Hello! I'm extremely new to gardening and I think I got off on the wrong start to growing plants already. I've made the mistake of using in-ground soil for planters... I do have the pots and planters on the ground that is connected to the dirt that is "in-ground." Will this introduce the needed microorganisms and worms needed to loosen the soil in the pots and planters or do will I need to get new soil? Please help!! Thanks!
We recently covered a lot of these issues in detail here: https://www.gardenstew.com/threads/new-gardeners-need-help.41876/ Gardening is actually a very forgiving hobby, so in my opinion - It doesn't really matter where you got the soil in your planters. I myself use soil from the ground in all my pots. Plant life is actually very resilient, and can not just survive - But actually thrive in most conditions. Here is a video clip uploaded on YouTube, where NASA was very successfully growing plants in moon dust brought back by the Apollo missions. So clearly, if plants can grow in moon dust - There shouldn't be any problem where you got your soil for your planters... Of course, it is always better if we give our plants the best possible conditions to grow in. But if we can't do that, (be it for whatever reason), the sky still doesn't fall.
That's really reassuring to hear! Thanks for the advice (and the cool video). That was real swell of you!
Just keep experimenting and also keep having fun, (fun factor is most crucial)! Aside from being a forgiving hobby, gardening also isn't really costly. Therefore no need to break the bank - Of course, those who sell gardening supplies will no doubt tell you otherwise... But let's not forget that majority of plants and trees do very well in many different places on Earth. Without any help from people. Nature is extremely resilient.
Croissant, I always add some "lighteners" to the soil I use in containers. This is to provide better drainage:. Pest moss, vermiculite, potting soil, humus of some kind or compost from the compost bin. You don't want a soil that will get rock hard.
There is a gardening tool used in my part of the world for thousands of years, to loosen soil in pots or even the ground. It's nothing but a foot long rod of metal with a flat end like a very large screwdriver, and a handle on the other end. So in my opinion, that's all what one needs to loosen the soil periodically. Just drive it into the soil straight down, (in the hands of a trained person it doesn't harm the roots). Plants appreciate this treatment to their soil, as it exposes their roots to fresh air for a little while. And improves drainage too. So just keep doing this everytime you feel the soil has become hard. Over a period of time the plant growing it the container will itself establish it's own mini ecosystem. So the soil will eventually convert. And believe it or not, but earthworms too will eventually find their way into the pot, (if the container isn't kept too much out of their reach). This tool shows up in the video from 3:25 to 3:50. Video isn't in English, but that doesn't matter - As it's nothing but a pointless unboxing.
You can`t do better than your own soil ! I have 4 tomato plants growing now! Two in pots with potting soil and two in our soil that has never been worked ! The two in pots are maybe 10 inches tall ,,,the two in soil are about 3 1/2 feet tall ! All were fertilized and watered the same ! So stick with your own dirt ! Later if the soil seems to be heavy and packing down just insert a sharp stick or something similar away from the major roots system and loosen the soil ! No biggie !
