# Tips for growing plants in pots in an arid climate **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussions\ **Created:** [June 12, 2024, 3:59pm UTC](https://goingtoseed.discourse.group/t/tips-for-growing-plants-in-pots-in-an-arid-climate/2611 "2024-06-12T15:59:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 9
**Author:** ![APUCommunityGarden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@APUCommunityGarden](https://goingtoseed.discourse.group/u/APUCommunityGarden)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 10:07pm UTC](https://goingtoseed.discourse.group/t/tips-for-growing-plants-in-pots-in-an-arid-climate/2611/9 "2024-06-12T22:07:45Z")
We have good success with straight compost (homemade from garden cleanings and vegetable scraps or from our regional waste management composter - we’re planning a formal trial to compare the two) in containers, and both of those options are free to us. It does settle a fair amount, especially the first year, but we just top off every season (and sometimes mid-season for tomatoes in a new container). When it gets to the point of not having room to add an inch of new compost to the top after 5 years or so, remove some for a refresh. I think perfect might be to add 10 percent clay to compost, but that’s not locally viable. --- _[View the full topic](https://goingtoseed.discourse.group/t/tips-for-growing-plants-in-pots-in-an-arid-climate/2611)._