New soil

[Oxo01]

Hi all
hope you can help
can I use the soil in pots
I used to grow tomatoes in last year ? I left everything out over the winter, ive removed the dead bits of plants so do i have to empty soil and use new soil now.
Thanks

No, it won't have any nutritional value in it any more and the structure will have started to break down, so you need to empty it out and use fresh compost this year.

The spent compost is fine for spreading over your flower beds though.

No use new

Thought so and will do.
Thank you all.

I do.
but I'm in a flat and grow on my balcony 3 floors up.
I'm not schlepping bags if compost up there every year.

I top the pots up with coir (compressed coconut fibre) and add chicken shit pellets.

I do use spent compost but add some slow release fertilizer granules to it to replenish the nutrients and mix it 50/50 with fresh compost. It's always worked well for me. As long as you don't waste it (spread it on your flower beds or the lawn at least) it's fine.

The spent compost is fine for spreading over your flower beds though

I used to do this until the neighbours' wretched tom cat decided it was it's new litter tray