Biologically loosen soil for pots and beds
Styrofoam in pots or garden to loosen up soils I think is very questionable, as far as the environment is concerned. I tried it experimentally about ten years ago, on a specially created bed and various pots, which I had filled with a self-made Erd-Styrofoam mixture tried. The dirt stuff does not rot, even after years! I still find remnants of the Styrofoam and still I have carefully sifted the bed after this failed experiment.
But now to my tip, which leads to a loosening and at the same time to a weight reduction of pots and other containers for plants. I myself have been using this successfully for a few years for my cucumber and tomato plants, which I pull individually in reusable pots and buckets in the greenhouse, because we have a pretty bad climate for the outdoors with us (tomato rot).
I take a part of earth, on it a layer of straw, on which again a layer of earth, then again a layer of straw, on which earth comes again. It all depends on the size of the pots, how many layers you need. The earth comes from a composting plant near my hometown, and the straw comes from an agricultural cooperative nearby. Who does not have such a thing in its proximity, can naturally garden soil with a small peat content (best is peat loose soil!) From a nursery or from the hardware store refer.
As for the straw, there is the possibility for those who do not have an agricultural cooperative, the opportunity to buy good straw through various Internet traders or the farmers, (just sift through the newspaper ads). I had already done that when there was no more straw for us because of the weather. This mixture can when the harvest time is finished confidently dispose of the compost or the bio-waste because it is free of any pollutants. Oh yes, the pots are a lot easier with this mixture than when I fill them with pure earth. As for the harvest results are also very handsome.
I also treat my soil for garden beds, with the difference that I dare the straw-earth mixture and do not work vertically into the soil. It is advisable to let the soil rest for at least half a year to one year and then dig it up. Also, a Kalkdüngung (I bring this always out in winter) attached. The lime (garden lime) simply spread widely (less is always a little more) on the snow, which is above the processed bed spread. He then moves slowly with the snowmelt in the spring in the ground.
