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Expert Plant Man

Advice on Gardening from the Real Experts

8 Best Potting Soils For Herbs [Top Reviewed]

July 22, 2020 By Expert Plant Man Author 3 Comments

I hope you can agree with me when I say:

 There’s something so wonderful about growing your own herbs! There’s not a whole lot better than a fresh cutting of lovingly tended basil onto a steaming plate of home-made spaghetti marinara or a snip of sharp coriander chopped into a salad, or soup or curry! 

Taking your cooking to the next level is really as easy as buying some blossoms or seeds from your nearest gardening store, but there’s a few questions you should be asking yourself before you start: What kind of herbs do you want? Where are you going to plant them? Do you know what the difference between a biennial herb and a perennial herb is? Our expert guide to the best potting soils for herbs answers all those and more! We’ve also included some pointers to help you decide what herb to grow, and how to grow it!

Best Potting Soils For Herbs 2021:

Herb SoilRatingPrice
Soil Mixture for Indoor Herb Planters
10/10 (Editor's Choice)
Check Price
Miracle-Gro Nature’s Care Organic & Natural Potting Mix
9/10
Check Price
FoxFarm FX14240 Happy Frog Potting Soil
8/10
Check Price
4. Sun Gro Black Gold Moisture Supreme Container Mix
9/10
Check Price
Professional Grower Succulent and Cactus Soil Mix
8.5/10
Check Price
6. Envelor Home and Garden 10 Lbs. Organic Coco Block Coir
10/10
Check Price
Michigan Peat 1440 Baccto Lite Premium Potting Soil, 40-Quart
9/10
Check Price
8. Big Rootz All Purpose Potting Soil pH Adjusted and Enriched
7/10
Check Price

Growing Herbs For Beginners:

1. Soil Mixture for Indoor Herb Planters

Why we love it:

  • All natural
  • Specifically formulated for containers/planters
  • Cost effective

ProsCons
✅ Potent❌ None
✅ Fast Draining

You can’t do a lot better than this hand-blended, all natural medium specially formulated with your indoor herb garden in mind! Formulated potent blend of peat, perlite, lime, and worm castings to help encourage strong root development and better growth, this is undoubtedly one of the best organic potting soils for herbs out there. This spongey, fast-draining mix is a good option for cuttings and seedlings, so your baby herbs are sure to be right at home. A 4qt bag of this is more than enough to grow pots and pots of mint, chives, sage, rosemary and oregano and at $13, this is well suited to its spot on our list of the best soils for herbs in pots on the market!

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2. Miracle-Gro Nature’s Care Organic & Natural Potting Mix

Why we love it:

  • Won’t attract insects
  • Cost effective
  • Stays moist

ProsCons
✅ Retains moisture❌ Less soil than you'd expect
✅ Full of humectants

This isn’t the gnat filled, prone-to-rotting, mulch-y Miracle-Gro you remember. They’ve upped their game, resulting in one of the best organic potting soils for herbs you’re likely to find! Growing herbs indoors in containers means that you’re entirely responsible for attending to their (minimal) needs; underfed herbs are no good at all, —keep them perky and green with Nature’s Care Organic & Natural Potting Mix with Water Conserve. Enriched with with moisture-holding humectants like yucca and coir, this specially formulated potting mix works a bit like a sponge to retain moisture and keep you from under or over watering! The addition of alfalfa and kelp meal, earthworm castings and bone meal ensure your herbs will root well, and all but guaranteed this little green bag’s place on our list of the best soils for herbs in pots on the market.

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3. FoxFarm FX14240 Happy Frog Potting Soil

Why we love it: 

  • pH adjusted
  • Beneficial fungi
  • Beneficial microbes

ProsCons
✅ Ready to use right out of the bag❌ On the pricier side
✅ Organic

Kick your herb garden into gear with this pH adjusted premium potting medium! Give your herbs the warm welcome they deserve with Happy Frog’s high quality ingredients: enriched with beneficial soil microbes and mycorrhizal fungi that dramatically expand root development and help your herbs feed more aggressively, plus earthworm castings, aged forest products, and bat guano, this is one invaluable addition to your gardening arsenal. You’ll be tasting (and smelling!) fresh, tender herbs straight from your pot or planter in no time at all, thanks to one of the best organic potting soils for herbs on the market.

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4. Sun Gro Black Gold Moisture Supreme Container Mix

Why we love it:

  • Formulated for container plants
  • Cost effective
  • Retains moisture

ProsCons
✅ Lightweight❌ None
✅ Cost effective

Herbs need an excellent herb substrate to thrive and this Sun Gro container mix is it! Specifically formulated for container plants, this light, fluffy Canadian sphagnum peat Moss, coir, compost and earthworm casting mix will become as much a staple to your garden as a trusty pair of pruning shears! This is one of the best organic potting soils for herbs on the market, precisely because it does exactly what it says it will on the bag (and what a rarity that is!): retains moisture and locks in nutrients to keep your container plants green and thriving long after your first water. At $14 for 8 liter of soil, this is a great, cost-effective contender for the best soil for herbs in pots!

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5. Professional Grower Succulent and Cactus Soil Mix

Why we love it:

  • Excellent drainage
  • Dry and porous
  • Good for Mediterranean herbs

ProsCons
✅ Cost effective❌ Not suitable for most herbs
✅ If you like to tinker, this is a great choice

You choose the soil to suit the herb, not the other way around. For Mediterranean herbs like rosemary and lavender, pick a dry, porous medium that proffers excellent drainage. Professional Grower’s succulent and cactus soil mix is well suited to herbs such as these, that like to be treated a little mean. At 25% perlite, it strikes just the right balance between drainage and retaining enough moisture to help your Mediterranean herbs grow big and strong! If it’s a little too droughty for your tastes, or your herbs start to skulk, try topping it up with some cane, hay or other mulched plant matter to help it stay moist and offset its grittiness! Coir peat – a sustainable resource from coconut fiber, is another great option! But we loved it, and didn’t need to tinker with it one bit, which is why a soil intended for succulents made its way onto our list of the best soils for herbs in pots on the market.

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6. Envelor Home and Garden 10 Lbs. Organic Coco Block Coir

Why we love it:

  • Eco-friendly
  • Great drainage
  • No root rot

ProsCons
✅ Great deal of soil❌ May need to be supplemented
✅ Supports strong root growth

You may tire of using coco coir in your garden (though I can’t imagine why you would) but I certainly never will. I mean, what’s not to love? You can fix a soil bed fit for an herb king, or several hundred herb kings if you so pleased, with a $26 wedge of thirteen straight gallons of soil. That alone was enough to cement its standing as one of the best soils for herbs in pots you’re likely to find! Coir is the proverbial gift that keeps on giving. It improves soil drainage in the bed while also helping to retain moisture in quick-draining soils, and because it breaks down slowly, much like peat, it creates air pockets in the soil that allow excess moisture to drain away from plant roots, thereby preventing the bane of every gardener’s existence: root rot. Plus, coir supports strong root growth and is often used to start seeds and grow hydroponically. It’s safe to say I’m not the only one crazy about it: its rave reviews will attest to the fact that it’s well deserving of its place on our list of the best organic potting soils for herbs on the market.

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7. Michigan Peat 1440 Baccto Lite Premium Potting Soil, 40-Quart

Why we love it:

  • Good drainage
  • Good for seedlings
  • Prevents root rot

ProsCons
✅ Seedlings love it❌ Acidic
✅ Slow release of nutrients

Ah, peat. Peat changed the face of gardening as we know it, and I for one, have never looked back.  Potting with peat has a whole host of benefits, whether you’re an indoor container gardener short on space or one of the blessed few amongst us with, gasp, yard space, and this is one of the best potting soils for herbs out there. Peat is first and foremost used to improve soil drainage to prevent drippy soil and consequent root rot, but that’s not all it’s good for. Plants that thrive in acidic conditions are a big fan of peat because it lowers soil pH — but if you’re dealing with plants that would prefer otherwise, just add a little lime and you’ll be all set. It’s particularly suited to seedlings and the like because it’s so resistant to compaction and roots can snake all the way through with little in the way of resistance. Peat acts like a sponge: it’ll hold onto water and nutrients, and slowly release them into the plants’ root systems. At $28 for 40 quarts of soil, this lightweight blend of pre moistened sphagnum and slow-release fertilizers is a tad on the pricier side, but well worth it — that’s why it’s on our list of the best organic potting soils for herbs on the market.

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8. Big Rootz All Purpose Potting Soil pH Adjusted and Enriched

Why we love it:

  • Great deal of soil
  • pH adjusted
  • Growers love it

ProsCons
✅ Great deal of soil❌ Expensive
✅ Potent formula

Last up on our list of the best soils for herbs in pots on the market, the Big Rootz All Purpose pH adjusted premium potting soil! With a steep, big leagues price-tag of $50, you’d be justified in asking whether this is really worth it, but it is. Fledgling gardeners will love how easy it to use, whilst professional growers will appreciate the uniquely enriched blend of the triple-washed coir, peat and worm casting blend! The presence of mycorrizhae is all the TLC roots need to flourish, and we’d be hard pressed to find a beter contender for the best organic potting soils for herbs at this price point!

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Conclusion:

Wondering where to start when it comes to growing your own herbs? Look no further! I’ve compiled a list of the best herb potting soils on the market to aid you on your search.

What kinds of herbs should I be growing?:

It depends on you:

You could do a lot worse with all that free time you’ve undoubtedly got at home right now than turn to gardening. It’s a great, mindful way to keep yourself occupied during what are some unprecedentedly difficult times.

Anything you like, of course! We recommend starting with whatever you happen to use everyday: knowing what you want is the necessary first step. What do you typically cook? If you’re a fan of Mexican, try cilantro; or if you cook up Italian dishes most nights plan for basil and oregano.

Are you buying a plant or a seed? If you’re looking to save a few extra dollars, planting seeds is a little cheaper, but it takes far more work and research. We always recommend beginners start with a plant that’s already blossomed!

Biennial VS Perennials:

Annuals like anise, basil, cilantro, and dill will bloom for one single season and you’ll have to repurchase them the following season! Biennials like parsley and angelica will last you 2 seasons, but only bloom during the second one. Perennials like chives, fennel, mint, tarragon, and thyme are the most cost effective, because they can bloom every season they live.

Growing Your Own Herbs

Growing your own herbs is way easier on your wallet and the environment, too! When those cellophane-swaddled herbs you buy from the grocery store inevitably spoil after 3 or 4 days and have to be thrown out, it’s downright wasteful. And though herbs are beloved by veteran gardeners, Hollie Newton – author of How to Grow – says herbs are a “beginner gardener’s dream, because they’re pretty much the easiest thing to grow.” There’s no window-sill too small, no kitchen too tiny, no porch too unwieldy to start your own herb garden! They’ll do just as well in a container on your countertop as they will in a sunny patch in your garden.

Location:

Figure out where you can place your plants and what kind of sunlight you get in that area. Most gardening experts will be able to tell which plants will thrive in the environment you have to offer. Some herbs like basil succeed in the outdoors with tons of sunlight while marjoram prefers to stay shady and indoors. Do your research, and come prepared, to get the most out of your herbs!

So dig out your gardening gloves and get going!

Expert Plant Man Author

Hey, I’ve been experimenting with gardening products for more than 10 years now and I must say. It’s a pretty wild ride. Through my experiments, I have managed to become an expert in the art of gardening using different products and rating them & now, I want to share with the world what I have learnt. Possibly saving you a lot of time too!

 

 

Summary
Reviewer
Monty Don
Review Date
2020-07-22

Filed Under: SOIL

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