THE GROWING MEDIUM

Remember that a good potting soil for herbs (or any container-grown plant) should be light in texture and porous enough to insure good drainage and an adequate oxygen supply. It should hold a lot of water and nutrients without becoming compacted around tender roots, but shouldn’t retain moisture so long that root rot can develop. The pH and nutrient content should be balanced and the mix must be disease-free to insure healthy plants. If you’re really getting into this and want to get your plants off to a healthy start, the following recipe will yield an excellent potting soil:

Super-Charged Potting Soil*

15 parts (shovels, buckets, or any container
measured by volume) topsoil
5 parts horticultural grade vermiculite or peat moss (more…)