The top 3 recommendations and buying guides

Our recommendations

With the Floragard organic soil every detail is right: It is optimally composed, offers all vegetable plants a high quality Organic substrate without peat, is associated with a very high filling quantity and also has an excellent Price-performance ratio. The reviewers at Amazon are absolutely thrilled - the vegetables should "grow like crazy".

The BIOTERRA Vegetable soil from DHG has the same properties as our test winner. Because of the slightly higher price and lower number of reviews, it is in second place.

The Compo SANA vegetable soil is very popular with Amazon customers. It should work optimally and promote plant growth. Although it contains peat, it earned third place in our comparison - after all, the manufacturer is committed to sustainable peat extraction (RPP label).

Purchase criteria

fitness

The most important criterion naturally relates to suitability. Is the respective vegetable soil the right substrate for your plants? In general, it is enough to stick to the names - for example Tomato soil, Herb soil and so on. And for general vegetable soil, just take a look at the manufacturer's information. Nevertheless, you should also take a look at the exact composition, especially with regard to the proportion of fertilizer already contained.

Fertilizer content

Based on the type designation of the vegetable soil, you can determine whether - and if so, how much - fertilizer is contained in the substrate.

• Type T: nutrient-rich soil, ideal for larger plants and container plants
• Type P: contains little fertilizer, ideal for most crops, for cuttings and for seedlings that will be transplanted
• Type 0: contains no fertilizer at all, ideal for sensitive sowing

PH value

The substrate should have a pH between 6,0 and 7,0. The majority of vegetables feel comfortable in this spectrum.

Peat-free

Peat is a popular additive in flower and vegetable soil. There are two reasons for this:

• Peat quickly absorbs a lot of water
• the high air pore volume of peat loosens the soil

These are definitely positive properties - but peat is not necessarily required to help plants grow fantastic. In fact, you should consciously buy peat-free vegetable soil.

Peat grows in bogs. In order to remove it, bog areas have to be drained, which is equivalent to their destruction. Because mostly the moors can no longer recover. Like peat, they grow extremely slowly - only about a millimeter per year! Thus, with every breakdown, nature that has grown for millennia dies. This also robs many animals of their habitat. And that's not all: peat is known to be able to store CO2. However, this is released when it is removed and damages the climate.

Conclusion: In order to protect the moors and their biodiversity as well as the climate, you should always buy peat-free soil and generally do without peat.

Organic quality

In and of itself, organic vegetable soil is of course recommended. But be careful: the requirements for organic soil are not particularly strict. It is only allowed organic fertilizer be mixed in. Peat is not forbidden, on the contrary. In fact, organic vegetable soil can contain up to 80 percent peat. In short: organic yes, but only if the other quality is also right.

Capacity

As a rule, the higher the filling quantity of the respective pack, the cheaper the kilogram of vegetable soil. Therefore, it is worthwhile to get a good supply if you need vegetable soil regularly and permanently.

frequently asked Questions

What is vegetable soil?

Vegetable soil is a substrate that is specially designed for vegetable plants. There are different varieties of vegetable soil - both universally applicable and specific products such as tomato soil or herb soil.

Vegetable soil is primarily recommended for vegetable plants that are grown in pots. Under these conditions, optimal conditions are essential so that the vegetable plants can really thrive and develop fruits. In contrast, vegetable plants placed in beds are less demanding, so that they do not necessarily require special soil.

How do flower and vegetable soil differ?

Flower and vegetable soil are very similar - with the same quality. The difference is basically just that vegetable soil is composed in such a way that it specifically suits the needs of vegetable plants. For example, special soil for heavy-eating vegetables such as tomatoes comes with a higher nutrient content than soil for low-eaters.

In short, are at specialized vegetable soil

• the content of nutrients,
• the pH and
• the whole structure

perfectly matched to the respective vegetable plants.

As a rule, vegetable soil is more expensive than Potting soil. Therefore, before buying, you should think twice about whether you really need special soil for your vegetable plants or whether you can simply use classic potting soil.

Which vegetable soil do I use for what?

Just use the name of the earth as a guide. Tomato soil is logically intended for tomato plants, herb soil for herbs et cetera. With the general term 'vegetable soil', you need to read the “fine print” to find out if the product goes well with your vegetables.

Which brands offer good vegetable soil?

High-quality vegetable soil is available from many well-known brands. Here are some selected ones at a glance:

• Compo SANA
• Floragard
• Kleeschulte
• Stretcher
• Neudorff

Where is the best place to buy vegetable soil?

Vegetable soil is available in specialist garden centers and in some flower shops. In addition, well-stocked hardware stores such as OBI, toom, Bauhaus, Hornbach, hagebaumarkt, Hellweg or Raiffeisenmarkt offer various vegetable earths.

You will of course also find what you are looking for on Amazon. A particularly large selection awaits you there. Basically, it is convenient and often cheaper to buy vegetable soil online.

Why is my vegetable soil moldy?

A whitish, fluffy coating on the vegetable soil indicates mold. Usually excessive watering (waterlogging) is the cause. Act quickly to save the vegetable: repot it in a new pot. Make sure to remove all mold residues from the plant beforehand, otherwise the mold will also spread in the new pot.

Can I mix vegetable soil myself?

Yes, that is possible. This video shows you using tomato soil as an example:

Here is another recipe for vegetable soil, which is suitable for almost all vegetable plants:

• 70 percent fine garden soil
• 15 percent ripe compost
• 15 percent bark humus

You should also mix in substances that help stabilize the structure. Examples are Expanded clay,(€ 16.36 at Amazon *)Stone meal, Lava granules(€ 14.00 at Amazon *) and Perlite.(€ 39.50 at Amazon *)

• Clay powder in a rather sandy garden soil
• Stone powder or fine quartz sand if the garden soil tends to be loamy