Best soil

Here's a roundup of the best soil to plant and grow your favorite herbs, vegetables, fruits, and more.

soil in barrel
(Image credit: Zoe Schaeffer via Unsplash)

The best soil creates a wonderful environment to grow healthy vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers, and more. It's is packed with nutrients that encourage seeds to germinate and sprouts to spread their roots. The right soil helps your garden grow strong and healthy. Here's a roundup of my favorites.

Staff pick

Miracle-Gro indoor potting mix

(Image credit: Amazon)

Miracle-Gro indoor potting mix

For indoor use

Use this soil two-pack to ready all of your indoor pots. 

Pros:

  • Two-pack
  • Feeds for up to six months
  • Gnat-resistant
  • For use in containers

Cons:

  • Not for outdoor use
  • Dirt may grow fungus if bag is left open

Available in a two-pack, this soil is great for use in pots and containers indoors. This mixture contains no bark or compost, which helps it deter insects that are drawn to fungus and gnats. To retain essential moisture, this soil is blended with coconut coir. So, it'll create a terrific habitat for your plants to thrive in. 

Best for potted plants

Miracle-Gro potting mix

(Image credit: Amazon)

Miracle-Gro potting mix

For outdoor and indoor pots

This soil is specifically designed for potted plants in the office or on the patio.

Pros:

  • Great for indoor and outdoor use
  • For potted plants and flowers
  • Grows plants twice as large
  • Packed with plant nutrients

Cons:

  • Not intended for uncontained areas
  • May contain small bugs

Designed for growing plants, this soil can be used both indoors and outdoors. Packed with nutrients, it encourages your foliage to grow quickly and healthily. The soil is soft, which allows seeds to germinate and for roots to spread easily. It also allows your young sprouts and seedlings to breathe. Use this soil with potted flowers, vegetables, or herbs for up to six months before replacing.

Best organic

Burpee Natural & Organic GardenCoir soil

(Image credit: Amazon)

Burpee Natural & Organic GardenCoir soil

Blended with organic coconut fiber and garden coir

This organic soil can hold up to 150 percent of its weight in water. 

Pros:

  • Holds up to 150-percent of soil's weight in water
  • Organic and eco-friendly
  • Improves aeration for root health

Cons:

  • Resealable bag may not properly reseal
  • Soil may become moldy if left in bag

Blended with 100-percent eco-friendly and organic garden coir and coconut fibers, this soil is great for any garden. Its mixture can hold up to 150-percent of its weight in water, which means that it keeps your vegetables and plants hydrated for long periods of time. The soft texture promotes healthy root development, encouraging your plants to grow strong and healthy.

Best alive

best soil

(Image credit: Amazon)

Organic Plant Magic compressed organic potting soil

Contains growth-promoting microgranisms

This soil comes packed with mycorrhizae, worm castings, and healthy bacteria to grow lush plants.

Pros:

  • 3 gallons of soil
  • Packed with essential nutrients and minerals
  • Stays moist for a long time
  • Contains worm castings, mycorrhizae, and healthy bacteria

Cons:

  • A little pricey
  • May not make as much soil as expected

This soil is terrific for use indoors and outdoors. Simply wet the non-toxic dirt and watch it expand to 3 gallons of soil that can be distributed in raised beds, pots, and open gardens. Formulated with 100-percent coconut coir that's blended with an array of growth-promoting microorganisms, it helps your garden thrive. Worm castings, mycorrhizae, and other healthy bacteria, minerals, and nutrients work together to create the perfect environment for your foliage to grow.

Best indoor

best soil

(Image credit: Amazon)

Rio Hamza Trading air cleaning indoor plant soil

Designed for indoor plants

This soil is blended with peat, perlite, lime, and worm castings for indoor use.

Pros:

  • Contains peat, perlite, lime, and worm castings
  • Great for indoor use
  • Designed for clean-air plants

Cons:

  • Not a lot of soil per bag
  • Not for use outdoors

This soil is carefully designed with all-natural ingredients, including peat, perlite, lime, and worm castings, to help your plant grow vibrant and healthy. This soil is intended for air-purifying plants indoors; however, it creates a great environment for other indoor plants to thrive as well. Each bag is filled with 4 quarts of soil.

The bottom line

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The best soil creates a healthy habitat for your vegetables, plants, and flowers. The  Miracle-Gro indoor potting mix two-pack is tossed with nutrients that can fuel your foliage for up to six months at a time. Its ingredients repel gnats and pests, keeping your garden safe.

The Burpee Natural & Organic GardenCoir soil is formulated to retain up to 150-percent of its weight in water. This keeps your plants hydrated, even during hot days. The best soil caters to the needs of your environment and your garden.

Camille Sanghera is a UX writer and copywriter for global brands as well as an author of self-help books. Although she has lived and traveled internationally, Camille is originally from British Columbia, Canada. She merges over 10 years of writing experience with a love of words to bring authenticity and human connection to every project. When not writing, Camille can be found exploring nature with her dog, sketching to music, or laughing with loved ones.

You can chat with Camille on Instagram at @projectpvo.