Stop Buying Potting Soil Every Year — Here’s What Can Actually Be Reused

Healthy potting mix can sometimes be refreshed and reused instead of replaced every year. Skip the reuse when plants had serious disease or when you’re starting vulnerable seedlings. Cahya Kartikasari/Shutterstock

Dumping every container at the end of the gardening season can feel painfully wasteful, especially when you’ve filled several large planters with expensive potting mix. The good news is that gardeners don’t necessarily need to start with completely fresh bags every spring. The University of Illinois says soilless potting media can be reused when the plants previously growing in it were healthy and didn’t experience major disease problems. The trick to reusing potting soil is knowing what can be refreshed, what deserves a second life elsewhere in the garden, and what should be discarded because it could cause problems next season. Before buying another cart full of potting mix, inspect what you already have.

Healthy Container Mix Can Often Get Another Season