Ensure soil has 'staying power' to see plantings through the season

03.05.2024 - 14:14 / theprovince.com / Helen Chesnut

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Q. I’ve been disappointed with the quality of the potting soils I buy, for both indoor and outdoor use. They seem to be without much substance. Can you recommend ways to alleviate their flimsiness?

A. Yours is a common complaint among home gardeners. Because basic potting blends do tend to be very light, I’ve always added a hefty-textured bagged soil to a basic mix, at a rate of about a third of the amount of the basic mix.

What that heavier-textured soil might be will depend on what is available where you live. You may have to try a bag of more than one type to find a soil that suits.

What you are looking for is a soil that will add enough substance to the final mix to lend it enough “staying power” to see plantings through the season without flagging.

Look for an “all-purpose” soil that specifies that it is suitable for indoor use and for seeding as well as for potting in general. A potting mix labelled “multi-purpose” is not the same. Always check for “all-purpose” and look also for seeding directions as a final confirmation of the product’s true all-purpose nature.

Another useful addition, if you can find it at an affordable price, is coconut fibre (coir), a natural material that adds moisture retention to a mix and acts as a buffer against temperature extremes — a rather important feature considering the intense heat of recent summers.

Q. I saw an odd little edible in a friend’s garden last summer. I’m still not sure what exactly it is. My friend used the name “cucamelon.” Are you familiar with it?

A. I grow this interesting little fruit most