Best Potting Soil for Indoor Herbs: Top 5 Brands
Growing herbs indoors is a fun activity. It creates a mix of aromas in your home and strikes some items off your grocery list.
Also, you’ll create a wonderfully fresh home environment and have direct access to the exact amount of fresh herbs you need for home-cooked meals.
You may be interested in learning more about air cleaning plants and why they are important for a healthy home.
Indoor herbs require access to adequate sunlight (or grow light) and water. But did you know that the soil type you use—its pH and composition included—affects the growth of herbs?
Best Potting Soil for Indoor Herbs Reviewed
In this article, you’ll discover the best potting soil for indoor herbs to enjoy maximum yield. It is a good idea to research to find the best type of soil for the type of herb you plan on growing.
And, remember, many of these plants are perennial herbs and might remain in their herb pots or clay pots for a long time.
You may enjoy finding more information on growing herbs indoors here. This may appealing for growing herbs and plants indoors during the colder winter months especially if you have a south-facing window!
So, whether you are growing herbs on a sunny window or as part of your container gardening, having enough light, good air circulation and a quality growing medium is vital for overall plant health.
Most of the products mentioned can be purchased from garden centers but if not, then we have listed links to each product for your convenience.
At a Glance: here are our favorite picks
- FoxFarm Ocean Forest Organic Potting Soil – Best Overall
- Espoma Organic Potting Soil Mix – Runner-Up
- Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix – Best Budget-Friendly Potting Soil
- Perfect Plants Organic Potting Mix – Best for Nutrition Enhancement
- Sun Gro Black Gold All Organic Potting Soil – Best for Drainage
1. FoxFarm Ocean Forest Organic Potting Soil – Best Overall – Best Choice
FoxFarm organic potting soil is made with a blend of ingredients from the ocean such as crab meal and ocean fish. It also contains bat guano, forest humus, earthworm castings, and more.
Bat guanos are rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, so you don’t have to apply nitrogen fertilizers. Also, an ideal pH for indoor herbs is between 6 and 7, and FoxFarm’s organic soil offers 6.3 to 6.8. This is ideal for the release of nutrients to plants.
Why We Like It
FoxFarm Ocean Forest Organic potting soil is an all-in-one solution for cultivating indoor herbs. It contains the right proportion of all the nutrients your plants need to grow strong and healthy.
2. Espoma Organic Potting Soil Mix – Runner-Up and a Good Choice
Espoma Organic potting soil mix is purely organic, so you don’t have to worry about getting some unknown chemicals into your indoor garden.
It contains a rich blend of ectomycorrhizae and endomycorrhizae that bonds with plants, making them more resilient and allowing them to absorb more nutrients for higher yields in your herb plants.
You do not need to know all there is to know about these helpful plant fungi but it is nice to know that good potting soils contain that proper balance for your best plants and herb health.
Other components of the Espoma potting mix are feather, alfalfa, kelp meals, sphagnum peat moss, humus, and perlite, which contains earthworm castings.
Why We Like It
Espoma organic potting soil mix isn’t just for indoor planting, but also for your outdoor plants. So, you’ll save more money since you don’t have to buy different products.
Also, it’s great for vegetables, flowers, and other potted plants.
3. Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix – Best Budget-Friendly Potting Soil
Miracle-Gro indoor potting mix is specially made for a variety of indoor herbs. It contains coconut coir, which is 100% organic and odorless. It also offers good drainage.
Because the potting mix can retain moisture, you don’t have to water your herbs every other day. As such, it saves resources and reduces your gardening workload.
It’s also noteworthy that Miracle-Gro doesn’t contain compost. Although that is great for plants, it may introduce fungus gnats that may destroy the roots of your herbs and infest your home.
Why We Like It
The Miracle-Gro potting mix for indoor planting is easy to use. Also, its components allow herbs to germinate within the required time frame and root deeply.
4. Perfect Plants Organic Potting Mix – Best for Nutrition Enhancement
Perfect Plants Organic potting mix contains coconut coir, peat moss, and perlite that aids in soil aeration and water absorption.
It also contains worm castings, composted pine bark, and mycorrhizae that enhance the soil’s nutritional level. This reduces the need for fertilizer application.
Although pine bark is great for acid-loving plants, Perfect Plants adds lime to balance the pH level. It also has calcium and magnesium, which increases the overall health and quality of plants. The potting mix comes in a resealable bag for ease of storage.
Why We Like It
Because of its moisture management, Perfect Plants Organic potting mix is ideal for indoor plants. Also, its components add to the nutrition of the mix, so you won’t spend extra funds on organic fertilizer..
5. Sun Gro Black Gold All Organic Potting Soil – Best for Drainage and a Good Quality
Sun Gro Black Gold offers true organic potting soil that’s suitable for herb gardens, vegetables, and houseplants.
It contains Canadian sphagnum peat moss that conditions the soil and regulates the flow of air and moisture around plant roots.
The potting mix also contains screened earthworm castings, forest humus, and compost. To further improve aeration and drainage, the potting mix has a blend of pumice and perlite.
Why We Like It
Indoor herbs and an indoor herb garden need proper drainage to prevent the roots from rotting. The drainage and aeration properties of Sun Gro Black Gold All Organic potting soil make it ideal for indoor herbs.
Choosing the Best Soil for Potting Indoor Herbs: Buying Guide
Here are some factors to consider when choosing potting soil for indoor herbs:
Soil Nutrients
High-quality potting soil contains essential nutrients such as potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus. In some cases, you won’t have to fertilize your herbs to avoid overdosing, which may reduce their flavor.
As such, always check the product label for information on nutrient composition.
The pH Requirement of the Herb
While some herbs like oregano, thyme, parsley, and rosemary thrive in acidic soil, others like ginger, chives, and mustard prefer neutral soil. Here’s a quick home garden soil test to determine basic soil pH.
So, it’s important to look out for the pH of the potting mix before making a purchase.
Soil Drainage
Adequate drainage is essential for growing herbs. Maintaining consistent moist soil is important. But, there’s too much excess water in the soil, the herbs will become prone to damage, losing their flavor and suffocating their roots.
Meanwhile, if water drains too fast, the roots won’t be able to absorb it. Ingredients like perlite, coconut coir, and peat moss make for well-drained soil.
Plus, it is a must to have drainage holes in your pots with a saucer underneath to catch extra seepage.
Wrapping Up on the Best Potting Soils for Indoor Herbs
Using the best potting soil ensures you have an abundant supply of herbs for food, medicine, and decoration. We hope our buying guide will help you in your purchase.
Even though all of these products are good soil choices, we do have a favorite one. From our list, our top pick is the FoxFarm Ocean Forest Organic potting soil. It contains a blend of nutrients and has the perfect pH range for various herbs.
