Best Overall
Wonder Soil Organic Potting Soil
- Since it contains coconut coir, it’s a peat-free mix that can be used for both indoor and outdoor plants and a wide range of plant types.
Since it contains coconut coir, it’s a peat-free mix that can be used for both indoor and outdoor plants and a wide range of plant types.
- Handling this mix can be messy because pouring ingredients from the bag can release a lot of fine dust into the air.
Handling this mix can be messy because pouring ingredients from the bag can release a lot of fine dust into the air.
Made of compressed coconut coir and enhanced with nutrients to help plants grow bigger and stronger, the Wonder Soil Organic Potting Soil is extremely versatile and can be used for indoor and outdoor plants, including herbs, flowers, microgreens, cactus, and even seed starting.
Unlike many other potting soils, it’s peat-free, which is a benefit for some gardeners who worry about the sustainability of peat moss (coconut coir is a renewable resource).
When mixed with water, the contents of the bag will expand to four times its size. The coco coir in the potting mix does an excellent job of retaining water, so you’ll likely need to water your plants less frequently. It also helps promote aeration in the soil, which keeps roots healthy.
Natural ingredients, such as worm castings, kelp, and mycorrhizae (beneficial microbes), help plants grow bigger with stronger roots and improve their resistance to disease and drought. Perlite in the mix also helps retain water and nutrients and keeps the soil from becoming compacted.
We like the fact that this mix is made of natural ingredients so it’s safe for people and pets. Also, the resealable bag makes it easy to save some potting soil for later.
Be aware that using this mix can be messy—pouring the mix from the bag can release a lot of dust into the air, you may want to carefully scoop out the mix or work on potting plants outside.
Product Details: Primary Usage: All-Purpose | Nutrient Content: compressed coco coir, worm castings, perlite, kelp, mycorrhizae | Moisture Control: Yes (coco coir) | Bag Size: 3 pounds (expands to 12 quarts) | Organic: Yes
Key Terms to Know
- Sphagnum peat moss: A common ingredient that’s found in many potting soils, sphagnum peat moss can help soils retain moisture but also allow enough drainage to prevent root rot. However, sphagnum peat moss is somewhat controversial because it’s not considered a renewable resource and harvesting it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
- Perlite: This white granular material is often added to potting mixes to help improve drainage.
- Coco coir: This fibrous thread is a renewable resource that is used in potting soils because of its water-retaining abilities.
- Wetting agent: These chemical substances hold on to water in potting soil so it doesn’t dry out as quickly.
Best Budget
Kellogg All-Natural Premium Outdoor Potting Mix
- With this 40-quart bag, you get a lot of potting soil without spending much money. This all-purpose mix works for all types of outdoor plants and contains organic fertilizers to boost plant growth.
With this 40-quart bag, you get a lot of potting soil without spending much money. This all-purpose mix works for all types of outdoor plants and contains organic fertilizers to boost plant growth.
- This potting soil is not designed for indoor containers.
This potting soil is not designed for indoor containers.
For those looking for a budget-friendly potting mix, the Kellogg All-Natural Premium Outdoor Potting Mix works well for flowers, herbs, and vegetables in outdoor containers. Wood fiber in the potting mix helps the soil retain moisture, so you won’t need to water as often.
The mix also contains sphagnum peat moss to improve drainage, and several organic fertilizers, such as earthworm castings, poultry manure, kelp meal, and bat guano, to help your plants grow bigger and produce more flowers/fruit. The manufacturer still recommends using an additional organic granular fertilizer every five to six weeks for supplemental feeding.
This potting mix is OMRI-listed for organic gardening, so it’s a great choice for anyone wanting to avoid synthetic products or chemicals. It can be used in raised garden beds, however, the manufacturer offers a different product designed specifically for raised beds.
This large 40-quart bag of potting mix goes a long way but costs very little, making it a great deal for anyone on a tight gardening budget. It’s not recommended for indoor potted plants, so you’ll need to purchase a different mix for houseplants or other indoor plants. Because it includes moisture-holding ingredients, you may need to water less frequently.
Product Details: Primary Usage: All-Purpose | Nutrient Content: sphagnum peat moss, sand, perlite, ground limestone, aged wood fines, earthworm castings, poultry manure, kelp meal, bat guano | Moisture Control: Yes (wood fibers and sphagnum peat moss) | Bag Size: 40 quarts. | Organic: Yes
Best for Starting Seeds
Black Gold Seedling Mix
- This potting mix has a fine texture to help seeds more easily germinate and push up through the soil. It also contains an organic wetting agent to help retain moisture for strong root growth.
This potting mix has a fine texture to help seeds more easily germinate and push up through the soil. It also contains an organic wetting agent to help retain moisture for strong root growth.
- Since the mix needs to be poured or scooped from the bag, it’s messier to use than the seed-starting pellets that you can drop into a tray and moisten to expand.
Since the mix needs to be poured or scooped from the bag, it’s messier to use than the seed-starting pellets that you can drop into a tray and moisten to expand.
The best potting soils for starting seeds should be more finely textured than other types of soils; this will make it easier for seeds to sprout and seedlings to grow. Dense, coarse soil makes it more difficult for those tiny plants to push through the soil.
This seed-starting mix has a fine texture and is free of large pieces of bark or other organic matter. It includes Canadian sphagnum peat moss, perlite, and an organic wetting agent to promote drainage while also retaining water so plants grow strong roots and thrive. It’s also enriched with silicon, which can thicken plant stems and increase root mass for stronger, healthier plants.
This seed-starting mix is OMRI-listed for organic gardening so you can feel good about starting your vegetable seeds in it (as well as herbs and flowers). Because this seed-starting mix is sold in a bag, it’s messier to use than seed-starting pellets that can simply be placed in seed-starting trays and expanded with water. However, because it’s loose soil, it can work in any size of seed-starting tray or other seed-starting containers.
Product Details: Primary Usage: Seed Starting | Nutrient Content: Canadian sphagnum peat moss, perlite, dolomite lime, silicon, organic wetting agent | Moisture Control: Yes (sphagnum peat moss, organic wetting agent) | Bag Size: 8 quarts | Organic: Yes
Best for Succulents
Hoffman Organic Cactus and Succulent Soil Mix
- This mix includes ingredients, like sand, to promote proper drainage for cactus and succulents. It’s also an affordable choice if you have a large collection of succulents.
This mix includes ingredients, like sand, to promote proper drainage for cactus and succulents. It’s also an affordable choice if you have a large collection of succulents.
- It’s not as rocky as some other more expensive cactus and succulent potting mixes, so the drainage may be slightly slower.
It’s not as rocky as some other more expensive cactus and succulent potting mixes, so the drainage may be slightly slower.
Potting soils specifically formulated for cacti and succulents primarily contain ingredients that ensure proper drainage to help prevent accidentally overwatering your plants.
The Hoffman Organic Cactus and Succulent Soil Mix is ready to use right out of the bag, so you don’t have to worry about adding any ingredients yourself. It contains both sand and peat moss to help improve drainage and works well for both jungle and desert cacti.
This potting mix is not quite as rocky in consistency as some other more expensive cactus and succulent mixes, so the drainage may be slightly slower. However, it’s a great choice if you have a lot of cacti and succulent plants (the pricier blends might not be affordable once you buy enough for all your plants), and it still offers much better drainage than standard potting soils.
Product Details: Primary Usage: Cactus and Succulents | Nutrient Content: Compost, peat moss, sand, limestone | Moisture Control: No | Bag Size: 10 quarts | Organic: Yes
Best for Vegetables
Espoma Organic Potting Mix
- Containing a blend of natural ingredients that improve drainage and aeration and strengthen plant roots, this potting mix can help you grow larger, healthier vegetable plants.
Containing a blend of natural ingredients that improve drainage and aeration and strengthen plant roots, this potting mix can help you grow larger, healthier vegetable plants.
- It’s not OMRI-listed, so it may not be suitable for certified organic farmers.
It’s not OMRI-listed, so it may not be suitable for certified organic farmers.
An organic potting mix is a great choice for growing vegetables in your garden as you’ll be eating the food that you grow in these potting mixes. Espoma Organic Potting Soil Mix contains all-natural ingredients without synthetic plant food or chemicals, so it’s safe for you and your vegetables.
Made with a blend of sphagnum peat moss, humus, and perlite, this potting mix helps ensure good drainage to keep roots healthy. Plus, enhancements of earthworm castings, alfalfa meal, kelp meal, and feather meal provide nutrients and serve as natural fertilizers.
The mix also features MYCO-TONE, the manufacturer’s blend of mycorrhizae, which are beneficial microbes that can help grow stronger roots and bigger blooms.
This potting soil can be used for both indoor and outdoor plants. In addition to vegetables, it works well for herbs and flowers. It does contain peat moss, which some gardeners prefer to avoid because of questions over its long-term sustainability; however, the manufacturer is committed to protecting the environment through solar power, zero-waste manufacturing, and other initiatives.
This potting soil does not have an OMRI-listed label, which designates products that have been through rigorous tests and qualify for use by certified organic growers. However, if you don’t need to be certified as an organic grower and just want an all-natural product that will help your plants thrive, this is a good choice.
Product Details: Primary Usage: All-purpose | Nutrient Content: Sphagnum peat moss, humus, perlite, worm castings, alfalfa meal, kelp meal, feather meal, mycorrhizae | Moisture Control: Yes (sphagnum peat moss) | Bag Size: 16 quart | Organic: Yes
Best for Indoor Plants
Miracle-Gro Houseplant Potting Mix
- This formula is designed specifically for houseplants and includes a mix of ingredients that make it less prone to gnats.
This formula is designed specifically for houseplants and includes a mix of ingredients that make it less prone to gnats.
- It’s only available in a small 4-quart bag, so you may have to purchase multiple bags if you have a large houseplant collection that you need to repot.
It’s only available in a small 4-quart bag, so you may have to purchase multiple bags if you have a large houseplant collection that you need to repot.
The right potting soil can help your houseplants thrive by improving drainage and providing aeration to keep the plant’s roots healthy. Although you can use an indoor/outdoor mix, we like the Miracle-Gro Houseplant Potting Mix, which is specifically designed for the needs of indoor plants.
This potting soil includes a mix of sphagnum peat moss, perlite, coir, fertilizer, and a wetting agent, the combination of which helps make it less prone to gnats.
The fertilizer included in the potting soil will help feed your plants for up to six months after planting. The all-purpose potting mix works well for a variety of common indoor plants, such as pothos, spider plants, monstera, philodendron, and English ivy.
Unfortunately, this potting soil is only available in one relatively small size; one 4-quart bag is enough to fill an 8-inch container. If you have a lot of houseplants you need to repot, you’ll need to buy multiple bags to have enough potting soil to fill them all. Keep in mind, also, that this is not an organic product, which might be a deal breaker for some.
Product Details: Primary Usage: Houseplants | Nutrient Content: Sphagnum peat moss, coir, perlite, fertilizer, wetting agent | Moisture Control: Yes (sphagnum peat moss, coir, wetting agent) | Bag Size: 4 quart | Organic: No
Best for Potted Flowers
Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix
- This potting soil contains fertilizer which will feed plants for up to six months and can lead to bigger plants and blooms.
This potting soil contains fertilizer which will feed plants for up to six months and can lead to bigger plants and blooms.
- The moisture-retaining polymers in this mix may keep soil in indoor containers too moist so you may need to adjust your watering schedule accordingly.
The moisture-retaining polymers in this mix may keep soil in indoor containers too moist so you may need to adjust your watering schedule accordingly.
If you’re looking to boost your plant’s size and promote more/bigger blooms, the Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix has several advantages. For example, it contains fertilizer which will help feed your plants for up to six months after planting. This can serve to give your plants a boost and help you create show-stopping containers.
The potting mix also contains water-retaining agents that can absorb up to 33% more water than standard potting soil. This is designed to help prevent under- or over-watering your plants by retaining more water and releasing it gradually over time.
In reality, though, the results of these water-retaining agents can be a bit inconsistent, so you’ll need to monitor your plants and alter your watering schedule if necessary. The potting mix can be used for indoor and outdoor containers, but the moisture control mix may end up retaining too much water in indoor containers, which can lead to root rot.
“It's best to use these types of potting mixes with plants that require or at least will tolerate constantly moist conditions,” Neveln says. Or use the mix for outdoor containers in hot, sunny locations where the moisture-retaining ingredients may be just what you need to prevent the container from drying out quickly in the heat of the summer.
If you’re opting to use this mix outdoors where the moisture-retaining polymers can really help, you should be aware that this two-pack of 8-quart bags may not be enough if you have several large outdoor containers. Be sure to factor in the cost for multiple purchases in that case.
Product Details: Primary Usage: All-Purpose | Nutrient Content: Sphagnum peat moss, coir, perlite, fertilizer, wetting agent | Moisture Control: Yes | Bag Size: 8 qt./2 Pack | Organic: No