Keep Potting Soil Fresh With An Unexpected Item From The Pet Aisle

Gardening is inherently messy work that often requires you to get your hands dirty; unfortunately, it can also result in other places getting dirty, too. Dirt and potting soil are integral parts of having a thriving garden, and anyone who has spent much time gardening understands how easy it is to spill newly purchased soil on the ground (which is wasteful and requires cleaning up). If you're tired of wasting your potting soil, there's an easy solution that will keep it in one place and maintain its freshness for a long time.

A sealing pet food bin is an unlikely yet perfect match for your constantly spilling potting soil. Affordable and easy to maneuver, these containers have an airtight seal, which is usually meant to keep Fido's food fresh and lock in the odors. When repurposed for potting soil, however, a pet food container becomes a clean receptacle to keep soil safe from fungus gnats and premature decomposition, which may occur if it is exposed to moisture or other elements. 

If potting soil is stored in a cool and dry container, you can likely plan on using it for one to two years – which is a general rule for potting soil's lifespan – before needing to buy a new bag. While you're on your current potting soil optimization kick, be sure to check out other hacks for storing potting soil, too, to make the most of your gardening efforts.

If you're excited to embrace this new storage technique, all you'll need to do is head to a pet store and purchase a sealing plastic pet food bin. These are available in a number of sizes, so you can choose the one that is best suited to holding your desired amount of potting soil. In order to make it easy to extract the potting soil that you need periodically, it may be a good idea to pair the container with a scoop. If you're wanting to get a little extra fancy (or perhaps it's pragmatic), you can purchase a rolling pet food container. This can be ideal if you need to move your potting soil to a different location to fill smaller pots. The IRIS dog food storage container combo fulfills all these needs with an 11-pound container, a 30-pound container with wheels, and a scoop.

An important note that may not be obvious to a new gardener is that you should avoid reusing old potting soil by mixing it with a new bag. It's best to use all the potting soil that you currently have on hand (or dump it out) prior to filling your container with new potting soil. This can prevent the inadvertent spreading of fungus or disease should it be present in your old bag of potting soil. And remember, if you want to get the most out of your potting soil storage, avoid keeping it in a hot shed, which can speed up the growth of mold. Instead, keep your pet-food-container-turned-potting-soil-receptacle in a corner of your garage where it will stay cool and dry.