Which Soil is Best 💲🌋🧿️💲 Top Soil vs Garden Soil vs Potting Soil

The best soil for containers, raised beds, vegetable gardens and landscaping needs - understand soil better.
Become a better gardener, Subscribe: kzbin.info...
Share with a friend: • Which Soil is Best 💲🌋🧿...
-----------------------
Free Stuff:
Free Garden eBook: 24 1/2 Garden Design Ideas:
www.gardenfundamentals.com/24-...
-----------------------
My Books:
Garden Myths:
www.gardenmyths.com/garden-myt...
Building Natural Ponds:
www.buildingnaturalponds.com/
Soil Science for Gardeners
www.gardenfundamentals.com/so...
------------------------
Free Resources:
Garden Fundamentals Blog - lots of gardening information:
www.gardenfundamentals.com/
Garden Fundamentals Facebook Group:
/ gardenfundamentals
My Garden Myths Blog:
www.gardenmyths.com/
Building Natural Ponds Facebook Group:
/ buildingnaturalponds
-----------------------
Recommended Playlists
Seed Germination - Everything you need to know:
• Improved paper towel a...
Garden Myths:
• Epsom Salt Myths - lea...
-----------------------
Choose the Best Soil 💲🌋🧿️💲 Top Soil vs Garden Soil vs Potting Soil
Understand soil better so you can buy the right soil for raised beds, containers, vegetable gardens and ornamental beds.
List of Credits:
Images:
All slides and videos belong to GardenFundamentals.com or are public domain images, except for the following:
Subscribe button by Shamsullah shams khan khiljee: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Music:
All music public domain or by Kevin Macleod: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...

[@lorrainedurgee1761]

Yah :::::: now I’m going to buy or make my own compost ---to add to all my gardens instead of buying new soil mix - thanks so much 2024 in March

[@graceh1864]

This is my second year of growing a vegetable garden. I have watched many of your posts last year and watching them again will definitely help me to do better this year! Your time, knowledge and detailed explanations are greatly appreciated!

[@lilycardoso4679]

I just bought a large bag of vermiculite because someone said it retains nutrients. And the bag says it too. But I just checked Mel's square foot gardening book, and it only says it retains water. Great video! I purchased your book recently.

[@pearlruth]

Thanks for this video. It explains why my recently created kitchen garden filled with purchased soil (to have a weedless garden) failed to hold water during drought, that plants grew poorly, and tomato stakes fell over. Following year I added soil from my old vegetable garden (has lots of clay) and resulted in great crop.

[@YoomarTuNoOmar]

This is probably the most useful & informative video I ever seen about growing plants

[@GARDENER42]

I've always seen soil as being what I have as the base material in my garden. I then add things to make it perform in the manner desired. Thankfully, the two garden's I've occupied over the past 32 years have been blessed with at leat 18" of organic rich loam. Prior to that, my garden was clay & rather than sand. I added huge amounts of organic matter (2 tons of well rotted cow manure over 40' x 15' annually) & within three years, had a workable soil which produced excellent crops.

[@marydonald3453]

Great job of explaining principles to amateurs.

[@claudiamiller7730]

Thank you - this was a sensational tutorial! The previous owners of my house were so anxious to put flower beds in that the cheaped out and put in that junky “bargain bag that says SOIL but it’s just pallet wood, twinges and clods” stuff. And we’re at the base of a mountain….so GRANITE rocks, too. Sigh. But I’m slowly digging up that mess by hand and your detailed info has bolstered my courage to do the right thing with my beds, soil wise. Happy gardening, all!!!

[@janicesgarden5748]

Excellent job of explaining soil and mixes for gardens.

[@oby-1607]

I drove truck for years and would go to where peat moss was harvested and the plant bagging this had been there for over 40 years and there was hardly a dent in the overall bog where this peat moss came from. Coconut coir has to have machinery to grind up the coir and then this is flown or shipped thousands of miles overseas and then thousands of miles again over land to end up in your garden. Coir doesn't make sense of being a greener product except in a form of fake elitist attitude.

[@GARDENER42]

On preparing new beds. I don't remove weeds or rotovate. I place a layer of corrugated cardboard over the weeds/pasture, then place 3" of compost on top & when ready, plant through both

[@chanimarie6753]

I always buy Foxfarm due to its finished quality. However, I always end up adding extra vermipost and vermiculite to top it up. What a beautiful garden you have. That iridescent purple Clematis is really gorgeous! You clearly know your stuff! Thanks for sharing!

[@tbluemel]

Boy, do you speak my language! Soil is almost everything when it comes to growing plants. Obviously, light, moisture and temperature are very important, but anyone who does composting knows lots of stuff will grow in it without much help. I am so glad I found your channel! I have ordered your book and look forward to every video you make. Thank you!!!

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Thank you very much.

[@tbluemel]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 I am reading your book now. It is WONDERFUL!!

[@lilyb1011]

Beautiful science of the soil in the garden- we need more of this!

[@nancylezama6277]

Love your content! So happy I found your channel !!!

[@paullemay3218]

Thank you for sharing. This has helped me decide what to use. 🇨🇦😎

[@thomasjensen2586]

Love this. I really needed this video.

[@susanchiang637]

Thank you for your detail information about soil.

[@liannekrane7114]

Great information Robert. Thank you

[@aym280]

Brilliant! The best so far!

[@Back2SimpleLiving]

Thank you so much, I've learnt so much!

[@susanaustin6353]

I am learning so much. Thanks!

[@angelinawalker591]

Thank you for all your information, you are so informative

[@gijane02]

Great info. This will help me out with improving the existing soil in the grow bags that I currently have. It was marketed for growing vegetables, but it just dries out too quickly and gets too hard.

[@Aswaguespack]

Another extremely informative presentation. Thanks for producing this video. It’s a perfect Compliment to your previous videos and the Book on Soil. I can see how my Vegetable garden is starting to “sink” and I can already see an issue with drainage I did not have before and it will get likely here much worse without any intervention. So I will need to begin following your suggestions to circumvent the issues. Here in South Louisiana we are losing land to Coastal Erosion. The flood protection strategies instituted in the 1930’s and after have significantly altered the geology of the Delta and as a result Nature’s Natural routines that supported a healthy wetlands ecosystem have been interrupted by artificial flood controls and combined with Climate Change are substantially altering the Louisiana Coastal regions and valuable soil is being overtaken by salt water intrusion. Soil is an extremely important commodity and required to support human life. Good soil is precious and it is life giving. Unfortunately many commercial bagged soils are not of great quality and becoming expensive for when they really contain. Again excellent information to help us make sound garden choices.

[@persadsanjay]

Thanks for a fantastic video

[@After5Gardener]

Thanks for sharing..very useful

[@lyubay.3870]

So glad I found your channel. There's so much info out there that anyone can get overwhelmed in terms of soil/potting mixes choices. Good info on selecting the best soil, Robert. Thank you. Also, can you please talk about compost/manure types and what works the best for shrubs, trees, flowers, and vegetables. There are lots of varieties of compost (for example mushroom compost -do I need it and what for?), and manure-chicken, horse, cow, and etc., which is the best for all types of plants?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Bottom line - all manure and compost is about the same. Low nutrient levels, about the same amount of carbon. Plants won't know the difference. Get what is cheap and local. Don't buy products that have been shipped half way across the country. Should do a video on this.

[@raniaalmardinic]

Hi there I am starting a new bed and was watching your video. I live in Hamilton Ontario not too far from you if I want to fill in my raised bed with soil and compost can you give me your preferred brand for both or a supplier that I can get the material I need 1.5 yards

[@ahmedalaskary4252]

Great presentation and awesome presenter 😁👍

[@6868faheem]

Thanks.

[@victorianjohn]

Thank you

[@debiegordon3787]

Great video...learned a lot👍 🌺🌱🌼🌺🌱🌼especially about CLAY!!

[@wendysgarden4283]

leaf mold is another mulching option, or even newer chipped leaves. Worms love 'em and according to tests run by Alberta Gardener, they have as many micronutrients as rock dust without any of the heavy metals.

[@priayief]

You are absolutely challenging my raised-bed veggie garden process. At the end of each growing season, I add about 3 inches of compost (a 50-50 mix of mushroom and cow manure). If I understand you, I would do as well by adding a 9-10 or 8-20 mix of topsoil and compost? I do the same thing in my perennial garden beds which I mulch with wood chips. In the fall, I rake back the wood chips, lay a couple inches of compost on top and re-cover with spent and new wood chips. For these beds, you are recommending simply cover with wood chips and add more when necessary. Of course, I like this approach as it saves me $ and labor. I think I'll run a trial on this one and compare the results.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Nothing wrong with adding compost as well as wood chips - but you don't need to move the wood chips. 3" is a lot of manure and compost each year - you don't need that much.

[@DsHomeyGarden]

You are awesome. I first saw and listen to you on my # 1 no-til gardener Greg Auton on Maritime Gardening. You have answered several of my questions. I have too much perlite in my beds I think so I have a very natural plant nursery that has 70% top soil blended with 30% compost Could I just turn thin into my existing bed. I have probably a 85% compost in my gardens. Thanks Pav...

[@movingforward2570]

Babk home in Ja growing up some.people would just put the coconut cour after taking out the coconut, in a container and just plant what they want with some soil in it

[@bethsands7665]

Beautiful Arbor and Clematis's. Nice fruitful knowledge !! What brand of straw is the safest ? Awesome gardening information.

[@xuyahfish]

This reminds me to add azomite & dolomite to my garden boxes & large containers

[@nickthegardener.1120]

I add coir to my pots, my pots have worms in. The worms eat the coir and produce castings in the pot, self fertilising itself. I grew masses of tomatoes grown in 10 litre pots.👍🏻🤠🤯

[@ImaOkie]

What is your take on rice hulls please ?

[@thedaydreamer7972]

Nice videos, I like your work,,,,,Question,,,,when we talk about soil, compost and manure, if we obtain these products from our local nursery how can we be certain that they are safe to grow food in? Is there a way we can test to be sure that they are getting quality in their loads that they provide to their customers? Im not talking about OMRI listed bags of these products, but large piles that they have for sale there. I need to be sure that what Im growing in is safe,,,, TY for all your videos

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

How do you define safe? The only way to know for sure is to get a lab to test the material. To be honest, I don't worry too much about the chemicals in the products or the pathogens.

[@Anne--Marie]

Good morning! What about adding manure to the mix? Is it better to top dress with it? Thank you!

[@virginiadolores9962]

Thank you I just realize that ive been spending lots of money for none essential expensive organic mix I pay 24.dollars .95 cents for some especial 4 x I at a big bucks store ( thats pee 2 cubic ft

[@litaanderson1589]

thanks for sharing, you are an inspiration. I have been following your channel and thanks for sharing your expertise about using soil for gardening, it is true that it is important to have some knowledge about soil before planting to avoid mistakes and time. I have an existing garden(no till) i used woodchip mulch for moisture and weeds problem. My question is i would like to used those existing holes where i planted tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, should i amend the holes with compost again for the next season? I will consider using hay for the future it makes send for it will breakdown easily than the woodchip.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

I would not add compost into a hole for landscape plants that will be there for years, but for a veg garden it is OK. Or just just mulch with it.

[@virusmyth4930]

Great channel. One small correction: vermiculite does have quite high CEC, around 100 to 150 cmol/dm3 (also expressed as meq/100g which is the same) I checked online and indeed a few websites mention it has low CEC, but I suspect this may be due to units convertion error, maybe because some places express CEC in mmol/dm3, so if it says 100 mmol/dm3, converting it to cmlol/dm3 will reduce it by 10x. All the literature I have seen so far says vermiculite has high CEC.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

This should explain it - from my blog: CEC of Perlite and Vermiculite CEC is a measure of the ability to hold on to nutrients. The CEC for peat moss, perlite and vermiculite are 110, 15 and 150 meq/100 grams. This gives the impression that vermiculite holds more nutrients than peat moss but when these numbers are converted to volume we get 10, 0.15 and 2.3 meq/ml. Since gardeners make up mixes on a volume basis these latter numbers are more realistic. Peat moss is much better than vermiculite, which is better than perlite. www.gardenmyths.com/perlite-vs-vermiculite/

[@virusmyth4930]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 Thank you for the explanation. What are your thoughts on zeolite (clinoptilolite)?

[@doubleel9538]

I am completing the final grade on an infill lot in Edmonton. I looked at all kinds of sites and they tell you how much peat, sand and compost they are adding but it is much more expensive than topsoil and like you've said who really knows what you are getting in the end. We have largely clay soil here. I have access to some chicken manure that has been composted for about 2 to 3 years and some builder sand left over from building a patio. Would it make the most sense to purchase the topsoil and add the sand and the chicken manure?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

yes - use what you have and add some top soil if needed.

[@Rocketman0407]

I make my own since I think it is fun. A very simply mix I do for pots are: 2 Parts Coco or Moss 2 parts compost, 1 part perlite optional: bonemeal, bloodmeal and kelp.

[@olivia1uk]

Thank you. Great video. Just one question: you say that vermiculite provides no nutrients and has a low CEC. This is leaving me a little confused since I have read on the internet over and over again that vermiculite is a 2:1 clay and has a high CEC of 100 to 150. Please could you explain?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

This is a common confusion. It depends how you measure CEC. Are you measuring on a weight basis or a volume basis. A quart of vermiculite has a very low CEC compared to a quart of clay. But a lb of vermiculite has a higher CEC when compared to an lb of clay. A statement like "Vermiculite has a high cation-exchange capacity (CEC) at 100-150 meq/100 g" is weight based. Labs tend to measure and report based on weight, but gardeners tend to mix soil based on volume. From a gardeners perspective vermiculite has a lower CEC.

[@olivia1uk]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 Thank you, Robert for your reply. Yes that makes sense; I knew there had to be an explanation. I read your book and it is by far the best book on soil science I have read ever; so many other books have left me frustrated. Thank you so much. Your books and videos are invaluable when there is so much crap out there to decipher. But when you hear the truth it's like a breath of fresh air. Thank you.

[@husseinomran1021]

I work at home depots garden center and want to do my homework

[@elsagrace3893]

I’m halfway through this and wondering about manure. Maybe it’s yet to come. Edit. Well nothing on manure. Maybe it’s part of compost??

[@stephenshanebeaty]

I live in Florida where we have sugar sand is there anyway I can use that in making my own potting mix

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Don't know what sugar sand is, but probably. Just add lots of peat moss or compost.

[@marphilremoto4341]

Hi, if I want to plant tomato in the ground. How deep should I put the seedling or seed?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

At least cover the roots, but tomatoes can be planted as deep as you want provided a couple of leaves show above ground.

[@jimmcg]

I have sandy soil with no clay ,can I add clay from kitty litter that 100% clay?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

You can, it won't hurt, but the amount you add is so small it won't have a great effect except maybe in containers where you can add a relatively large amount.

[@plaga701]

If the garden soil you have is so good in continers, why do you use soilless at all? As a matter of fact, why shouldn't we use just topsoil + compost in pots?

[@oztraliangrown8208]

Every single one of those options is not enough. You need make all of these options more light and fluffy...or just like every garden you've ever had- it will be ridiculously poor performing and incredibly compacted. Aeration and drainage is the most important thing, and pretty much every single person chooses to ignore this 🤷 Next most important thing is increasing the microbial community

[@johnsemailstash]

Isn't clay negatively charged? Meaning nitrate/phosphate/sulfate stay in solution rather than attaching to clay particles? Also, I was under the impression that vermiculite does have CEC and can hold nutrients, I am wrong?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Clay is mostly negatively charged, but once all the sites are filled the surface in effect becomes positively charged. So it does also hold negative ions, but not nearly as well. Vermiculite does have a CEC and it does hold nutrients. The issue is that on a weight basis, it has a very low CEC compared to other things, so a handful does not hold many nutrients. Since most gardeners mix on a volume basis it is not great for holding nutrients.

[@johnsemailstash]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 Thank you Robert, that was a great help.

[@niwatjam6927]

How to order. Your book

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

All my books are available on Amazon - or click the links at the end of videos. www.gardenmyths.com/my-books/

[@lynnzirkle9893]

What about chicken manure or cow manure?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4Cxm4Obf5JlrK8

[@darh888]

Ya no, peat moss is a no-go. Peatlands grow at 1mm per year meaning it would take 305 years to reach the depth of one foot which by the way most of them go as deep at 8 feet. So no, peat moss or sphagnum moss is not sustainable at all. Peatbogs/peatlands are environmentally crucial as carbon sinks, meaning they trap carbon because moss that makes up the top layer decomposes after some time and the carbon is trapped inside the bog instead of it being released into the atmosphere. By draining them we cause a decomposition cycle that speeds up the release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Though methane is naturally released when a peatbog is undisturbed it is at a lower level and not as harmful as the massive amount of carbon dioxide released due to human harvesting. The microbial activity between methanotrophs and methanogens in non-disturbed peatlands lower the amount of greenhouse gasses escaping and instead allow peat lands to act as a carbon sink. BUT guess what happens when we mess around with it....yep it all goes down hill even when we flood previously harvested or disturbed peatlands its difficult for those communities to reestablish causing a positive feed back loop of more greenhouse gasses escaping. By the way its not all about harvesting either-more sad news-yep a rise in temperature due to climate change is also messing up peatland microbial communities (but thats a different story). Peatlands store carbon that is over 1,000 years old in the form of old plant material so by disturbing them we are unleashing a massive amount of carbon into our atmosphere. Also most of the peat moss harvested comes from Canada, it has to travel across the world for gardeners so it’s just as bad as coco coir in that front as well. (if you read this congratulations welcome to the 2100 century where everything literally has a deeper cost than we imagined)

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Sorry, but you have been misinformed. Horticulture uses almost no peat moss - most global use is for heating and forestry/agriculture. Secondly, we only use about 1% of what nature grows every year. www.gardenmyths.com/peat-peatmoss-true-story/ Having said that, it is good in pots, but not very good in gardens.

[@darh888]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 Don’t be sorry, instead take the time to re-evaluate your claims. Remind me what am I misinformed about? Maybe read what I said. Oh try not to cite your self so often, it gives the impression of noise.

[@ganbinocanfly]

I think you need to really do more research, as most peat harvested in Canada is for horticultural uses. This isn't 1860 anymore when peat was used as a fuel source. It seems like you get ALL of your information from industry and sources with a strong vested interest in making you believe that harvesting peat isn't a problem. gov.mb.ca/forest/land-management/peatlands/index.html Please do some research and educate yourself, and stop citing yourself, it is extremely pretentious.

[@darh888]

@@ganbinocanfly Drink the Kool-Aid buddy

[@ganbinocanfly]

@@darh888 What kool-aid? You do realize that I was actually referring to Garden Fundamentals response to you?? I was actually agreeing with you and telling the videos creator to do some research as everything he said was wrong. He is obviously a shill for industry. He heavily promotes inorganic nutrients and tries to lead people away from sustainable practices. Have you even read what I posted?

[@mayseventy4466]

Do you have any video on rotten wood 🪵 for the garden? What about using them to hold water mixed with soil? Thanks 😊

[@CompetentSalesUSA]

Thank you