The 13 Best Potting Soils for Indoor and Outdoor Plants

Best Overall

PittMoss Plentiful Organic Potting Mix

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Our choice for the overall best potting soil, PittMoss' Plentiful Organic Potting Mix is OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) listed, which means it's been independently reviewed to adhere to organic standards. It's primarily made of recycled paper products, and while paper isn't a traditional medium choice for many gardeners, you won't have to worry about this potting mix containing unsustainably harvested peat moss.

The mix is lighter in weight and isn't as dusty as some soil blends. It's also free of weeds, so you won't have to worry about unwanted plants growing in your planter. The mix contains readily available carbon to promote healthy biology for growing plants, and it requires less fertilizer and watering than other potting soils, saving you time and money.

This is an all-purpose option that can be used for vegetables, indoor plants, raised gardens, and most other types of situations that call for a typical potting soil. It can even be used for grass seeding or for starting seeds. Natural ingredients, like feather meal, are incorporated to boost nutrients.

Product Details: Size: 10 quarts, 1 cubic foot, and 2 cubic feet | Use: All-purpose | Organic: Yes

Best Organic

The Sill Organic Potting Mix

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For the best organic potting soil mix, consider The Sill's Organic Potting Mix, which is also OMRI listed. It contains just five ingredients: compost, pine bark, coir, worm castings (droppings), and rice hull.

This natural, organic mix is best suited for growing healthy indoor plants, so you'll want to opt for a different type of potting soil if you need to also fill outdoor planters. Choose from a 2-pound bag or the larger 6.7-pound option. The smaller of the two sizes is sufficient for potting up to two medium sized plants or three smaller plants. If you have a lot of plants to repot or if they're on the larger side, you'll want to buy the bigger bag.

Price at time of publish: $15

Product Details: Size: 2 or 6.7 pounds | Use: Indoor plants | Organic: Yes

Best Indoor

Good Dirt Indoor Potting Soil Mix

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Our choice for the best potting soil for indoor use, this Good Dirt potting mix is specially formulated to help indoor plants grow and is a great choice for those looking for a natural mix that's free of harmful substances and GMOs. It's also free of animal products and is safe to use around pets and children.

The potting soil uses partially petrified peat moss from sustainably-harvested peat bogs to promote the soil aeration and healthy drainage levels indoor plants need. Plant food is also built into the mixture. While convenient, it may not allow for easy nutrient customization which is something to keep in mind if you're looking for that option. However, the plant food is organic and features plant probiotics that promote root health.

Price at time of publish: $21

Product Details: Size: 3.8 pounds | Use: Indoor plants | Organic: Yes

Best for Raised Beds

Mountain Valley Minute Soil Expanding Coconut Coir

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Mountain Valley Seed Company's Minute Soil Expanding Coconut Coir is made of 100% non-amended coco coir, making it a great choice for gardeners looking to avoid peat moss and those wanting to add their own fertilizer.

This dehydrated mix takes up less storage room and is designed to be used as you would traditional potting soil—just rehydrate it with water before using. We chose this as the best potting soil for raised beds because you can easily place the blocks, bricks, or pellets (depending on the size you choose) right into the garden bed before rehydrating them. You could also rehydrate the potting soil in a wheelbarrow or other container first, if you prefer, to give yourself a bit more control over how much soil you use. Each block, brick, and pellet will expand by 15 times its initial size once rehydrated.

The company offers multiple sizing options, making this a convenient choice for raised beds and containers of varying depths. Coconut coir is used for soil aeration and to increase water retention to promote root health. You may also use this potting soil for starting seeds inside or as a soil for use with outdoor plants. It is OMRI listed.

Price at time of publish: $35

Product Details: Size: Multiple—a wheelbarrow-sized block, bricks, and pellets from 20 to 100 millimeters in diameter | Use: Multiple but ideal for raised beds | Organic: Yes

Best Garden Soil

Miracle-Gro Nature's Care Organic Garden Soil

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If you're planting right into ground and your soil could use a bit of extra nutrients, the Miracle-Gro Nature's Care Organic Garden Soil is our top pick for the best potting soil for gardening. The mix is an all-purpose selection, meaning it's designed to be used with a variety of plants. Try it for flowers as well as fruits and vegetables that need to be grown in the ground rather than in a container.

This option is an organic, OMRI-listed pick. It contains coir along with alfalfa meal, bone meal, earthworm castings, and kelp meal to increase the nutrient content. If choosing a vegan option is important to you, keep in mind that this pick contains animal byproducts.

The mix contains enough plant food to last plants for about two months. Make sure to have additional food on hand if you're growing plants that will need a longer-lasting boost of nutrients.

Price at time of publish: $8

Product Details: Size: 1.5 cubic feet | Use: Garden soil | Organic: Yes

Best for Starting Seeds

Hoffman 30103 Seed Starter Soil

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When starting seeds, it's important to find a specialized blend of starter soil. Hoffman's Seed Starter is actually soilless, which is helpful for germinating seeds. We chose it as the best potting soil for starting seeds because it's lightweight and holds moisture well—two things that seeds need to sprout.

Keep in mind that you'll want to transplant the seedlings into another soil mix as they grow since this pick is specially formulated for germination rather than for longer-term nourishing of growing plants.

This blend contains Canadian sphagnum peat moss. Peat moss that comes from Canada tends to be a bit more sustainable, as Canada has some regulations in place around how it's harvested. This mix also has vermiculite within the mixture, which can sometimes contain a natural type of asbestos. The EPA says the risk to users of vermiculite-containing potting soil is very low, but it's something worth noting.

Price at time of publish: $22

Product Details: Size: 10 quarts | Use: Starting seeds | Organic: No

Best Orchid Mix

SuperMoss Orchid Potting Bark

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Orchids are gorgeous, but they can be a bit tricky to grow. You'll want to use a specially formulated potting mix if you plan to grow orchids. Traditionally, these mixes will either contain peat moss or bark.

Peat moss, in addition to being a less environmentally friendly choice, tends to hold too much water, which isn't ideal for orchids since they like to dry out between waterings. If you're someone who often has a heavy hand when watering, you'll want to avoid peat moss.

This orchid bark contains organic and sustainable bark from Douglas fir trees. It, too, is absorbent, but it also allows plenty of oxygen to reach the orchid's roots. We chose this particular orchid bark from SuperMoss because the bark chips are nicely sized and not too large, making it easy to repot your orchid as it grows.

Keep in mind that this mix is all bark, so you won't be getting a traditional soil (which is a good thing in this case).

Price at time of publish: $10

Product Details: Size: 2 ounces | Use: Orchids | Organic: Yes

Best for Moisture Control

Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix

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Sometimes it can be tough to get your plant watering schedule down just right, especially if you're frequently away from home. If you're worried that your plants might be over-watered or under-watered, consider a moisture control potting mix.

This option by Miracle-Gro does contain some sphagnum peat moss along with coir. But the blend is designed with controlling moisture levels in mind. It absorbs up to one-third more moisture than traditional potting soil that doesn't contain these ingredients. That translates to plants with more ideal moisture content overall.

As an added bonus, the mix provides food for plants for as long as six months, which can help produce larger plants. Use it for indoor and outdoor containers as well as flower beds.

Price at time of publish: $7

Product Details: Size: 8 quarts | Use: Indoor and outdoor containers | Organic: No

Best for Outdoor Plants

Espoma 4qt. Organic Potting Soil Mix

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Those hunting for an organic option for outdoor plants will want to consider Espoma's potting mix. It's ideal for container plantings and can even be used indoors. Feel free to use it for plants that are inside during the winter months and outside once the temperatures warm up.

The company blends Myco-Tone into this potting mix, which is its version of endo and ecto mycorrhizae. (Essentially, endo and ecto mycorrhizae are biological organisms that benefit other plants.) The bottom line is that with it, this mix may help you use less water and promote healthier plant roots.

Though it contains sphagnum peat moss, which some people like to avoid because it can be harvested unsustainably, this mix also includes humus (compost) and perlite for even more nutrient-rich benefits.

Price at time of publish: $10

Product Details: Size: 4 quarts | Use: Outdoor and indoor containers and pots | Organic: Yes

Best African Violet Mix

African Violet Potting Soil Mix

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African violets, similar to orchids, do best with a specialized potting mix rather than an all-purpose soil. This option from Soil Sunrise is blended specifically for growing African violets, draining quickly to promote healthy, thriving plant roots and avoid rot. Worm castings provide food for the growing plant.

While it's not the cheapest option on the market, you can choose from three sizes, with the larger size being a much more economical choice if you have multiple African violets. This mix contains some peat moss along with perlite, worm castings, and lime. It does not include fertilizer, allowing you to choose which fertilizer you prefer for your African violet.

Price at time of publish: $13

Product Details: Size: 2, 4 or 8 quarts | Use: African violets | Organic: No

Best Peat-Free Soil

PittMoss Performance Nutrient Enhanced Potting Mix

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For a totally peat-free soil, try the Performance option from PittMoss. It's developed with sustainable gardeners in mind. The soils are crafted specifically to be clean and free of weeds. Plus, the soil doesn't contain pathogenic ingredients.

PittMoss evaluates each batch to be sure the quality standards remain high and so customers know they're getting the same quality product with each order. Nutrients are plentiful in this blend, even though it's free of peat moss. Instead, the company uses recycled paper fibers and organic bark.

This is a good option for those who'd like a controlled release fertilizer (CRF) for added convenience. It may come with a slightly higher price tag, but it's a versatile soil mix that can be used indoors, outdoors, in pots, and in gardens. It's also formulated to need less water, adding to its sustainable appeal—and helping to guarantee that your plants are still alive and thriving after you return from a summer vacation.

Price at time of publish: $23

Product Details: Size: 1 cubic foot | Use: Multiple | Organic: Yes

Best for Succulents and Cacti

Perfect Plants Succulent & Cactus Soil Mix

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Succulents and cacti aren't fans of over-watering, which makes this quick-draining potting mix a good buy. This organic option promotes ideal moisture levels for both types of plants thanks to the specially formulated mix of peat moss, composted pine bark, sand, perlite, and lime. It's also designed to create the ideal aeration levels for these types of plants and to avoid soil compaction.

As an added convenience, the bag is resealable for easier storage and to keep the mix in good condition for longer. Succulents generally run on the smaller side, so one bag may last you for quite awhile.

Price at time of publish: $12

Product Details: Size: 1, 4, or 8 quarts | Use: Cacti and succulents | Organic: Yes