I place out tarp, remove the soil and re amend it. I reuse some of it since I have had to diseases in the past.
I use foliar- liquid feeds for tomatoes in containers but prefer to add some stuff to container soil mix every year.
It will be way to $$$ to get all new mix every year IMHO.

Just cannot afford a new mix every year for all of my containers - but I try to amend, improve and refresh. I dump the more used up containers into the garden beds.

This year I took my existing containers - dumped about half into the no-tomato garden beds (I will rotate) and remixed the remaining with compost (free), vermiculite and peat + a few bags of organic potting mix. It looks pretty good hopefully it performs as good as it looks. I do think it would be trouble just to stick a new plant in the old pot without aerating and amending though - they get compacted.

Same here - dump, refresh with 1/3 to 1/2 new mix, new nutrient supplements, some fresh perlite, etc. Mix it all well and refill the containers. I also pitch any root masses left over. When I didn't I found that water wicking and drainage was markedly affected.

Dave

I may do 50-100% mixing old with new or old with amendments. I usually left the root masses, especially if they are soft type (not hard and dry), since I figured the plant using them is not growing anymore so the root will just become nutrient at some point. However, if you have watering concerns like digdirt, it might be a good point of removing them.

I would do more or less as Linda suggested.
Potting soil is too expensive to waste. The thing to remember that potting mix (especially the soil less kind) is just a MEDIUM. Its role is to hold nutrients (that you add to it) and right amount of moisture. After pulling and getting rid of the old roots, you can freshen up a bit, add some time release fertilizers , a little more potting mix and re use it.
ACTUALLY the previously used potting soil might be even better than brand new one out of the bag BECAUSE it already has some nutrients and trace elements (well blended in) from previous years. So in this case OLD is better.

thanks all for your advice.....I guess I should have said that I have regular garden soil (not potting mix) in my containers with enough sand to provide good drainage. I will dump and refortify with amendments and pot those babes up, same as I do with my 50+ pepper pots.......thanks again--Bob

I guess I should have said that I have regular garden soil (not potting mix) in my containers

Nah cause that would have led to a totally different discussion about why that is not recommended. :)

If you are happy with your methods and results, great. Otherwise you might want to do some reading about it over on the Container Gardening forum here.

Dave

I am kind of surprised on this one, in a couple ways. First I really took standard advice not to reuse soil for nightshades (nightshade to nighshade) to heart. Second, anyone on the organic/permie fringe is using their "soil" as more than a "medium." Whether you have alfalfa meal, compost, or even bark in there, it is breaking down and freeing nutrients. Add also "last season's roots" as compost, balanced against "last season's salts."

FWIW, if my season ends on the right timing, I do plan on just chopping off my tomatoes and planting winter peas. But after that I'd have had two crops and my money's worth. I have more compost waiting, to blend with cheap potting soil or whatever.

If I did want to keep that soil going, I think I'd give it a fallow season in a bin.

(Put another way, if you are re-using "soil-less" mixes, you are approaching "soil" more and more as time goes on. Your compost level and your microbiome grows. Those are good things from my perspective, but diverging from sterile and soil-less theory.)

ditch the garden soil mix. Sand will not make this a "good" mix for containers. You need a "Free Draining" planting medium. Very important. For beginners I recommend 1/2 potting mix (not moisture control) and 1/2 cactus mix potting mix. This will provide excellent results with frequent low-dose feedings and regular waterings (daily during hot weather). goodluck

So this was not really a question about using the same container second year.

Fireduck, I never say "don't ever" to anyone, but you say "don't ever" for things that work very well for me. Just so you know.