Best Bagged Soil for Tomatoes: Growing in Containers
Choosing the right potting soil for your tomatoes is the most important step! As an avid tomato grower, I have tried all the popular bagged soil brands. While I am not a paid sponsor or affiliated in any way with this product, I know it works and I want you to be successful! Let me cut the chase: the best bagged soil for tomatoes is G&B Organics Potting Soil for Indoor and Outdoor Potting.
I switched to this potting soil at the recommendation of another avid tomato grower a few years ago and I have never looked back.
Finding the best soil for your tomatoes can be daunting for home gardeners. There are so many potting soil options to choose from. While there are many good choices out there, I have had maximum production for seed starting and container growing with G&B Organics Potting Soil.
It may also be tempting to use garden soil in your containers to save money. It is never a good idea to use garden soil in containers. Don’t try to save money by using garden soil or the cheap soil from your garden center.
I can tell you from experience that you will have the best results if you take my advice and use this potting soil for your tomatoes. Fill your containers and garden beds with G&B Organics Potting Soil.
Potting Soil Basics
Potting soil composition varies considerably from one brand and type to another. The basic elements that make good potting mixes for tomatoes are good drainage, organic matter, water holding capacity, and plant nutrients.
Drainage
Optimal drainage is so important for growing healthy tomato plants. If the soil stays too wet for too long, tomato roots will be deprived of oxygen and die. Most potting soils use perlite to achieve a well-drained soil.
Water and nutrients need to be able to flow freely through the soil so that tomato roots can take them up. G&B Organics Potting Soil has excellent drainage from the perlite, but just the right amount of water holding capacity.
Stay away from using garden soil in your raised bed as garden soil often does not have adequate drainage. This is a common problem gardeners run into when trying to save money. Your tomato plants will be more susceptible to tomato diseases like blossom end rot without proper drainage.
Make sure your container has drainage holes!
Water Holding Capacity
A good potting soil has the perfect mix of good drainage and water holding capacity. G&B Organics Potting soil contains sphagnum peat moss. Peat moss holds onto water so your soil moisture stays optimum and your plant roots don’t dry out.
Organic Matter
A good container mix potting soil needs to have organic materials to feed the plants throughout the growing season. Think of organic matter like slow release organic fertilizer. Organic matter can be composted wood chips, worm castings, or sea kelp. G&B Organics Potting Soil uses a soil mix with composted wood chips, rice hulls, composted chicken manure, bark fines, hydrolyzed feather meal, dehydrated chicken manure, worm castings, bat guano, kelp meal, and alfalfa meal. This variety of organic matter provides all the essential nutrients your tomato plants need!
Plant Nutrients
G&B Organics Potting Soil contains all the essential nutrients your tomato plants need throughout the growing season. This potting soil also contains oyster shell and dolomite limes that make the pH ideal for tomato plants. I have grown tomato plants all year in this soil without added fertilizers and had wonderful results. Tomatoes are heavy feeders, so soil nutrients need to last until the end of the growing season for a successful harvest.
Best Tomato Varieties to Grow in Containers
There are hundreds of different tomato varieties to choose from, but they all fall into 2 categories: Determinate and Indeterminate. Either type will grow well in a container, but the staking requirements and harvest window are the biggest difference.
Determinate
Determinate tomatoes are compact plants that require little or no staking. Small tomato cages are all that are needed. These plants reach a certain plant height and then stop growing. Most of their fruit matures within a similar time frame. Pick a determinate variety if you want all your tomatoes to become ripe at one time for canning or making sauce. If you prefer to harvest your tomatoes all at once, and you don’t want a vining variety, a determinate tomato is best suited. If you are growing in a smaller container or a small space like a 5-gallon bucket, a determinate tomato variety might be a better fit.
Indeterminate
Indeterminate tomatoes continue to grow and produce tomatoes throughout the growing season. They need substantial support and can reach heights taller than 5 feet. Indeterminate varieties also grow many shoots off the main stem that need to be supported or pruned depending on your preference. Indeterminate varieties work best in larger containers.
Most gardeners choose to grow both types of tomatoes. Determinate for large harvests for canning, and indeterminate for eating throughout the growing season. G&B Organics Potting Soil will work great for both determinate and indeterminate tomato varieties.
Seed Starting
In my area, I start my tomatoes from seed 6-8 weeks before the last frost in the early spring. I have used G&B organics potting soil to start seeds for several years now and it has always produced strong, healthy plants. It is light enough to facilitate germination and contains essential nutrients that sustain by plants over the weeks they are growing indoors. Learn more about starting tomatoes from seed here.
Where to Buy G&B Organics Potting Soil
I buy G&B Organics Potting Soil at my local garden store. Use this link to find garden centers near you that carry this product. Go get some good soil today and grow your best tomatoes yet!