Gardenline Potting Mix

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As an avid gardener, I purchase a lot of gardening products from Aldi. My garden supplies from the discount grocer include raised garden beds, raised planters, stacking planters, a walk-in greenhouse, a winter greenhouse, an indoor smart garden, and simple accessories such as gardening gloves, solar lights, and seed packets.

If you do any kind of container gardening, you’ll need a good supply of potting soil. I’m no stranger to purchasing bags of potting mix from my local nursery, but I also pick up bags of potting mix from Aldi when it’s in stock. You might wonder if Aldi potting mix is any good coming from a discount grocery store, but I’ve found that it works well for me.

Keep in mind that potting soil is not the same as garden soil, so what you need depends on how you’re gardening. Aldi sells both types of soil at different times during the spring, and you’ll want to make sure you pick out what you need. Potting soil is intended for use in pots, planters, or other containers. It is usually a mix of peat moss, ground pine bark, and perlite or vermiculite, plus limestone to balance the pH. Potting soil also typically includes a wetting agent to keep it from drying out, and it contains some plant food. Garden soil, on the other hand, contains topsoil or sand mixed with bulky organic matter. Garden soil with its coarser texture helps to loosen heavy clay soil and improve the soil overall.

Gardenline Potting Mix cost $4.99 for a one cubic foot bag (28.3 L) at the time of publication. That’s a better deal than Miracle-Gro Potting Mix at my local Walmart, where one cubic foot cost around $7 at the time of publication.

This is an Aldi Find, which means it’s only in stores for a short time. Aldi does not offer online ordering for its specials if they aren’t in stock at your local store.

The back of the bag, part one. (Click to enlarge.)

Here’s more information about Aldi potting mix, according to the packaging:

• For indoor, outdoor, potted, or container plants
• Made in the U.S.
• Contains slow release fertilizer 0.10-0.08-0.06
• Feeds up to nine months
• Perlite provides drainage and aeration
• Holds moisture to help prevent roots from drying out
• Product may vary from region to region, with regionally formulated potting mix materials derived from one or more of the following: processed pine bark, reed sedge peat, aged forest products and/or composted rice hulls, Canadian sphagnum peat moss, perlite, limestone (pH adjuster), a wetting agent, and fertilizer

Back of the bag, part two. (Click to enlarge.)

Guaranteed analysis:

• Net weight: 12.3 pounds
• Total nitrogen: 0.10% (0.04% ammoniacal nitrogen, 0.03% nitrate nitrogen, o.o3% urea nitrogen)
• Available phosphate: 0.08%
• Soluble potash: 0.06%

Gardenline Potting Mix is packaged and guaranteed by Oldcastle Lawn and Garden Inc., whose products are found in major retailers such as Home Depot and Lowe’s. Oldcastle owns several brands that deal with hardscaping, landscaping, and gardening. This spring, I purchased Oldcastle planter wall blocks from Home Depot for a garden project.

I’ve used Aldi potting mix for years and have had no issues with it aside from the possibility that the plastic bags the mix is sold in may not be as sturdy as some name brands, but I select my bags carefully at the store and generally don’t have major problems with spillage.

Are there higher quality mixes out there? Probably. Could you get a generic brand at another retailer for a similar price? Possibly, but in my experience, Aldi products are usually better than other store brands. The mix has a good texture without large chunks, and it seems to retain moisture well. I’ve grown some excellent tomatoes, bell peppers, herbs, and flowers over the years using Gardenline Potting Mix, so I’ll continue to buy it when I see it at Aldi.

You can also find plenty of opinions about Aldi potting soil on reddit, with many people saying the Aldi mix is just fine, especially if you were previously purchasing other options such as basic Walmart mixes.

The Verdict:

Gardenline Potting Mix is made in the U.S. and is packaged by Oldcastle Lawn and Garden Inc., a company whose products are commonly found in major home improvement centers and retailers. The contents of the mix vary by region but include standard ingredients such pine bark, peat moss, perlite, a pH adjuster, an agent to help the mix retain moisture, and fertilizer. The texture is fine, without lots of large chunks, and this mix is great for growing seedlings in containers. We’ve used Aldi potting mix for years in our own gardening projects and have always gotten good results.