Show #41/5802. AFTER A LONG WINTER SPRING COLOR IS A WELCOME CHANGE

Choosing Soils, Mulch, Fertilizer, etc.

Pamela Crawford is on the set of GardenSMART TV, helping with a garden makeover and wants to tell us something she thinks important. When you go to the garden center in the spring you'll see all kinds of different bags of stuff. And, which bags you buy for each application is important.

She is using Miracle Gro Organic Choice Garden Soil and what we're doing is putting it on top of the clay, then mixing it in because this is something you use to prepare your soil. It's particularly good for vegetables and flowers because it has nutrients but the main thing it does is give your plants that organic kick they need to get started.

However it shouldn't be used in containers, rather use Miracle Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix which is magic for container gardening. It makes everything so much easier because you don't have to put all that stuff on the bottom of the pot for drainage. Simply put it in the pot, then plant your flowers. It's fast and easy.

For on top of your garden soil, after you're done planting use Nature Scapes Mulch. This mulch keeps the weeds down, keeps moisture in and is setting up a natural system in your garden so that you have organic material going into your soil all the time.

A frequently asked question is - What should I do with giant containers? Do I use all potting mix? With large containers, most of the time Pamela will take mulch, because it's a lot less expensive, and put it in the bottom half of the container. Then put the potting mix all the way to the top. In smaller containers she will use potting mix all the way through.

On top of everything she will put fertilizer. You don't need to add fertilizer constantly anymore. We now have slow release plant foods. This fertilizer you put on top of everything, you don't need to actually mix it into the soil and it will provide nutrients for up to a full 4 months.