Question by ruffian_spirit: What is the best soil for an indoor herb/vegetable garden?
I want to put some pots of herbs and maybe a few vegetables in my kitchen window, but I am not sure if regular potting soil is a good idea to use for things I am going to eat. What should I put them in? Will regular potting soil make you sick if you eat the stuff grown in it?
Best answer:
Answer by naughty cougar
fafard potting soil, and no you will not get sick
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
Regular commercial potting soil is perfectly fine. There are no compounds present in the soil that could cause you harm, and if there was there’s a good chance the plant would die as well. Potting soil is convenient because a lot of them now contain a slow release fertilizer right in the bag so all you have to do is water and the fertilizer slowly feeds the plant for up to three months.
You need potting mix, not soil. No it won’t make you sick, it’s just that mix is more pure, where as soil can have things in it that can cause fungus or other diseases in your plants.
a indoor mix with vermiculite.
start a small compost bin,use that for next years fertilizer
top quality potting mix, the cheaper versions are full of bark, if using containers have less plants in them then if you were planting in a garden,,2 beetroot to a pot, 1 bean , 2 garlic and so on, also make sure your amount of sun is sufficient , minimum 5 hrs. a day otherwise the plants will get leggy searching for the light. good luck
What planet did you come from? Would someone get sick from eating plants grown in a garden outdoors? Outdoor soil has tons of microorganisms growing and crawling in it. Have you gotten sick yet?
Enough with the sarcasm. By all means, plant anything you want in regular potting soil ( whether it’s something you plan to eat or not.)
As far as growing herbs and veggies indoors in a kitchen window, think twice about it. Veggies and herbs need good sunlight to prevent them from growing leggy. As a landascaper and flower gardner of over 30 years I’ve not found an herb or veggie yet that looks good growing indoors. They might grow, but they won’t look good doing it. Even in a sunny window they will grow crooked to get their heads towards the light (which would be coming in the window sideways to the plants.
If you INSIST on trying it anyways, be sure to put your potted plants on some kind of saucer. DO NOT water them from the top of the pot as this will create a buildup of white salt from tap water or possibly cause black mold to grow on the soil surface. Put your water in the saucer and let the soil soak it up which it WILL do.
Keep the plants pinched back and use only the young leaves on the tips of your herbs which are the tenderest. The farther down the plant you go, the bitterer the leaves are.
Good luck and don’t forget the fertilizer! 1/2 strength Miracle Grow solution in a gallon milk jug and use it every time you water every couple of days.
i guess i am from the same planet as you cause i think this is a very good question. but as for and answer im sure there is other potting mix out there that is better and healthier to use than just your regular standard stuff but no it should not effect you in any way just make sure you do wash your products before using them