How to mix soil for containers or pots: 

Soil Necessity:

For the container planting to be successful, the soil must have provision for adequate drainage while retaining enough moisture to feed the root systems. The plants also need air space within the soil, as densely-packed soil may choke the plant’s roots. To meet the needs of growing plants in a container, garden soil must be mixed with other components required for its growth. While the ready made potting soil often includes fertilizer, homemade potting soil requires added compost or a fertilizer that meets the needs of the plants you wanted to grow.

Traditional garden soil limitations

Traditional Garden(ground) soil tends to be harder than potting soil, so it doesn’t drain well, and it requires aeration from worms or grubs. It may also contain weed seeds or fungus spores that can grow in the container. It is always recommended to consider a soil mix ( added with fertilizers, compost, other nutrients)  to retain moisture and nutrients. Use good garden soil that is clean, free of weed seeds and harmful mites and insects that reside on the soil surface.

Soil Mixture

The best idea for potting soil mix is to use your garden soil as a base along with other mineral component, such as perlite, builder’s sand or vermiculite, and an organic compost or peat moss. A simple soil mix includes equal parts of garden soil, peat moss and sand. For example, flowering plants usually require more water than green plants, so a mixture that retains more moisture in the soil — such as one with a little extra garden soil or peat moss — is best for them

Required items for Soil mix:

• Container or Planter or suitable size Pot
• Different types of soil mix: Compost, Bark, Coco peat, Peat moss, perlite , Vermi compost, Bone meal and any other fertilizers required for the plant.

How to prepare the soil mix?

Preparation

• Look for the best location in the garden area  till you are satisfied with its placement, its exposure to sun light.
• Add gravel and soil. Adding a layer of gravel to the bottom of the containers helps them drain water properly.

Note: plants need at least 12 inches of soil for adequate root systems with a soil-free lip of about an inch at the top of the container. If the container is deeper than 12 inches, place the filler to at the bottom minimize the quantity of garden soil in the container. Leave 13 inches free above the filler for the soil.

Top garden soil is preferably  sand or clay (ground-up rocks) mixed with organic materials such as compost.  Garden soil tends to be denser than potting soil, so it doesn’t drain well, and it requires aeration from worms or grubs. We recommend using garden soil with other components in your container to help the mixture retain moisture and nutrients. This type of potting mix (also called potting soil) is made from composted bark, peat moss, saw dust and other ingredients that do not include earthen soil. For your potted plants to grow a healthy root system, you must use good potting mix.

It is also recommended to make potting soil by combining perlite or vermiculite with peat or sphagnum moss. Other organic materials that can be added to potting mix are leaf compost, which offer a wide spectrum of nutrients.

There is no hard rule for selecting the potting soil mix. Depending on the availability of the items, type of plants selected, local weather conditions and type of watering system, one has to select the best choice of items that are useful to the plants.

Some people have a practice of mixing various plants in the same plant. While it is a good idea to mix and match different plants, the selection of plants for the same container to be done carefully.

Why Plant Combination is very important for containers?

When it comes to the science of companion planting, it is difficult to prove any definite cause and effect relationships.

Tips for selecting the companions for container planting:

• Consider  some containers with a broad assortment of vegetables and herbs.
  • Theme pots: an Italian pot, a spicy pot, a pickles pot
  • Maximum production throughout the year:
• Organize the vegetables to avoid competition for space and sunlight.
• Multiple crops: Lettuce followed by beans, followed by broccoli, followed by winter greens.
• Single crop eg: tomatoes, strawberries, potatoes
• Match plants that have a similar need for water and fertilizer. Eg:  rosemary, which likes hot and relatively dry conditions, will not be a good match with water-hungry cucumbers.
• To maximize space, you might want to combine a trailing plant with an upright plant.
• Some plants actually grow better when grown near a compatible companion. On the other hand, some plants don’t seem to grow well when paired with certain plants. The list below offers good plant combinations — as well as combinations to avoid.
  • Good Companions:
    • Eggplant, beans
    • Tomatoes, basil, onions
    • Lettuce, herbs
    • Spinach, chard, onions
    • Beans, carrots, squash, Beans or parsley with carrots
  • Combinations to Avoid:
    • Beans with onions and garlic
    • Carrots with dill or fennel
    • Tomatoes or squash with potatoes
    • Onions with beans and peas, Onions with lettuce