# Is potting soil ok for growing veggies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2008, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-potting-soil-ok-for-growing-veggies/453165 "2008-06-16T23:55:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-potting-soil-ok-for-growing-veggies/453165/1 "2008-06-16T23:55:57Z")
Or more particularly jalapenos? I have several nice seedlings coming in and I need to thin out the pot asap, but all I have on hand dirt wise is a bag of potting soil, I think it’s Schultz All Purpose Potting Soil Plus. That’s not going to make poisonous peppers is it? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-potting-soil-ok-for-growing-veggies/453165/2 "2008-06-17T01:43:22Z")
No, potting soil won’t make your peppers poisonous. Both times I’ve grown cayennes in pots, I’ve mixed some regular old garden dirt with potting soil. The plants grew well. These guys probably know more about the subject than I do: [Growing Peppers in Containers](http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/containers.asp) > [@](#): > > It is commonly believed that commercial potting soil is the best choice for containers because many garden soils contain too much clay for use in pot. However, commercial potting soils often contain so much sand, perlite, and milled sphagnum moss that they drain too fast and dry out too quickly. > > Some gardeners have had success with simply digging soil out of the garden and putting it in a pot. Most pepper gardeners add some garden soil to a mix that includes commercial potting soil and other soil expanders. We have had good luck with the following formula: 1 part perlite, 1 part sand, 1 part vermiculite, 3 parts commercial potting soil, and 3 parts garden soil. Another good mixture is 1 part loamy soi, 1 part peat moss, and 1 part sand. Daphne Gould of Boston reports excellent results with a mixture of two parts compost, one part perlite, and one part garden soil, mulched with grass clippings. Read the section about fertilizing peppers. I managed to stunt my garden peppers one year with too much nitrogen. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-potting-soil-ok-for-growing-veggies/453165/3 "2008-06-17T02:31:27Z")
Perfection. I now have my pepper sprouts in two different pots, but I’m going to narrow that down to just three or four winners after they grow a bit more and have a stronger root system. That page will become invaluable when they reach the next stage. Thanks **Squink**. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2025, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-potting-soil-ok-for-growing-veggies/453165/4 "2025-03-23T18:31:29Z")
Raising this Zombie because… NVM. Read the replies more closely and got the answer I needed ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2025, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-potting-soil-ok-for-growing-veggies/453165/5 "2025-03-23T19:51:53Z")
Zombies _and_ vegetable plants may not thrive in commercial “potting soil” either, because it tends to be heavy and holds too much water, leading to root rot during prolonged wet periods or due to overzealous watering. I generally mix bagged potting and “garden” soil with lightweight additives like Pro-Mix or vermiculite, creating a medium that holds water adequately but doesn’t get waterlogged or dry out too fast. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-potting-soil-ok-for-growing-veggies/453165/6 "2025-03-24T15:38:53Z")
Huh. Unless I’m reading it wrong, the first cite in the thread says the opposite: that commercial potting soils drain too fast and age prone to drying. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-potting-soil-ok-for-growing-veggies/453165/7 "2025-03-24T16:16:42Z")
Not what I’ve seen. Commercial bagged potting soil for instance may contain some perlite, but it’s usually widely scattered grains. Sand content is negligible, and peat is typically not in the form of finely milled sphagnum moss. When you hoist a bag of the stuff, it feels heavy, comparable to what’s marketed as topsoil. A lot of content seems to be soil scrapings from when properties are “developed” and composted plant materials of uncertain origin. Another downside of using pure bagged potting soil for vegetable growing is that it makes containers heavy and more difficult to move around. Using more lightweight and better-draining mixes may mean needing to water more often, but I find it an acceptable tradeoff, especially if plants are healthier and less prone to waterlogged soil.. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-potting-soil-ok-for-growing-veggies/453165/8 "2025-03-24T22:09:37Z")
Definitely not my experience with potting soil. It’s usually in a bag 3x the size of topsoil to get the same weight. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-potting-soil-ok-for-growing-veggies/453165/9 "2025-03-25T03:11:29Z")
I use a compost-based potting soil, and also grow a few tomato plants to maturity in it. Works fine. They do need some supplemental fertilizer after a while, as the potting soil’s only designed to have nutrients enough for about the first six weeks; I use a fish emulsion/seaweed mix. Potting soils vary a good bit. Some of them probably work better than others.