I'll be honest, I'm new to this whole gardening thing but LOVE learning how to make my garden BOUNTIFUL!

I primarily use containers for my garden. 
1) I'm obsessed with self watering containers...and when I get obsessed it's a bit OCD!
2) I like using random objects to plant in...there is something gratifying with getting a flower to sprout up in an old rubber boot.

One major lesson I learned with container gardens is to use 'container soil' or 'potting soil'.  Soil from your yard is a big NO NO!  It compacts in containers and doesn't provide your plants with the much needed air and water circulation.  The roots then become water logged and your plants will die. 

So I decided to make my own!!  It simply wasn't gratifying enough to buy a bag at the store...I wanted to do it myself!  And that's the theme these days isn't it...do it yourself.  There were so many choices for potting soil and price ranges.  I could not get a good indication on which one was the best and which ones didn't have any unnecessary additives. 

DO IT YOURSELF container soil:
-(1) 20 qt. bag of mature, high-quality compost.  (hint: make your own, it's free!)
-(1) 20 qt. bag of homemade or ready-made planting mixture consisting of; sphagnum peat (or coir), vermiculite (or perlite), and limestone.

Compost has all the key ingredients for your soil.  The peat/vermiculite/limestone additions are helpful for retaining water, lightening the soil (not too heavy), and assisting with air and water circulation.  I cannot stress how important air and water circulation is to the roots of your plants.   The compost provides all the basic nutrients which are drawn into the roots via the air/water holes created by your planting mixture.

I'm a graphic kinda gal.  So here are images and a little description on the 'ingredients' inside your container soil.

Compost:
"Black Gold"...this stuff is GOOD.  Yum.  Start making it yourself and you'll knock one key ingredient off your shopping list!

Sphagnum Peat:
Peat is great for retaining water and air.  Here is where you make a critical decision.  Peat is partially decomposed remains of centuries old sphagnum moss.  It is typically harvested from ancient bogs in Canada.  It is suggested for use in container gardens because it doesn't hold too much water that your container garden may become water logged.  Peat is also very acidic and the addition of limestone is to counteract the acidic levels of peat.  Peat decays very slowly and adds little nutrition value.  The alternate is Coir (see below), and it is a bit more ecologically sound.  If you have a self watering container, I'd suggest going with peat due to the high chances of coir retaining too much water.

Coir:
Coir is recycled coconut husks.  Used for the same reasons as peat but a bit more ecologically sound since it is harvested from a renewable resource (although slowly renewable).  It comes in compressed bricks which are soaked in warm water.  The other downside to coir is it obviously is not a local resource.

Vermiculite:
Made from mica rock.  The ore is heated, causing it to expand and thus creating small holes in it for air and water.  Great at holding air and water while also providing potassium, calcium and magnesium.  Vermiculite has a neutral PH.

Perlite:
Made from volcanic rock that is crushed and screened, then heated to cause the particles to expand.  Perlite holds water on its surface and keeps the soil light and fluffy.  It adds no nutritional value and is PH neutral.

Limestone (dolomitic or calcitic):
A source of calcium added to the mix to counteract the acidity of peat moss.  In addition to calcium, dolomitic limestone contains magnesium.

I'll put together an organic fertilizer post!  Maybe throw in a worm tea post as well....doubly delicious!