Can I Reuse Soil From My Vegetable Pots?

Q: I plant my tomatoes, cukes, and squash in pots on my deck. I’ve cleaned them and gotten rid of all the roots. Can I reuse the soil?

A: Unless you had problems with leaf diseases on your plants last year, there’s no reason not to reuse the old soil. As you likely noticed, natural decomposition reduced the volume of that soil. The average particle size is a little smaller now. This will reduce the needed internal drainage of the soil. I suggest you use perlite to mix with the old soil to increase its volume.