sun exposure for them to thrive.

References

• Soils and Soil Enhancers

Resources

• Potting Soils