Where & How to Use Compost & Potting Mixes

At the farm, we are offering three bagged compost/potting mix options. Read on for a description of each as well as where and how to use them!

A little bit of dirt for us…

Bagged Panorama Paydirt Compost

This is just a straight, LOCAL compost from the Panorama Paydirt company in the Earlysville area! Panorama composts leaf litter (city collected) along with other sources of organic materials.
Use this compost for:

  • top-dressing existing garden or raised beds*

  • lining furrows when direct seeding

  • putting in holes when transplanting. 

*If you're looking to fill up empty raised beds or top-dress a large space, I would recommend contacting Panorama directly. Getting a pickup or delivered dump truck load would be more cost effective at that scale and you can also source top soil from them. For raised beds, I like a fill of 1/2 top soil and 1/2 compost. 

Dirtcraft Organics G-Force Potting Mix

…and a little bit for you!

We have been using Dirtcraft for one year right here on the farm, and we are converts! This is a user-friendly mix that fixes many of the typical potting mix issues. Their G-Force blend is their "all purpose" mix and it is the main one we are using in the Bellair greenhouse. This potting mix is based on coco coir and compost with bark fines and some fertility ingredients. One of the most awesome things about it is that it is a peat-less mix without sacrificing porosity, something that I have had trouble sourcing until now. I love that this is a more sustainable option than mixes containing peat.
You can use this potting mix in a wide array of uses, including:

  • general seed-starting for almost everything (flowers, herbs, veggies and more)

  • container growing of mediterranean herbs to full production

  • putting in holes/furrows for transplanting and seeding in the garden

Dirtcraft Organics Critical Mass Potting Mix

This mix is built on the same wonderful foundation of the G-Force all-purpose mix, but it includes a little bit of a heavier hit when it comes to fertility, making it a great option for container growing of all fruiting/flowering crops, most notably tomatoes and cannabis, but really ANY crop you're wanting to fruit/flower profusely in a pot/container. It's like adding fertilizer and compost at the same time. 

  • plant transplants of tomato, eggplant, pepper, etc. directly into this mix in a large pot for a patio garden.

  • use in the holes of any veggie transplant for a jump start.

A great reason to shop at Bellair is that we can vouch for the quality of these products -- we use them ourselves! In addition, we have our items super reasonably priced -- about $4-$6 cheaper per bag for the same product at other area gardening stores. 



Michelle McKenzie