Potting compost and garden soil may seem a purely natural product - rooting around in the earth - but appearances can be deceptive. Ingredients are added that are questionable and not always sustainable or animal-friendly. We help you on your way with a list of sustainable potting soil that also makes the itchy creatures in the garden a lot happier.
What's in potting soil and garden soil?
Much regular potting soil contains animal residues such as blood meal and bone meal - yikes! As a result, a lot of potting soil is neither plant-based nor vegan. So be careful when trying to live vegan. So it could just be that gardening is a bit out of the ordinary. Would you like to know more about this? We previously wrote extensively about animal remains in potting soil. In addition, potting soil often contains peat, a raw material that emits huge amounts of CO2 during extraction and destroys natural areas. We wrote about peat in potting soil at length before. And then there is the difference between organic and non-organic potting soil: the latter may contain chemical fertilisers and pesticides, which are harmful to both soil life and your own garden pleasure. Do you really want to make a sustainable choice? Then go for vegan, peat-free and organic potting soil. But pooh, that is quite a tough choice. A lot of sustainable potting soil ticks one or two, but not all three of these sustainable boxes, or it is not entirely clear. And yet we dove in. Monk's work it was. The result is this list compiled of more sustainable potting soil brands. Take advantage of it the next time you find yourself lost in a garden centre strolling past all those heavy bags of potting soil and garden soil.
You can choose garden soil and potting soil more sustainably: organic, vegan and peat-free. Some sustainable potting soil brands are all three; we found some that tick two of the three boxes. Sometimes it is not entirely clear whether something is vegan or peat-free. We therefore suspect that this is NOT the case (otherwise it would probably be stated more clearly, we think...). When in doubt, we put it there!
Useful list of sustainable potting soil and garden soil
To get you well on your way, we have compiled a list of the better potting soil and garden soil brands. By the way, this list came about with the help of you, our countless green readers and followers. So first of all, a mega swood-out for you: many thanks! For each brand, we have listed the most important selling points mapped. That way, it is easy for you to see what options are available. What we noticed is that sometimes it is hard to find out whether something is really vegan and especially turf-free. We did our best!
- DCM ticks all three boxes and offers organic, vegan and peat-free potting soil composed of 100% vegetable and natural raw materials. Instead of peat, DCM uses a mix of coconut, wood fibre, green compost and bark compost, which provides an airy structure that retains nutrients and water well. The potting soil is enriched with seaweed meal to provide plants with extra nutrients. Suitable for organic gardens and, in our opinion, an excellent choice for environmentally conscious gardeners looking for a sustainable and animal-friendly alternative!
- Amica offers organic and vegan potting soil, completely free of animal components and artificial additives. Amica uses only renewable raw materials such as leaf compost, coconut fibre and wood fibre, making it a perfect fit for organic and even biodynamic gardens. The bag then states that Amica's products do contain renewable peat. What we learn about this is that renewable peat can be extracted in a more sustainable way, with attention to nature restoration and minimal ecological impact, but it remains a debatable alternative because peat grows slowly by nature.
- Bio-Kultura also offers organic and vegan potting soil, without animal raw materials such as blood meal or bone meal. Instead, Bio-Kultura uses organic compost, tree bark compost, coconut fibre and plant nutrients such as seaweed extract. It is not completely peat-free as it contains a small percentage of peat moss for moisture retention. Nevertheless, it remains a more sustainable choice for those looking for a natural and animal-friendly alternative!
- Sybotanica offers peat-free potting soil specially formulated for different plant species. Their SYBASoil line consists of handmade coconut soil mixes that provide an airy structure and optimal water balance, contributing to the health and growth of houseplants. Although the products are peat-free, it is unclear whether they are completely vegan as this is not explicitly stated.
- Jardino offers peat-free organic kitchen garden potting soil, specially developed for growing various vegetables, fruits and herbs in the kitchen garden or in containers and pots. By avoiding peat and coconut in the production process, this vegetable garden soil is CO2-neutral, contributing to environmentally friendly cultivation. Although the potting soil is organic and peat-free, it is unclear whether it is completely vegan, as this is not explicitly stated.
- ECOstyle offers organic and peat-free potting soil composed of renewable raw materials such as coconut fibre, tree bark and compost. This mix provides an airy structure and good moisture management, which is ideal for healthy plant growth. Although the potting soil is organic and peat-free, it is unclear whether it is completely vegan, as this is not explicitly stated.
- Pokon, super famous, also offers organic and peat-free potting soil in their range. This consists of raw materials such as coco peat, bark, wood fibre, compost and rice husks. Fertilisers have been added. Whether these are vegan is unfortunately not mentioned.
- Cellmax offers organic potting soil. It contains 100% plant fertilisers and is free of animal by-products, in short, vegan. The soil includes bark compost, green compost, wood fibre and untreated coconut. It does contain a small amount of peat moss peat.
- Did you know that you can not only wear wool, but also use it sustainably in the garden? Cloud pellets or cloud pellets are a natural fertiliser that slowly releases nutrients to the soil. These pellets retain moisture, improve soil structure and even act as slug repellents. A smart and sustainable way to give your plants a boost!
Sustainable potting soil is just the beginning
You read it: it is quite difficult to find out whether potting soil is really vegan or peat-free. We have done our best to list some nice more sustainable potting soil and garden soil brands for you. Are you missing any good tips or do you have any additions? Please let us know!
More fine gardening tips
- Also see: mulching for beginners: what is it and what are the benefits?
- Also see: More animals in the garden? Go for a green garden fence (and you make one like this)!
- Also see: help nature, buy poison-free garden plants.
Sources: our dear followers from thegreenlist.nl community, peat-free.nl, environmental centre.nl. Photo credits: main image: Teona Swift (Pexels), other: gardening: thegreenlist.nl & bag of garden soil: kaboompics.com (Pexels).
