used pot soil!

[greenfingers007]

Good afternoon all just a quickie today once your crops have grown in pots what do you all do with the soil especially potato soil do you throw it or bang it in your compost bins or just dig it into your plots.

The reason I ask is that I would like to grow potatoes in pots but if I have to throw the soil away every time I do some it could be expencive.

Many thnaks for any advice.

[Capsid]

Dig it in to the plot/garden. It contains a lot of humus which is good for soil structure.

[Kristen]

I put all the left over compost from pots etc. on the compost heap - so it ultimately gets distributed back onto the plot.

"I would like to grow potatoes in pots but if I have to throw the soil away every time I do some it could be expencive."

Best not to grow the same crop in the same soil, or location, twice in succession as any bugs will have a field-day second time around.

[Earthbabe]

Similar to capsid - I generally use it as a soil conditioner or mulch, unless or course the crop had some sort of disease (less likely with pots) when I bin it. It's not really advisable to reuse the same soil for the same crop (think crop rotation) due to the depletion of minerals and increased risk of building up pests and diseases.

[SlugLobber]

I third that. It's used as soil improver, unless it's a failed germination, whereupon I put something else in there! Just done that with some spare peas that I had and they've germinated ok.

[greenfingers007]

thank you very much all, very usefull info.

[shirlthegirl43]

Mine gets chucked in the compost bin.

[Flummery]

I often re-use mine to grow summer bedding in window boxes. I add some pelleted chicken manure and of course, I feed them at this time of the season. That's why I have the only window box in the village with geraniums, lobelia and a spud! I'm leaving it. Biodiversity!

[RobintheBobin]

Potentially to grow more spuds...I've rummaged in my potato bags and can't find any existing spuds

Alternatively it's going on the beds to make them shiny and new for next year

[vegnut]

Mine go into the raised beds, so it slowly builds the soil levels up and conditions what's already there. As a few have already said, don't grow spuds in the bed for a couple of years (crop rotation). You can see if the original plants had any diseases or other problems that may affect the soil. For instance, if the spuds had blight, then throw the soil away, don't use it whatsoever.

[trebellangeminired]

Mine go back on the garden but in line with my crop rotation plan. Great soil conditioner.

TGR