A close to the perfect formulation for growing culinary herbs as I've seen
For years I ran a popular blog about indoor herb gardening. One thing my years of experience taught me was that all soils are not created the same when it comes to growing herbs. Yes, a generic bag of potting soil will be cheaper than this one. But this is no ordinary potting soil. Some of the highlights:
- This formulation contains low, gentle nutrient levels which herbs like basil, thyme, parsley, sage, and oregano prefer. Most bagged potting soils are far too rich for herbs which results in them appearing to grow lush but end up flavorless and bland with much less essential oils.
- This formulation contains Mycorrhizae, a beneficial organism that helps expand the root system, improve the uptake of phosphorus (something else important for flavor), and helps herbs tolerate drought (good for someone like me who sometimes forgets to water for too long).
- The Biochar helps aerate roots and hold nutrients. Other soils can become compact and hold too much water, which herbs hate.
- The worm castings provide gentle, plant-friendly nutrition and encourage microbial diversity. Again, the key to flavorful herbs isn't overloading it with fertilizer, but supporting steady, moderate growth which worm castings are ideal for.
- Finally, the inclusion of pine bark provides additional airflow to the roots and prevents soil from becoming too compact.
Comparing this to standard garden soil (which often retains far too much water) or garden soil formulated for vegetables (which…
