Potting/container soil can be quite costly. It is also bulky and an all around pain in the a$$ to buy.

The good news is…

Soil can be reused! For years!

I have two main ‘rules’ regarding container soil.

Soil that goes outside stays outside. There are a gazillion microbes and insects and insect eggs in healthy soil. You don’t want to bring those little creatures inside your home.

And

If the plants grown in it were diseased or pest-attacked or stunted in any way, that soil isn’t directly reused. It is either put in the compost bin for a refresh or I’ll use it to build up the ground in non-vegetable-growing areas.

All other soil is stored over the winter and reused the next year.

Last year I stored the outside soil in a huge cardboard box. Which would have worked well except…squirrels. They decided there must be something awesome in the box and clawed it to bits. (shakes head) The box barely held together.

This year, I saved the bags from any soil we purchased. These bags are extremely thick. I plan to close them with rubber/elastic bands and store them under the deck. And…I’ll hope for the best.

Many gardeners store their soil in the containers they used for growing or they use plastic totes/bins or garbage bins. Some even use old kiddie pools with a tarp placed over them.

The next year, I’ll ‘refresh’ the soil with a little bit of compost before I reuse it.

And I’m good to go. I’ve saved money, time AND hassle.

(smiles)