The right soil for herbs
Growing Herbs for Beginners – Part 2
Herbs, just like all plants, need to have some basic conditions and requirements fulfilled in order to grow normally.
These requirements are sunlight, water, oxygen, nutrients but also the correct temperature and room to grow.
In this post I will share what I have learned:
- about the preferred soil requirement for herbs
- about my own potting mix and how you can make your own.
Getting the Right Soil
Herbs in pots will thrive when they are growing in the right soil. Likewise, when using the wrong soil you will very likely kill your herb plants. And I must admit, I have killed a few myself using the wrong soil too.
In general, we can say that herbs like well-drained soil. That is why a drainage hole is so important, as you will remember from part 1 of this course. As I’ve said before, herb roots don’t like to stand in water, because it will make them rot.
In this post I will mainly focus on the right soil for herbs in containers, although I will touch upon the soil conditions for outdoor gardens too.
It is important to realize that growing herbs, in pots and containers, is quite different than growing herbs in an outdoor garden bed.
When you are selecting the soil for herbs in containers you need to make sure your herbs get exactly what they need to grow healthy and strong.
Characteristics of good soil
Good potting soil is composed in such a way to hold the right amount of water and, at the same time, to let the excess of water drain away.
The composition of the potting soil should also provide enough aeration (oxygen to the roots) and nutrients, to grow strong and healthy roots.
So, it’s important to choose a blend that has a nice mix of organic ingredients to make sure that your herbs are getting everything they need.
Selecting the soil ingredients for pots and containers can become a real challenge, given the enormous variety of offered soils in garden centers.
I’ve done a lot of research about the best type of soil for growing my herbs in pots and containers.
After quite a few approaches, I found that some soil mixes work much better than others, depending on the ingredients of the mix.
The perfect herb soil recipe
So if at first, it may have looked like a good idea to fill your containers with garden soil (topsoil or black earth), you will realize now that garden soil quickly compacts in pots, reducing soil drainage and porosity.
If the potting mix is too dense or too wet, plant roots may become stunted and ultimately will kill your herbs. Plus, bringing in soil from the ground might also introduce insects and diseases.
A great potting soil is a mix of ingredients that gives plant roots the perfect balance of air, moisture, nutrition, and anchorage. A perfect mix that :
- holds moisture (with ingredients such as peat)
- aerates the soil (with ingredients such as shredded pine bark, and superheated minerals like perlite or vermiculite – these have a great porosity, that is the space between the soil particles).
- has the correct pH value (a wrong pH value can limit the intake of nutrients)
- has enough nutritional value (with ingredients such as compost – Most herbs do not require a highly fertile soil; highly fertile soils tend to produce excessive foliage that is poor in flavor)
Successful herb gardening begins with creating a suitable potting soil.
Although different herbs have slightly varied moisture requirements, I have always created a mix with specific potting soil attributes that will provide the right fit for most herb plants.
After making a mix, you should absolutely test to see how well it drains and if it is not too soggy? When soil is placed in a pot and watered, the water should start draining out of the drainage holes within five to ten seconds.
If the soil becomes soupy or water drips out slowly, you should change the ingredients.
The potting soil mix I use is composed of :
Ideal is when you have mixed it and take it in your hand and clump it together, it falls apart. It may not clump together as if it was a mud ball.
You can read more details about possible ingredients and their characteristics in my article “Learn about soil for herbs”
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Conclusion
Now you know the important characteristics of a good potting mix. Up to you to experiment and to see what works best for you. You can use my preferred mix as a basis.
What is next?
This ends part 2 of the Free Online Course “Herb Garden for Beginners”. This part was mainly focused on how to make your own ideal potting mix for herbs.
Please share what your preferred potting mix is in the comments below!
Also don’t hold back to give your thoughts about this topic, ask questions or identify the things you want to learn more about in the comment section below.
We are on this journey together with all like-minded people so let’s help and assist each other.