Old Potting Soil: What To Do With It - Horticulture

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Containers & GearOld Potting Soil: What to Do With It

Here’s how to put it to work.

Niki Jabbour

Published Oct 25, 2018 10:00 AM PDTShare this story

I love growing veggies and herbs in containers on my sunny deck. But, when it’s time to clean and store the pots for winter, I need to find a new use for the spent potting soil. (Read more about storing containers here.)

Many gardeners simply dispose of old potting soil in their garbage or city compost bins, but there are several ways to put that old potting soil to work in your garden:

1. Use it to top existing flower and vegetable garden beds

2. Spread it thinly over the lawn

3. Dump it in newly built raised beds as a start to filling them (and check out "How to Care for the Soil in Raised Beds")

4. Add it to your compost bins

If you have a compost pile and you'd like to try making your own potting mix next year, here's a recipe: "Homemade Potting Mix With Compost".

Fall is a great time to build better garden soil; try the steps in "Ways to Improve Garden Soil in the Fall".

Wondering if you can save and reuse your potting mix in next year's containers? Horticulture's sister publication, Garden Gate, offers great advice in the post "What Should I Do With Used Potting Mix?".

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