Saving Soil

[sphinxeyes]

What do most people do about saving soil? Since my gardening this year is mostly in containers I'm having to buy a lot of soil and compost to fill them. I'd like to be able to save and recycle it somehow so I can use it again next year. What's the best way to do that? I don't have a garage or a shed that's big enough to store any big containers full of soil outdoors, and I think that storing anything in my basement would be too susceptible to bugs or mold. I have a compost tumbler, can I put the used soil back into that at the end of the season?

[grungy]

Why not. Also get some big garbage cans (plastic with snap on lids).

[canadamike]

You can also pile it in a discreet place to reuse it, but it could get bugs. If you dont mind buying some more, spread it on the lawn or in a lower place to fill it. Look where water tends to accumulate in heavy rains... then you will always have fresh soilless mixture without diseases. The root mass in every pot will hardly decompose if you keep it in buckets or pails. And a lot of your pots won't have much soil left and huge root masses.

I know I would let it decompose somewhere and use it in borders.

[sphinxeyes]

Hmm, I could pile it near the fence where the ground slopes down away from the house. We haven't had much luck growing anything there because it's also where a gutter downspout empites out, so the ground is flooded regularly. As an alternative, any recommendations for anything that actually likes perpetually moist and soggy soil in partial sun?

[plantsnobin]

There are plenty of plants that you could put there where it stays moist. You could start with Asclepias incarnata, which is a larval host plant for monarch butterflies, and some Chelone, any species, which is also good for the butterflies. Add some Eupatorium and Lobelia siphilitica, maybe some Mimulus ringens and you have a very nice little area. Full of plants for you and the butterflies to enjoy. As for reusing the potting mix, get you a big plastic tote, dump the old mix, wet it really well, and a pound or so of redworms, a few table scraps and keep it in a nice warm place through the winter. They recycle it very well.

[sphinxeyes]

I need to seriously look into this worm thing. I'm curious though. I'm added perlite to the soil in my containers. Will this break down naturally or would it be bad for the worms to eat this?

[plantsnobin]

Perlite is actually a natural ingrediant, no need to worry about the worms.

[maricybele]

I would put the soil back in the tumbler if you can. Getting it heated up should recharge and reuse it. I put used all back in my compost pile except for problem plant clippings, like last years tomato vines. I add some compost with worms in my pile.

For my big pots I put my used potting soil in my wheel barrel in the sun a few days and mix it with my organic fertilizers compost and reuse. It works alright for me.