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This man and his dog out here saving lives with bags of soil 😭 thanks so much for this, you are a saint. Us beginner Gardner's are so grateful ❤️

Thank you!! I was so annoyed the last time I bought dirt and it was basically composting shredded wood

Absolutely Love and Truly Appreciate that you spent the moneh and time to analyze all those bags!! I imagine Tuck was the one to make that Authorization, THANK YOU Bossman TUCK!! and Thank You James for being carrying out his wishes! Love you both! More ❤'s for Tuck ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Just go with compost,peat moss, buy a bag of perlite, buy a bag of worm castings, and buy fertilizer.

I have been buying potting soil for years and the quality keeps going down. All that you buy now is a bag of wood chips and rocks. The potting soil used to be a much higher quality and it had a lot of peat moss vermiculite and perlite with a little topsoil. Black Cow used to be pure manure and they changed it to wood chips stones and a little manure. It's not the same stuff

For those of you that can’t afford the Happy Frog and other premium soils, just mulch up some hundred dollar bills and diamonds for a more affordable alternative.

Something I do in whatever big box store I go to for bagged soil/compost is look for bags with holes already torn in them and have leaked. It allows me to get a REALLY good idea of what's inside the bag (how wood-chippy it really is) just by seeing what's spilled out or piled up on the bags without having to spend the money first. 👍

Thanks for taking the time to teach me the difference in quality soil. I look forward to making your home made soil video. ❤❤❤❤❤ Tuck!

Last spring I bought local "compost" and added it to some raised beds without examining it very closely. After a few weeks I noticed my winter squash and cucumbers hadn't grown as fast as the previous year, despite me adding the same fertilizer. This led me to open a remaining bag of the "compost" and examine it closely. I came to realize that a large component of it was finely ground wood. While its "texture" was good, I came to suspect that the high percentage of undigested raw wood probably had drawn nitrogen from the overall soil mix's added nitrogen fertilizer. The finely ground nature of the wood may have even accelerated the robbing of the soil's nitrogen. When such mixes are labelled as "compost" , I believe the lack of composting/digesting of its wood component is very misleading and detrimental. I think this problem may be the result of the provider rushing the processing of their product ... bagging and marketing it before it is fully composted/digested.

Thanks for letting us know so we don’t get scammed

You get what you pay for. I get my soil by the yard. I have a place in Fort Worth TX near me where I can get mulch, compost, sand, potting soil, etc by the yard for way cheaper. If you live near Fort Worth I suggest going to silver creek materials.

the waterlogged tip was so helpful. I did not know that. I actually hard to find a bag that is NOT waterlogged at Lowes or Home depot.

James, thanks so much for making this video and buying all those bags of mixes to show us about them! I just spent the day making potting mix. The recipe I've come to love is: 3 parts coco coir 3 parts homemade compost (or store bought if I run out) 1 part perlite 1 part vermiculite

This is SUCH an important topic. Last year when I started my garden I went through at least seven types of bagged soil. How much I wish this had been available last year. It was such an expense and the failure after failure was disheartening. Thank you for taking the time and expense to do this and educate us.

Your honesty tells me you don’t care about sponsors ❤

I've never seen anyone do a video like this. James I really appreciate the time and effort that you spent to plan and execute this very telling comparison. Differences between peat moss and coco coir are peat production is less environmentally friendly and compressed coco coir is lighter and cheaper to ship. ❤❤❤❤❤❤ 🐾🐾🐾🐾

Hearts for Tuck, the little boss! ❤❤❤

Happy Frog is what I use.

This video is actually so helpful. I struggle every single year and choose differently every year but it always feels like a dice roll.

What a great video! I just love videos that compare different gardening products. So helpful!❤❤❤❤

Seed starting indoors with Homedepot potting mix= gnats! I dumped and started over with coco coir,perlite and worm castings. We will see how it works

Thank you for all you do to teach us.

Wow, you have an actual "Rubbermaid" plastic tote. These days, it's impossible to find those. I have a few, but, these days, you can't find them. The closest that I have found in any stores are the "Hypertough", or whatever brand it is that Walmart has these days. But, those "Sterilite" plastic totes from Walmart are NOT very tough. I guess that they are okay for light duty jobs. But, for jobs that require a tough container, you need to try the "HYPERTOUGH" containers, OR IF you can find them, get a RUBBERMAID container. I am really wondering IF Rubbermaid is still making containers at all. I use them because I don't have a truck, so, I will fill up some totes with compost, or wood chips from a "leaf dump" aka "compost facility", that is near me. And, I can get about 4 containers full of ORGANIC matter into my Kia Soul. And, IF I fill up some garbage bags too, I can get even more OM. I am really lucky to have been able to have been able to collect a good bit of Organic matter to help fill up my metal raised beds from the free "leaf dump", or "compost facility". I have to put my back seats down, fold em down, in order for me to be able to fit those nice big RUBBERMAID containers full of nice Organic matter into my car though. Anyway, I see it all as being WORTH IT !. I do also have coco- coir, too. I have bought it from a pet store, Petsmart. And, also from, Garden supply. I have soaked it in water, then, I strained it in a strainer. So, I have some in a container, ready to use. Basically, I have been wanting to use it in a recipe of "POTTING SOIL", that uses COCO COIR. The REALLY big blocks of coco coir that I have been able to break down into USABLE COIR, have been great to use as MULCH. But, I have been okay with using the smaller bricks of coco coir as soil amendments. But, tell me if I have been confused about what has been shown here. Okay, so, from what I have seen here, the "Miracle Grow" soil for "in ground beds", is NOT AS "FULL OF STICKS, LEAVES, AND WOOD", SO, IT IS more like actual dirt, or soil? The "back to roots" is more soil like too. I am sorry, BUT, all, of this info is a bit OVERWHELMING. But, I really DO appreciate you (and Tuck) doing all of this RESEARCH. I have been buying a good bit of "Hyponex", potting soil from a store called : "OLLIES". Each bag is about $5.99 a bag, for about 1.5 CUBIC FEET. They do have a BIGGER bag for a slightly bigger price. But, I hadn't bought it, because it is heavier. Sorry my comment is SO LONG. But, I have been wondering about what types of soils are best to fill my beds with. And, also IF I could find a soil to fill up my raised beds, that isn't so damned well full of "woody parts, and peat moss too". Meaning that "topsoil", would be best to fill up my DEEP raised beds. But, I am also fine to use lottsa ORGANIC MATTER TOO for most of the beds. So, BASICALLY, use compost, woody logs, and leaves, to fill up a good bit of the bed. And, then, after you have used LOTS of ORGANIC MATTER, and have filled up the bed MOST of the way. You should then TRY TO FILL UP THE BED with plain old "Native soil". And, then, mix it all together. Okay now, I must admit that I have had a BIT of booze tonight, so, maybe I have gone on and on here about using some "topsoil" along with "potting soil", especially when filling raised beds. But, I am really aware of common sense, and that when filling raised beds, you do kinda NEED to use some soils that are NOT all made up of ORGANIC MATTER. I am happy to be trying to see just how good of a HARVEST that I get with my raised beds this summer, and also this spring. Last year, I had used some large pots to grow my tomatoes. This year, I am using some large metal raised beds. I REALLY, do hope that I get some decent yields. If I do NOT get many tomatoes, I will just have to do some research, and find out just why I have failed.

Last year, a friend and I decided to try container gardening. We were going by things we saw/read online, and I suggested we try some Kellog mix as it was on sale at the Big Box. We opened it up, and it was huge chunks of wood, occasional shredded plastic bits, and even some broken glass bits. It was also very wet. We planted a flower bed in front of my house, and then filled our grow bags and 5 gallon buckets. We transferred our seedlings and small plants into the containers. NOTHING grew, despite having mixed in compost and vermiculite, along with organic fertilizer. The flowers took forever to sprout, and our container plants languished and most died. We managed to save a few things by replanting them into some Ace brand topsoil with more compost added in. Lesson learned: do thorough research and read the comments on gardening channels. The big box store did refund my money for the soil. Big love to the Boss.❤❤❤❤❤❤

EXCELLENT! EXCELLENT!EXCELLENT! I was literally just in Loews yesterday and looked at each bag you've discussed, and had a big question mark on my forehead. You truly are a blessing to my new gardening education. Thank you!

My criteria is $$$. I cannot afford the expensive stuff. I do have lots of land with woods and fields--plenty of grass and leaves, sticks, weeds, etc. I run over these with my mulcher-bagger on my garden tractor a couple of times and mix in with the cheap Walmart topsoil and manure bags ($2.47 for .75 CU bag). Makes lovely bed soil. The time of year to do this is in the Fall when you can let it all rest over Winter and decompose.

I use a cement mixer to mix my soil. I buy bulk load of compost and by the various ingredients such as peat moss, perlite, sand, and etc, then add nutrients such as bonemeal, gypsum and etc to the mix to get what I'm happy with depending on what I'm trying to grow. if I'm doing container this is where my ingredients will change, for example, adding perlite, coco or vermuclite with higher percentage because you don't have the capillary effect in container like you do on the ground.

You're the one who got me started on Happy Frog! I use that along with a local chicken manure compost (Humble Acres "i cant believe its chicken") made here in SC and had great luck with my first garden last spring. Much love to you and Tuck!! ❤

Thank you so so much for this!!! I had no idea that you shouldn't buy water logged soil!

If you like Happy Frog, you’d love Vermont Compost, Fort Vee mix or Johnny’s 512 mix. They’re even better than Hapoy Frog.

Just bought 10 bags of garden soil from Lowe’s, I had to screen it all and now I have 4 pails full of sticks and rocks.

James. you are amazing.. As a landscape Architect, and lover of growing, I cannot tell you how you impress me - what a gift you have. I tell my clients to subscribe to your channel, so they can get a great basics on gardening.

I can’t wait for your DIY potting mix video. We are a military family who has to move every two years and we also have to have elevated containers. We have been researching and studying to find a less expensive method to have a garden. This is going to be such a helpful video, thanks for all your other videos too. Your tomato pruning blew my mind. It is so different from how I grew up taking care of tomatoes. We are super excited to start our garden this season. All of our seeds are indoors. Getting ready to go. We have three raised beds on legs and three Greenstalk towers. We get very little sun, but we are hoping that it still works out because we love gardening so much.

If available, you can buy topsoil and planting mixes from garden supply centers. I buy planting mix for $42/yard. the same in the bag at $13/ 2 cu. ft. is $270/cu yard

I’ve used the Scott’s Top Soil in the past until I realized I was simply bringing in tons of other people’s weed seeds. I started seeing weeds I had never seen before and deducted they were coming from that darn top soil. Never again!

You know, I too had notice that most of the affordable brands were changing the recipe making them more of sticks than dirt. I didn’t know what other brand to buy without actually opening the bags. I wouldn’t do that. Thanks for this info now I know. ❤

One of my favorites is FoxFarm Happy Frog Potting Soil, and it is on sale at Rural King at $14.99 for a 2 cu ft bag. The regular price is $23.99, so this is a good price.

Tough choices….I thought about it and between all the soil types you mentioned, I think I’m going to go ahead with “dog.” I think this is the most reasonable choice given what little they ask for and how much they produce in return. ❤

BIG HELP TY I paid for best got mostly sticks grrr😢. I'll fix it but what a disappointment... From Queensland Australia 😊

This is happening so much in Australia, not just bags though but also at ALL the landscape supply places. I buy tonnes every year from a soil supplier, the Gold Premium nix yet its overloaded with bark and sticks and way too much sand loam so the water just runs off. It was appalling stock this year. I then went to another supplier and it was exactly the same. 😡

Thanks James. Many of these brands have really changed over the years, too. Black Cow used to be a really rich, composted cow manure heavy mix. Not any more. I bought a bunch of bags on sale last year, expecting the quality I used to get. Well, I found out why it was on sale for so cheap: it WAS cheaply made. I tend to really like the Miracle Grow organic, which pains me for other reasons. But, they sell it much cheaper at Costco, so I stock up when they have it. I also add compost that my chickens have worked through, Happy Frog, and Coco Coir to my raised beds.

I am glad to find this video. I have seen people complain about Miracle-Gro, but your video proves that it not bad!

Black Cow compost is full of rocks as well.

Can't thank you enough for the investment and time put into this video! It's almost criminal with what these companies are putting out there and claiming to be so good. Especially when they put that "organic" word out there.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤Tuck!!!!

James, this video is so timely for me. I plan to put in a raised bed garden this month and have been driving myself crazy looking for soil! I have used happy frog before and loved it,but need A LOT for a full garden,(four 4x8x1 beds plus four 2x1 round beds and two 2x8x1 beds and five 10 gallon grow bags for taters). Looked into vermiculite pest moss and mulch/manures but way too expensive. Many of what you show here are brands I’ve looked at. You have saved me so much time and money. Thank you!!!!!🙏

I don’t want to spend a fortune on pottting soil…..I garden with 2 Greenstalks, and regular pots and grow bags…..I want to get the most bang for my buck! Some of them are useless to me……Thank you for showing us the different mixes!

13:27 Nothing beats self(nature) when nature is knowledgeable..

As a Colorado Master Gardener, I too love Happy Frog potting soil. Something I noticed about it this year though is tiny invisible stickers one gets in your hands when handling it. Have you experienced that? I was teaching second graders winter sowing using HF and saw them looking at and rubbing their hands after putting the soil into the jugs! I had them wash their hands and that took care of it. Wear gloves when using it then no problem.

❤❤❤Love your sweet little helper ❤❤❤

❤ Love you Tuck. You too James. Thank you for all the things you teach us.

I think the only way to get those huge beautiful cabbages and vegetables is to simply use exactly what you use .bam😉🙏😁🎉❤

I actually returned Harvest brand to Lowe’s last year when I opened the bag to find mulch rather than soil. But I also ordered Happy Frog on line only to receive it with ants inside. Miracle Grow organic raised bed and potting soil is my only go to!

How about a video of you growing in all of them? Using the same seeds and Giving the same amount of water

Tells me a LOT about your character that you love your dog. Good man! Thank you for spending a lot of time and money making this valuable video.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ for little boss!

Thank you for sharing your knowledge! It’s very informative and appreciated! Looking forward to viewing your recipe for raised bed and garden soil! Love you Tuck, your a cutie! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤Thank you James. I have noticed that a lot of the bag soils have too much wood in my opinion.

For filler we use sand as well for drainage

Looking forward to the diy soil video

I’m still in shock that 3 years ago, I was buying 3 cu. ft. bales of peat moss for $8 and now they’re $24 for the exact same thing. I’ve noticed that potting mix quality has taken a nosedive, probably due to the cost of peat. Clearly, some brands have reduced the % of peat in their mix to raise the price less. Coir isn’t any cheaper. It’s actually more than peat. It’s stunning to me that no company has found a way to innovate and reduce costs back to something somewhat reasonable.

This was an excellent vid. You went through alot to show the differences. And I agree with you about it all. i sift everything now with my sifter too when making my own. Great lesson. Thanks for putting it together. 👍 ❤❤Tuck

I went to Home Depot today for soil, asked for help, still felt like it wasn’t enough so I came home. Here I am. Thank you!

Excellent information. Thank you You need to address the water treatment sludge that’s being dried and sold as organic compost

We just came home from Lowe’s and found out our bag of soil had been torn open and partly used. Then this video pops up!

I sure appreciate this! I am in Central Mississippi waiting a few weeks before I start planting, but I am prepping my beds now. You are so knowledgeable! Tuck is the cutest boss I ever saw!❤

Great video, purchasing by trial and error can be expensive.

Great informative video. thank you for taking the time, I'm sure it wasn't easy laying all that out. But it was well worth it.

Great video, James and Tuck💚 I’ve also noticed the sand in cow manure. They should have to list it in the ingredients . Thanks for doing this soil comparison ❤

Dang, I LOVE these comparison videos. You just saved me a bunch of time, frustration, and money, my friend. Subscribed. Thanks so much from Maryland.

Thanks you probably save me a bunch of money. I will use what you have shown me. Good stuff

Love this very needed info! Appreciate you!

Thank you! I have often wondered what these look like compared to each other! I would add the compressed brick styles, often are mostly soil and lots of pete or cocoa core. WMart often has great sales on them. Easier to carry too!

Thank you for your in depth report. It is quite confusing and an unknown product until you open it. I got Back to Roots mix to use in bottom layer over tree branches and such . It was ok but I think I will mix in some sand and pearlite then use a better potting mix with worm castings on top. 😊

Now here is a garden channel I do not mind. Well informative, fun and entertaining. Although I do miss James intro from 3 years ago when he began with, “WHAT’S UP GUYS, THIS JAMES PRIGIONI COMING TO LIVE FROM JERSEY!!!” Man I miss that, but I still come back. Thanks for making a difference in the lives of back gardeners like me.

be nice if these suppliers of these products would have a window view on the bags to help too.

YEs! Always buy your bagged supplies where it’s stored undercover…not outside where it gets rained on. Thanks, James!

Thank you. Love the information.

This is great information! Thank you.

Thank you for investing the money and time required for this experiment my friend. This was not an easy video to make I am sure

Very helpful, just when I needed it!

Thanks for making this video great information

Very Helpful! Thanks!❤❤❤

The last bag of miracle gro potting mix i bought was full of long stringy roots. I balled them up and they were the size of a basketball. Never again.

Thanks for the valuable information

Thanks for another great video James!

Thank you!!!!!! I've always wanted a video like this!!! Good job

Thank you for reviewing all soils. 💚🌱🌿🪴🌿🌱💚

Mulch is often crap wood too. I've found chunks of blue painted wood. Maybe a ground up heavy duty pallet.

Very valuable info. Thanks for sharing

Bravo! Excellent info!😊

Fabulous thank you so much

Thank you James…great content!

i just picked up some mushroom compost from redmans garden center for 50 bucks a yard and it had clayish looking lumps which werent clay but weird enough and rocks and lots of debris/plastic or asphalt in it but was overall good to use after sifting. Last year i grabbed a yard of super compost mix from dambleys garden center for 50 bucks and it was a lot cleaner but had mostly mulch almost to much to use for carrots or seedlings and the people at wharton garden supply tried to sell me organic topsoil....instead of compost.. gotta be careful out, there wharton is great for wood chips 30 bucks a yard

Very informative. Thanks for making this video.

Several years ago when I started growing in raised beds I bought a couple of different types of raised bed products. One was so woody that all the plants in those beds died from nitrogen deficiency. Took me a while to figure out what was happening and it ruined the greater part of the growing season.

I am glad you made this video because a visual inspection of different soils can give you lots of information to work with. But I also wish you made a spreadsheet that included price, weight, and price per pound. I feel like the increased price of happy frog is way too downplayed here.

thank you now I know what to buy. I grow in large plastic wine barrel containers at my townhouse..

Thank you for this.

Oh thank you!!! This is much needed!