Today’s article contains my pick of the best soil for tomatoes in pots. You will also find great choices for seed starting and growing tomatoes in raised beds too.
If you are looking for the best soil for growing tomatoes in containers, then you’ve come to the right place. I’ve sifted through about 30+ commercial potting mixes available in the market and came up with a shortlist of 7 potting mixes under $50 that ticked all the boxes .
Whether you are experienced in the art and science of growing vegetables or you are a complete beginner, there are various factors to keep in mind when deciding the best potting soil for you.
You’ll need to ensure the potting soil or mix is light and fluffy which provides plenty of space for air and moisture to circulate through. Unlike the garden soil which tends to be to heavy and may contain disease organisms, most commercial potting mix for tomatoes are sterile.
The intended use might also guide you in deciding which potting mix best suits your needs. For instance, if you want to start the seeds, you’ll want a much lighter mix than when going for potting the seedlings.
Whatever your preference, approach, expectations, or budget, this article on the best soil for tomatoes will feature the perfect option for you.
My outright pick at the moment is the Burpee Organic Premium Potting mix because of the fact the mix is quite affordable and you won’t experience problems with fungus gnats or bugs.
Another alternative is Baccto Lite Premium Potting Mix if you are looking for a good option to start your tomato seedlings.
The list below covers the best soil for tomatoes in pots and raised beds as well as starting tomato seeds. So you can be confident that you’ll find exactly the right potting soil for you.
Best Soil for Tomatoes In Pots at a Glance
1. Burpee Organic Premium Potting mix [Best by Price]
2. Baccto Lite Premium Potting Mix [Best for Seed Starting]
3. Black Gold Organic Potting Soil
4. Miracle-Gro Potting Soil [Best for Raised Beds]
5. Espoma Organic Potting Mix
6. Hoffman Seed Starter Mix
7. Jiffy Natural & Organic Starter Mix
7 Best Soil for Tomatoes In Pots [Updated for 2023]
Burpee Organic Premium Potting mix [Best by Price]
If you're growing organic tomatoes, herbs or flowers in raised beds or patio containers, Burpee organic premium potting mix will make your job a breeze. Labelled for organic use by OMRI, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better alternative.
Pros
The mix contains both slow and fast nutrients to your plant needs are catered for. This means that the mix will release essential nutrients immediately after planting and continues to provide a continuous stream of plant food for up to 3 months.
In addition to nutrient supply, the premium growing mix is formulated with a higher water holding capacity to maintain moisture between watering. This will give you a piece of mind when it comes to the watering frequency and the mix quite affordable too.
Con
This is a highly specialized soil for growing tomatoes and other vegetables. If you decide to change your mind and grow succulent for instance – you won’t be able to use this potting mix. Other than that, you won’t find a problem with bugs.
Baccto Lite Premium Potting Mix [Best for Seed Starting]
Baccto Lite Premium Potting mix is composed of a lightweight blend of pre moistened sphagnum peat and other quality materials. Sphagnum peat moss is an important component of most potting soils and seed starting mediums.
It holds several times its weight in moisture, and releases the moisture to the plants roots as needed. It also holds onto nutrients so that they aren’t rinsed out of the soil when you water the plant.
Pros
Ideal for both indoor and outdoor seed starting and includes starter and slow release fertilizers to ensure rapid seedlings growth after germination. It is also ready to use without further mixing or hassle.
Con
Since the product is still new, no problems have been encountered yet. But for the time being, everything seems alright.
Black Gold Organic Potting Soil
The best soil for tomatoes in pots needs to be a mix of rich and loamy. This is what you get with Black Gold organic potting soil. But that’s not all, this soil is enriched with earthworm castings, perlite, pumice and organic fertilizer.
Pros
The soil is not only ideal for tomatoes but all container grown vegetables, flowers, and herbs as well. In addition, Black Gold potting soil is listed by the organic materials review institute (OMRI) for the production of organic food. To improve the general drainage, perlite and pumice are added to ensure optimum pore and air space for sturdy growth of your tomatoes.
Con
The presence of fungus gnats when the temperature gets colder. If you experience this problem, be sure to moderate your watering since damp conditions favour these bugs.
Miracle-Gro Raised Bed Soil [Best for Raised Beds]
If you’re looking to grow your bountiful tomatoes in raised beds, then Miracle-Gro raised bed soil will come in handy. This soil will provide the right foundation for your raised bed tomatoes to thrive.
Pros
The 100% organic formula requires no mixing on your part! You simply need to add the soil to your raised bed garden and start planting your tomatoes with no hassle.
Con
Although not such a serious problem, you may encounter a bit of gnats especially when you set up your raised beds indoors.
Espoma Organic Potting Mix
Even gardening beginners know that the plant roots play a vital role in growth and development processes. As such Espoma organic potting mix has been hailed for not only supporting your plants but also promotes root growth for increased water uptake which in turn reduces plant stress. This is made possible by enhancing the potting mix with myco-tone.
Pros
The mix has great moisture retention properties which means you don’t have to water your tomatoes as frequent. In addition the myco-tone enhancement ensures the potting mix use up to 30% less water than ordinary soils while promoting the development of bigger plant roots.
Con
During the cool weather you may need to slow down on watering since the mix at times it might retain too much moisture for the plant’s liking.
Hoffman Seed Starter Mix
A seed starting mix is a specific mixture of soil that is designed to give seeds their best chance at germinating and growing into healthy young seedlings. This is exactly what Hoffman Seed Starter mix does. With this mix starting your tomato seedlings will not only be possible but much more fun.
Pros
Hoffman Seed Starter contains six (6) components blended in proper proportions, lightweight, loose and fertile to give your seeds enough room and to push through during emergence.
This specially formulated soilless mix is meant to promote superior germination of seeds and can also be used for transplanting or rooting cuttings.
Con
There’s a tendency for seedlings growth to stall after the initial germination probably due to depletion of nutrients.
Compressed organic potting soil
Compressed Organic Potting Soil is probably one of the best soil for tomatoes in pots. This is because a single bag of compressed organic potting soil expands up to 7 times the size when mixed with water. This also goes without saying it is easy to carry and saves prime shed storage space.
Pros
The mix is concentrated with nutrients which feeds your plants for months and makes them grow up to 3 x bigger! The water holding capacity is also on another level - holds 50% more water than regular soil, making it perfect for raised tomato gardens and flower beds.
Lastly, but certainly not the least, this potting soil is 100% natural ground coconut coir, worm castings and beneficial bacteria to give your garden soil and plants a super-boost.
Con
A little bit overpriced but a great product nonetheless for what you get.
Conclusion
There you have it.
The best soil for tomatoes in pots but you can also use in raised garden beds as well. Pick one or two to kick start your tomato growing project.
All factors considered, you should buy either of the following:
Burpee Organic Premium Potting mix - Best by Price
Baccto Lite Premium Potting Mix - Best for tomato Seed Starting
Miracle-Gro Potting Soil - Best for Raised Beds
And as always I’d love to know how it goes for you.
Have any great options that I might have missed? Let me know in the comments and I’ll update it in the subsequent update.
Happy gardening!
