My neighbor swore I needed special 'balcony soil' for my tomatoes

So the old guy next door told me I had to buy this expensive bagged mix specifically for containers. I didn't listen, just used dirt from the planter box that was already there. My tomato plants got all yellow and sad after 3 weeks. Finally caved and swapped to the proper stuff and they perked right up in like 5 days. Cost me $12 at the hardware store. Anyone else ever tried cutting corners with dirt and regret it?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sam1d ago

Wait, you just used regular dirt from the planter box? That sounds like it would turn into concrete after a week in a pot. The soil in the ground has all sorts of microbes and worms doing the work for you, but in a container it just compacts down and smothers the roots. Bagged soil is light and fluffy for a reason, it drains better and lets air get to the roots. Glad the tomatoes bounced back for you, those $12 mixes really do save a lot of headaches.

nathan_barnes1d ago

Man @the_sam nailed it with that compaction thing, that's exactly what happened to my cucumbers last year. I tried the same shortcut with some leftover garden bed soil and those poor plants just sat there looking pitiful for weeks. After I swapped them out for a proper potting mix they took off like crazy, it was night and day. The roots need that loose texture in containers or they just suffocate, learned that one the hard way just like you did.