2 Easy Methods to Revitalize OLD Potting Soil

[@epicgardening]

Any pro tips you guys use that I didn't mention? DROP EM!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Epic Gardening I’m a soil scientist and I made a basic video on this today. I go through the basic but it’s a precursor to a 6 part series I’m doing next week! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHOzg2eEfbmojLs

[@ivacheung792]

Do you have any thoughts about baking spent soil to sterilize it for use with seedlings?

[@epicgardening]

@@ivacheung792 It works but it also seems like a lot of effort/energy use vs. getting seedling mix

[@GardeningInCanada]

Iva Cheung I 100% think it’s worth it if your worried about weeds or invasive species. But you need to recharge the soil after the bake with organic material such as manures or compost. It maybe also a good idea to think about using that soil for a season with pea/beans that have been treated with an inoculation of rhizobium bacteria. This will bring your soil back to life, you need to remember soil is a living thing made up of organic and inorganic compounds. What the plants take we need to give back. I’m actually covering this in my soil series I’m working on.

[@samartinez1988]

Don't forget the mychorrizae lol.

[@jonbranden]

I've found that emptying the pots at the end of the season into a bigger bin, then tossing in a good amount of alfalfa meal and bone meal, wetting it down, and then letting it sit in the sun for about a week until dry has worked wonders. Basically a quick and dirty compost, but adds lots of awesome nutrients.

[@asc3998]

Any idea how much of each?

[@crpth1]

Too much complication... ;-) I simply remove whatever annual is in there. Add some kitchen scraps, preferably fast composting ones. Example: banana peels, carrots shavings and tops, all greens, etc. In opposition to avocado peels and lumps from most fruits which take some time to compost! ;-) Cover them with the same soil. On top, mulch it with (preferably) grass clippings, straw/hay, weeds, etc. also work just fine. By the next Spring the soil looks AMAZING! As "new"! ;-) The occasional worm dumped in there, help a lot! I've got a bunch on my compost piles so it's really easy to find them. ;-) BTW it's easier and faster to do, the writing about it! Cheers

[@TheDanm22]

@@crpth1 worms love acacado skins. They create moist pockets to live in. Cover food scraps with an avocado peel to speed up decomposition of hard to decompose scraps.

[@danielheltberg6202]

Your channel, in conjunction with Mark from SelfSufficientMe, has inspired me to build a raised garden bed from scratch and take my gardening to the next level!

[@epicgardening]

That's what I like to hear!

[@Alexa-mj9gq]

I would add MI gardener to that. But yes :)

[@elephantsong7782]

good day mate 😆

[@joeyodonnell123]

and charles dowding !!

[@Smileyson58]

I love Mark 👍🏼

[@compticny888]

When the end the growing season hits us we dump the soil from our pots into the compost pile. In the spring we screen it, place wood chips in the bottom of the pot (helps with drainage, makes the pots lighter and gets a start on the end of season breakdown), and add the soil with a few amendments.

[@PorchGardeningWithPassion]

I put the wood chips at the bottom of my grow bags too!

[@kareelia]

It is so impressive, how you make a sponsored video, of a quality, where it doesn't get pushy or cringy. This was informative and serious, and just showed off the product in a really good light! Really great advertising, actually! You did well by viewers and sponsors both. THey should Throw deals at you! :-) And thank you for the tips!

[@gretchenbell9340]

TOTALLY agree with above! I noticed that too and this video made that "on the fence about soil brands" decision easy for me! Thanks!

[@mustafabrennpaste6521]

Its basically an Add for a product nobody needs.

[@aonirnolaloth]

Less annoying for the viewer, less skippable for the advertiser. I mean 99% of sponsor ads are 90 seconds at the start, so once they start you can easily skip it which benefits neither the viewer nor the sponsor

[@Open.Mind.I]

Dude, I love that you’re doing this BAREFOOT! So awesome to know that I’m not the only gardener who goes out to garden sans footwear.

[@Wowwhut]

It's the only way I know how

[@grannyearth5496]

I do toooo! I dug a trail through my rock yard so i can go barefoot. Look up “Grounding”and see the amazing health benefits!

[@emmagoff]

Barefoot is the only way! Until winter at least 😆

[@bencyber8595]

bacteria

[@rite2laurie]

I’m a barefooted too.🥰

[@duckyluver12]

I've been wondering about this for years and literally could not find a single video about it prior to this. THANK YOU.

[@idlewolf7196]

You weren't able to find other video on how to add dirt to dirt? And for years? Yikes... Perhaps you are kind of new to growing plants, but believe me there are a shit ton of needles videos that can be reduced to "yeah, soil depletes, add organic matter and minerals systematically". Not trolling, I grow plants myself, he and many others on KZbin make videos about how they reinvented boiled water, or better yet, how to turn liquid h2o into gas. And for the upcoming "then don't watch", within the first minute I had more than enough to decide not to, but your comment made me think he did say something out of the utter ordinary. But no, now I spent the time watching it completely plus the time replying, thank you?... And honestly good luck with your plants, hope you're still growing them.

[@yvonnerobles5971]

I have a pet bunny and his poops have done wonders for my porch container garden! He's litter box trained so I just take a scoop every so often and top dress my soil or mix it in to a new pot. It's a "cold" manure and also helps build up the organic matter in my soil. Bunny feeds the herbs, herbs feed me and the bunny!

[@yoholmes273]

It has been 2 years since you posted this. Hope you and your bunny friend are doing well today

[@joanbaczek2575]

Rinse the poop the urine burns roots

[@a_case_study]

This is so serendipitous I was JUST like 5 mins ago making a raised bed from random wood and stuff, and ran out of new soil- taking a break because I hit all I can do for today but definitely trying this with my spent old pots to make up the difference

[@IsabelleIsabelle01]

I am french but bilingual. You are not speaking too fast, I love it. Thank you

[@Oktopia]

Every spring I put all of my container soil into a large pile and sort through it by hand. Then I add fresh soil, slow-release fertilizer, and remove pests and bigger roots. My container garden is always lush.

[@ThesmartestTem]

I've had success for years mixing old potting mix with fresh stuff, compost, and some all around fertilizer. As long as what I planted the season before didn't have any serious issues that can be transferred to new plants. But I only reuse soil for a couple of years before dumping it out and fully refreshing.

[@katrinalopez8824]

Do you amend the soil before storing it for winter or amend it some spring when it’s time to plant again?

[@The.Ghost.of.Tom.Joad.]

I live in a condo in the midwest, and I've been growing in the same potting mix for 8 years. Every spring I dump the pots onto two tarps, keeping the soil type separate. I keep the roots in since it adds structure. Then I add worm castings I make, a couple 25-pound bags of compost, rotted manure, a healthy amount of organic fertilizer, etc. to each pile, mix well, and then re-pot. I plant tomatoes and peppers in the greens/ squash soil and the rest in what my peppers and tomatoes grew in the previous year. Hoisting, dumping, re-filling, and re-hoisting all those 5-gallon containers is a drag first thing in the spring. Still, since the land I have to work with is 1) very, very, very small, and 2) heavy clay with a rocky hardpan about 3 inches down, container gardening is a god-send for this urban gardener. At least I can grow food... and lots of it. I'm a growing fool, starting dozens of starts from spring until fall, and microgreens all year long. PS. If anyone else is pressed for space, I'd recommend a Garden Tower planter. It's a barrel-sized planter with pant-spaces recessed into the sides and an integrated worm composting tube. Below is a link to the product. (PS. I get nothing for this, I am not an affiliate... it's just a great little product for urban growers). gardentowerproject.com/product/garden-tower-2-50-plant-composting-container-garden/

[@crazygirl737]

Hi, do you mind sharing what brand of compost and manure you use? I need to revitalize my containers soil.

[@The.Ghost.of.Tom.Joad.]

@@crazygirl737 The compost is mostly my own made from kitchen scraps, garden clippings and our shredded mail, but I'll supplement with mushroom compost from Menards since I have a little finished compost in the spring. That brand is New Plant Life and the product is Premium Mushroom compost. As for the manure, I'll use any manure they have at Menards that's guaranteed well-rotted. I usually buy 1 bag manure to 1 bag mushroom compost and any finished home-grown compost we have. It usually amounts to about 50 pounds. Ironically, to dupe the restrictive condo owners association here, I compost all year long in old bags of mushroom compost. They bitch about garbage bags outside, and won't allow a barrel composter... but for six years now, they've overlooked my mushroom compost bags buried in the rear of the garden. I guess to their eyes, they look "official" and "proper consumer gardening product soon to be used." That said, I don't push my luck and ditch the bags the manure came in.

[@Alexa-mj9gq]

I just toss my old soil in my compost. It all comes back around. Lol

[@epicgardening]

Also works :)

[@garden_geek]

This is what I do too. Works great, no waste.

[@WDWormsnGarden]

My sister does that too with her worm bin.

[@MrHSIE]

Same. Dry / dead potting soil just goes right back into my compost and beds.

[@ragegage1221]

Thats exactly what I do, straight up when I have a plant that is cashed, put it a 20 gallon and start throwing scraps and then rolling old soil.

[@onlyholliday7334]

KEVIN!!!! Thank you so much for this tip. I used items I already had on hand. Using an old screen, bone meal, Baccato potting soil, worm castings, and some cactus potting soil, the soil already looks and smells much better. I purchased some chicken meal and perlite yesterday; I'll add those products in a couple days. What surprised me most was that, as you directed, I did not use a significant quantity of any of these products. That in itself saved me a lot of money. In addition, because of the weather, I did not spend much time out in the garden these past three days. But with just those four additives to the soil, it did not clump up and was pleasant to deal with. As you said, it takes a little time, but the rewards are great!!! Thanks again.

[@ShirleensCorner]

it is so insane how every single video you upload aligns perfectly with the questions I had in mind 1 or 2 days before. It has been spot on for the past 2 weeks, I am scared, but also, super excited hahahah

[@epicgardening]

Hahaha plant daddy is always watching

[@WDWormsnGarden]

Experience teaches wisdom. Years of experience has lead to him knowing the things are of concern and to provide information accordingly.

[@Katie_O]

Before we knew anything about soil health we bought a truckload of recycled potting soil from a local nursery for $250. Filled all of our raised beds with it and after a stunted fall garden are trying to get it fixed up for spring. These tips will definitely help!

[@queenteireigns6212]

I did the same exact mine is not recycled at least I don't think so

[@NashvilleMonkey1000]

When remixing dirt from planters we go under the tree and add the top layer between the leaves and the soil. This layer is amazing, and if we need extra dirt we dig into the next layer just a little. it's renewable and doesn't cost a thing. In fact this is how garden soil is made, but factories use leaves from city collections to make it and then sell it back to us, so they take our money going both ways, we must break that cycle!

[@jeananderson4412]

J

[@robertfullone9032]

I like how we are encouraged to spend $50/month for a recycling container... so I'm supposed to spend my time separating recycling...AND pay the company that most likely is paid to do the same thing. Nice try Waste Management! Thank you, Bill Gates. I didn't produce the products, but I'm responsible for recycling? Providing a service that people need... by producing the problem🤔 GENIUS...😂

[@JaimeAT1433]

I mixed up the 4x4 with a trowel. It was dryed up & gritty from the years of dog piss& sun bleach. I added a bag of potting soil, mixed in saw dust, & i do that now & started watching your videos for more ideas. Thanks, Kevin.

[@kennethwoolard5910]

Some times at the end of a season I will dump piles of potting soil on the ground! This allows mother nature to take over a little. I also add some sandy clay from the yard. It helps with water retention. I also drive down the road to a curb that the street sweeper doesn't get to because of shrub over growth! The organic material that builds up there has tons of worms (fat ones) and castings! It is a beautiful thing. I have a poor soil in the yard so sometimes I dig up a square yard and remove about half of the soil. I replace the soil I took out with organic debris from the curb side!

[@douglas9607]

I think I'd be concerned about puting road wash into my compost?

[@jacquessoubliere5826]

How resourceful!

[@jacquessoubliere5826]

Douglas It’s healthy; otherwise the earthworms would not have taken up residence there!

[@kennethwoolard5910]

@@jacquessoubliere5826 Good point and they are big and fat! I have about 10 gallons of castings in a pile in the back yard! I keep it covered and add kitchen scraps and coffee grounds for my worms that live there!

[@bkilpatrick1909]

The soil company was smart for letting you do this video because I watch hours of videos and Epic Garden is on point with ALL THE VIDEOS THAT I HAVE SEEN AND I HAVE HIM ON MY CALL BELL SO I GET TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GROWING IN ALL MEDIUM. So now I get to try his new rejuvenation of my old soil and add the upper brand to get a better soil.

[@illianderninebees]

Just wanted to say that I've really appreciated your videos, along with 1-2 other KZbinrs. Having this extra "home time" on-hand has led me into expanding my veggie garden - I've tripled it! - and your videos have been incalculable. Wish I could show you the current harvest of peas, berries, and cukes, but just take my word for it that they're extensive. Thank you, Kevin!

[@maramakesjournals2319]

Thank you! I did enjoy the video. I used to discard the soil in my pots. What a waste! Now I sorta do what you do. After winter, I’ll add stuff to the soil (chopped leaves and desiccated roots, fresh soil, composted material) and I wet it down like you did. This spring, I will let the revised soil sit a while as you recommended. That makes sense.

[@cynderloner4028]

I have been putting the used soil into the bottom quarter of this year's more shallow root type vegetabes, like cabbage. The nutrients will seep down to the bottom soil as it gets watered.

[@Andrew-qx8kg]

I empty my containers (from my greenhouse) in the fall into a big compost, the compost gets kitchen waste and yard waste all year. The old soil basically sits in with the compost all winter then when it thaws in the spring I mix it all up and add it back to the pots and garden beds. Seems to work fine. I do one tray at a time micro greens all year too which seem to build up the compost really well. The micro greens I always use new soil from a bag as there is less chance of getting bugs in the house where I grow the micro greens. Good as always video!

[@kummiekins]

I sometimes add cocopeat and/or paddy husks to mine, especially store bought potting mix or soil that's exhausted. they seem to always clump up after a few rounds and get waterlogged. Thanks for the videos, if it weren't for gardeners like you i'd be among the many tossing out good soil and spending money on buying more just cos i didn't know better. And this way i keep getting more and more usable soil at home. Keep em coming!

[@epicgardening]

Great tip!

[@WinnieDuffy-z2h]

Thank you! I did enjoy the video. I used to discard the soil in my pots. What a waste! Now I sorta do what you do. After winter, I’ll add stuff to the soil (chopped leaves and desiccated roots, fresh soil, composted material) and I wet it down like you did. This spring, I will let the revised soil sit a while as you recommended. That makes sense.

[@bradmiller9584]

Great info here. I think I'm going to start adding a touch of the blood meal now after seeing this. I noticed that the peat and coir in potting soil starts getting a little more dense from being broken down over time, so I usually add a touch more perlite too to lighten it back up a bit if that makes any sense.

[@PorchGardeningWithPassion]

That makes sense to me! I plan to add some perlite and vermiculite to a grow bag that got really dried out and killed my potatoes recently 👊🏻🌻👊🏻

[@kathryncastanares525]

I would always just take a big storage bin, put some new mix and add the old mix after sanitizing it to get rid of possible fungus, bugs, and missed eggs. I figured eliminating any beneficial microorganisms etc wouldnt be an issue since it would be mixed with some new. .ms in my situation with having major pest and fungal issues, the pros definitely outweigh the cons if any. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with the world. It truly has been a major help with

[@aaronncsu1]

I would love more videos in container planting and gardening, especially how much can you plant in a container and tips for apartment gardening.

[@margietalk]

always a pleasure to see your videos. user friendly for not so slick gardeners like me. do appreciate it.

[@sd4055]

I've been binge watching your videos and I just love everything you do. You work so hard on your gardening and have great information. I am glad I found your channel now that I've begun my gardening journey! Thanks so much for putting all this info out there!

[@epicgardening]

So nice of you

[@robyn8842]

I like his videos too. He is so cute!! 😍

[@PorchGardeningWithPassion]

I love it! I was doing similar updates to my first planting of Fall Peas last night and did some of these updates. I focused mostly on adding garden tone and worm castings. I also added minerals via Azomite 👊🏻🌻👊🏻

[@wise9022]

Love the pro tips. I usually just toss it in the compost on top of some green clippings. Also have been throwing clay as an occasional layer. Compost is definitely Coming along nicely! Thanks for the info

[@epicgardening]

Sounds great!

[@aikoshimada3167]

I just love your channel. Cannot say enough about your videos! You have such great presence, and ways to present yourself, your ideas and wisdom in your videos. It's very clear and no wonder you have a large viewers. Thank you for all of your videos, and good luck!

[@AMessengerofTruth]

i only subscribed recently, but im so glad i did. frequent high quality videos. just awesome. i never even thought id be into gardening... until quarantine hit. but this has quickly became one of my favorite channels.

[@epicgardening]

Wow, thanks!

[@wise9022]

Same. I had done some small gardens in the backyard and have had success. I took the dive this year and went all in 🤞🏼🙏🏼

[@lancebeasley588]

I'll second that. This channel is awesome.

[@gohawks3571]

Ditto 👍

[@sabinegray1450]

Same here!

[@bonnieboyle2030]

I really appreciate your knowledge and advice and how you show it. I used to have land to garden in. Now I’m a apartment dweller. Today I am going to look up epsoma. I recently bought some Vermont compost. Will see how it does. Take care of yourself during these troublesome times. Let’s keep gardening. ✌️🌎🐸

[@phungktk533]

Great vid! Did this last week with my ornamental pots and added more peat moss, organic fertilizer!

[@epicgardening]

Perfect!

[@13klecan]

I’ve moved a couple of baby aspens....so hard, they are connected. Refreshed all my last year’s raised bed soil and replaced the aspen’s soil. Hope it works. Absolutely anything is better than our desert concrete clay soul.

[@maria45554]

A big yes to grow bags, or any system for beginners in small apartment. I am one of many turning into gardening only recently, and would love to try growing edibles. Your video on how to grow even with little sun light inspired me to try, but I really have zero idea! Thanks and congrats on getting even more new subscribers. Well deserved! Greetings from Ireland.

[@heidimisfeldt5685]

I add finely crushed eggshells, finely cut small banana peels, any citrus peels, also carrot peels, as they come out of my kitchen, always cut real small, and add them directly around my plants, covering with little dirt or potting mix right away. It can compost around my plants as they grow, and that works for me. Same with any lower leaves from taller plants, or other yard waste, I cut it small and surround my plants with it. In the fall I do thesame with dying plants, nothing goes to waste.

[@dlou3264]

You look and sound like one of the brothers on HGTV. I’ve got some old soil we didn’t use, and I’m glad you came up on the menu!

[@epicgardening]

Garden Brother! :P

[@rainwater.1493]

I knew he looked like someone!

[@vinstinct]

Dude! I thought the same thing I even Googled "Epic Gardening Property Brothers" earlier today on the off chance to see if they were related. You are totally right, looks and sounds like them.

[@shawnamuschamp8972]

💚

[@Gruene2010]

Like how you jump right in and talk about the topic, timely for me as I change out soil. Thanks

[@terranatrabu1784]

A friend said to me, " you should feed the soil, not the plant."

[@ThomasBomb45]

Instructions unclear, dirt did not work well in my salad

[@donutordoughnut8469]

@@ThomasBomb45 lmaooo

[@allupinya5938]

My soil is picky, it only wants to eat chicken nuggets!

[@66REDD66]

Exactly the same principle for fish tanks. You are looking after the water rather than the fish. 🐠 🐟

[@thomasevans5467]

Amen amen “cultivate soil” don’t just “grow in dirt”

[@jacquelinebaxter6420]

I just watched another video about making good garden soil. Yours was about containers his was about the garden bed. Thanks so much!

[@afromaximus]

Great recommendations, In a lot of potting mixes, the inorganic material content can be very low, so don't throw it away!

[@epicgardening]

Well said!

[@BrendaBodwin]

8 year old composted cow and chicken manure, dark greens like grass, straw cattle bedding and wheat straw. We dump 1000 red worms in the heap, and let them go. Each year we start a new pile, and use the 8 year old pile. Works great.

[@donhummel6630]

I've got pots that have been no till for several years I sometimes add red wigglers and some food scraps and coffee grounds under the mulch. They're still productive.

[@emm_bee]

Container gardening please 🙌🏼 Thank you for this video!

[@epicgardening]

Coming soon!

[@quozax]

I was so happy to hear you say to take off some of the roots and other things that were in the old soil. All the time i was sifting through mine, I thought I was just wasting my time. So glad to know I was doing the right thing. Thank you!

[@epicgardening]

Yeah in containers I take large material out

[@slinkygirl1976]

Can you do a video that explains the soil terms like "sandy", loamy", etc to us noobs please?? PRETTY PLEASE!!!!

[@theredrover3217]

Just an Enthusiast not a pro and longtime recycler of potting mix these are very good tips. Something else to consider I think in addition to fertility is to identify the nature relative to it's intended use. Is it too heavy or too light, to coarse or too fine, two moisture retentive or not enough? I can make pretty much anything work with amendments and blending several Planters or pots together.

[@heyo8118]

Love this! Can’t wait until next year to reuse my soil.

[@yaomn]

Grabbed a bag of golfgreen compost and wormcastings soil and pair that with gaia green power bloom for fruiting. It's working really well. Organics all the way

[@HappinessFactoryGardens]

Epic gardening shoes by the way

[@deniseconde2103]

I love seeing him like that though. Lol. I know I'm not alone in walking to check on my plants barefoot.

[@ladyvesperbell8969]

@@deniseconde2103 I do that too less of a hassle :)

[@aundreadorsey5756]

Love that soil. I used it last year for my tomatoes.. best thing I could've ever done..

[@QueenToken]

How funny I was just trying to reuse some old potting soil the other day and asked myself if I was doing it correctly

[@epicgardening]

I'm always watching...

[@deniseramdeen3776]

@@epicgardening 😂😂😂

[@melou_]

This made my day

[@NagashiChidorii]

@Laura Wilhelm What were you planting? You’re freakin cute btw and learning Japanese too? Awesome!!

[@zay_rat8942]

@@NagashiChidorii simp.

[@sharoneileenobrien6581]

Great ideas...gonna use them in my pots. Thank you for the sage and cost saving advice.

[@Housewarmin]

Hat, jacket, pants..no shoes! Perfect! 😂😂

[@epicgardening]

LOL

[@expecto10]

Practical tips. Thanks! I also practise the method 1. Mix it with new soil. And maybe added a little bit of cocopeat and compost in it.

[@littleredhen3354]

Wait, people throw away dirt?

[@epicgardening]

Right?

[@davidfinnegan6796]

@MissBttrsctch couldn't you just put it in the compost, add lots of greens and get the temperature of your compost up to around 150 and kill the fungus?

[@BobCindyL]

@@davidfinnegan6796 That`s a good question. I`d like to know the answer also.

[@dw3992]

@MissBttrsctch The fungus can b killed with food grade hydrogen peroxide.

[@thematrix3663]

@MissBttrsctch in another forum someone suggested throwing boiling hot water.

[@rightangletriangle3188]

For my raised planting box for vegetables, when the season is over, I dig up all the roots. Then bury some vegetables waste and water down with dilute fish emulsion to prepare the bed for the next planting season. After watching the video, I may add small amount of other organic slow release fertilizers recommended. I do have worms in my raised bed. Thanks.

[@ryanaugustus]

If you use red worms, they’ll do just fine in small containers! I keep many bonsai and I ALWAYS have red worms in my bonsai pots (very shallow, often small) in my organic-loving trees (many trees are planted in inorganics like lava rock etc). But those worms show up because their eggs happen to get in to my occasional use of my castings. I never put worms in on purpose... no need... they appear anyway!

[@joanneganon7157]

I was resurrecting an old Cottage Garden. I read somewhere to add green sand to revitalize the soil in the Spring. Also Rock phosforus for the minerals. The Green Sand is a form of Kelp. I used the worm casting potting soil mixed with Manuer and Peat Moss for my container Garden. I have to say the Green Sand was a great way to refresh old bulbs, 👍🙌! JO JO IN VT 💕😄

[@plushdays8267]

I’ve always wondered what to do with my old soil. Thank you! I was doing it right after all. WHERE can I find that big sifting screen setup? I need one badly.

[@epicgardening]

I have a video on how I built it!

[@DayNaInBlackWhite]

Kevin, of COURSE you do. I love how you actually show all the layers to your gardening. ❤️😍

[@floriebrown2089]

Hi there I add water from my duck bath to my plants as a form of liquid fertiliser, it will rejuvenate the most sickly plant but don't over do it as it can also kill your plant. I do believe in revitalising potting soil. Adding the soil to the compost heap can revitalise it. I noticed you said remove dead roots this is carbon material that can rot down as long as it is not diseased.

[@xiolamoon3217]

Great Video, Awesome timing, It's "refreshing the soil" season! I'm really digging learning about composting and microbes. I am lucky to have some nice dark soil to work with, and have been working out my composting bins as I go along, I have them going in stages, which is a nice option.

[@epicgardening]

You're very lucky to have that soil!

[@andrewmixter8793]

My man! Thank you. Exactly what I needed, short, well shot and edited, as always.

[@akavery]

Thanks so much for your video, that was super helpful :) Can you tell me what I can do with the soil if my plant ended up having blight or the wilt? Is there a way to sterilize the soil after that? Also, I have pots that grew summer squash that were attacked by SVB. I read they can overwinter in the soil. Can I just plant a different type of vegetable in that soil? Thanks!

[@dianapollex3266]

You're the best Eric. So glad I found you ❤ a couple years ago!

[@lucywilkins4784]

Hey Kevin, So just a random thought, at the end of the year if I put a load of old leaves and stuff that is usually put in my compost (veg and stuff) on my raised beds and covered with cardboard would that all get dragged down into the old soil by worms over winter and improve it enough for the next year of growing? Thanks

[@marycabrera2586]

Good to know you can use your old soil, I never knew I could do this, nice video.

[@kathleenrickard]

Playing in the dirt is so much fun!☺️

[@chrysalis72]

Loads of potted soil with dead plant life left from last owner of the house. I just emptied it into the soil beds in the greenhouse,took out the heavy roots, watered and I'll put some compost on top when planting the vegetables. I'm not experienced so I'm amazed I've done it properly.

[@dream.fiiend]

I love the transition music, what genre is that? Smooth jazz with a lo fi aftertaste?

[@epicgardening]

That's probably the best way to describe it actually

[@LianneHutcheson]

Esteban search ChillHop on KZbin 🙌❤️

[@vlong7112]

Happy first day of Spring!! So excited to refresh my soil and do some serious up-potting 🙌🏽🤗💚🌱

[@Dee.C]

Put worms in your bin at the end of the season and let them eat the roots and old matter and turn that into wonderful castings for next year. That is what I do.

[@aonirnolaloth]

I used dried cow manure and vermicompost to revitalise this year and aquarium water to water during the growing season.

[@HappinessFactoryGardens]

Hey we’re using some Epsoma ground soil this year in our in-ground bed. It’s definitely nice

[@haydeeholliday8866]

These are some excellent tips. This is giving me a cost-saving direction for my old planters and pots. Thanks for taking the time to make these videos!

[@elemgee3]

Thanks kevin! Great info. My onions are starting to sprout just like those. How often will you water once they are in the container?

[@epicgardening]

Enough so it's lightly moist atall times!

[@dlou3264]

Epic Gardening I really like how you pay attention to your audience and answer questions!

[@yhwhelohim9901]

Bro love your channel. Gratitude 🙏

[@crescentgarden6819]

Wouldn't it be a good idea to leave the roots in as food for the worms? I imagine they would make some extra worm castings on the spot and recycle the previous nutrients, while also aerating.

[@epicgardening]

Smaller ones yes, larger ones no, at least for containers

[@tanluwils1736]

What a great topic! I used to take old, dried up soil from dead plants and very unceremoniously with a large spoon mixed in earthworms and leaf litter from the yard. I made sure the leaf litter was fully buried and left the mix out to get rained on. I then planted my herbs in that and they would usually take off.

[@twobluestripes]

Omg I think I asked you this question in a comment a few days ago! So happy you had a video coming on the topic! I have a balcony and no downstairs space or other outdoor space. i want to start gardening and was wondering if old soils should just be trashed into dumpster or greenwaste or used/sent somewhere else.

[@epicgardening]

I read the comments even if I can't respond to them all!

[@ParapluieDefenestrator]

I'm glad Kevin has this as his full time job. i rely on these videos.

[@bradmaas6875]

Mix the old soil into the compost and add to the raised beds.

[@flowerchild777]

Thanks👍I forgot about screening my soil, and how much fun in have doing it🤗

[@jasonlieberman4606]

4:12 Give it a little tappy... tap-tap-tapparoo...

[@paulmifsud5753]

Great style to your videos, nice, easy to follow and relaxed. thanks

[@kan-zee]

Your style requires...buy , consume, purchase, spend Money... I never buy soil... I take my dried out used soil (10 gallons).... mix in some forest soil (5 gallon bucket full)... with blended up, broken down compost (4 shovel full) and get the best plants ever

[@epicgardening]

Nothing wrong w/ that!

[@dlou3264]

Kanzee I heard the same thing from an instructor in a Mississippi Outdoors Women’s event. (3 days long). But she said pick up a handful from the forest floor when hiking, etc. The problem I’ve found with that is that I don’t live near a forest or own forest type land. Lawn soil isn’t the same thing. Do you live near a forest? How do you get 5 gallons of forest soil? Some places would put you behind bars for picking a wild flower.

[@Nico-dq8hc]

That's redicoulas, any soil with thriving native plants is fully vital for theses needs and doesn't need harvested from a forest.. but Rudolf stienburger, and viktor schousberg figured a bunch of things about nature that most experts n text don't cover. Anyone reading this mite like the documentary * dirt *

[@carmenbugeja8722]

Thanks for sharing. I had put potting mix when I planted my plant as I didn't have enough I used soil on top, I should of put the potting mix on top, as the plant is already there putting the potting mix will be good.

[@stephaniepearson7606]

Thank. You. For. This. Video. It’s been my biggest question as I’ve invested in potting soil in my grow bags during this first season I’ve been growing a veg garden. I’ve always been told you can’t reuse potting soil but that has always made zero sense to me. If in-ground gardeners can amend their soil why shouldn’t I be able to for container gardening? The issue is few resources tell you how. Your small space garden is the most similar to my style I have to do. I KNEW you must have a vid on this. Thank goodness. 👏🏼✨

[@GuiltyBears]

Well I have stumbled upon you and cannot stop watching. Your vids are to the point, easy to understand, and pair well with details books I’m reading regarding composting and mulching/chipping. Love youuu!

[@evergreengarden1M]

Wow what a great idea Very informative video Thanks a lot for sharing Happy new year

[@ewh88]

Just got the book this week. Definiley a huge help. Kevin, the online resources are awesome.

[@epicgardening]

I appreciate you Eric!

[@livetom2020]

You give some really helpful tips. I would never get rid of those old roots though, as they decompose they make excellent passageways for oxygen and water.

[@julietsanchez9029]

Thank you for the video! I have a good amount of used soil from spring that I haven't thrown out but I didn't know what to do with it. I love and use worm castings (and tea) so I was happy that you use it here. Thank again from a fellow San Diegan!

[@Reyairia]

I had been putting my old soil into my compost bin, but this seems more practical.

[@Davids77724]

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH! I just watched the most WORTHLESS video--I got more out of your DESCRIPTION than I did out of that video!!!!! I'm going to try the easy route for now, as I'm basically a beginner, but will keep your vid on hand for future reference. I hope this helps. It's for indoor plants, & my soil is soooooooo dry & hard. Like I said, I'm a beginner! 😬😬😬 Thanks again!