Making Your Own Potting Soil for Tomatoes

Great potting soil needs 40-50% peat moss to maintain consistent moisture top to bottom, side to side. Most commercial potting soils have very little peat moss—the soil dries out quickly and roots die from lack of moisture. When you can't find good potting soil, make your own. It's easy.

What You Need

• Cheap potting soil or raised bed soil (organic or otherwise)
• Peat moss and/or sphagnum peat moss (equal amount to the potting soil)
• Composted steer manure (about ¼ to ⅓ of a 1 cubic foot bag per container)

Buy all this at your local big box store—Home Depot, Lowe's, anywhere with a garden center.

How to Mix It

Use a wheelbarrow or large container. Mix equal parts of each—one shovelful potting soil, one shovelful peat moss, mix together and repeat until you have enough for your container.

You want 50% potting soil and 50% peat moss when you're done.

Planting

Fill your container with the finished mix. Add the composted steer manure on top. Place the container where you want to grow your tomato plant, then add water until it's saturated and running out the bottom.

Plant one tomato plant in the center.

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Next Steps

Back to main potting soil guide →
Learn how to feed your tomatoes →
Master proper watering →

Dave Freed / The Tomato Guy