potting soil vs garden soil

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kays_camelot Port Sanilac, MI Jun 15, 2010

I see both potting soil and garden soil in stores. What is the difference and which should you use for what situations? DH points out to me that the annuals we buy are in potting soil and when the year is over and I pull out the dead plant that it is still inside the loose soil it came in and doesn't seem to root into the dirt. That can't be good, can it?

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Jun 15, 2010

The short answer is that potting mix is for pots, and garden soil is for garden beds. Potting mix is lighter and provides better drainage for containers. Garden soil is heavier and if you use it in containers they'll stay wet too long and your roots will likely rot. Water drains differently in a garden bed than it does in a container so heavier soil is fine there (if you want more details, see some of tapla's threads in the container gardening forum)

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Daisies87 Pelham, NY Jun 15, 2010

Also, I believe garden soil may contain ingredients that can be undesirable for usage indoors; potting soil can be used for both indoor and outdoor plants. Even though my knowledge is very limited drainage is definitely key as ercane says.

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