Clay soil, fertilizer on the bottom of the pot if no holes. If holes in the pot, cover holes with newspaper, about an inch of soil & then fertilizer. I'm not brave enough to plant marginals so they can roam free as some types like green taro, iris, pickerel, etc. can really spread fast & difficult to remove once overgrown. I'm always amazed at the split plastic pots by season end when a marginal wants to escape their pot.