If you live in the land of Fred Meyer stores (in Idaho, Oregon, Alaska, or Washington), you'll definitely want to mark your calendar for Fuchsia Saturday, which we've just confirmed is happening April 11, 2026.
Make any plant purchase at a Fred Meyer store on that date, and you'll score free potting soil while supplies last. And if you bring your own empty planters (up to six 12-inch containers, based on recent years), you could walk away with up to $32 worth of free Black Gold potting soil.
This freebie draws heavy crowds, and soil supplies tend to run out early (often by 9:30 a.m.), so you'll want to get there first thing. Need more plants and outdoor items? Check out the Home Depot Spring Sale or Lowe's SpringFest, which happen around the same time as Fuchsia Saturday.
There’s a faster way to save. It’s in our app. Download the KCL app for free now .
Fred Meyer Fuchsia Saturday is an annual event where you get free potting soil with any plant purchase.
The Fuchsia Saturday planting event has taken place on a Saturday morning in April pretty much every year since 1991. During this in-store-only event, shoppers get free potting soil with any plant purchase at participating Fred Meyer stores. The event almost always ends early because they run out of free soil (usually by 9:30 a.m.).
Why is it called Fuchsia Saturday?
Even though the event is called Fuchsia Saturday and named for the fuchsia plant — a perennial with bright, tube-shaped flowers — you don’t actually have to buy a fuchsia during the event to get your free soil.
Fred Meyer Fuchsia Saturday will be April 4, 2026.
Fred Meyer has confirmed with KCL that Fuchsia Saturday 2026 will take place on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at all Fred Meyer locations with a garden center. The event always starts at 7 a.m. local time and usually wraps up by 9:30 a.m. at the latest because the free soil goes fast.
Here's when the event has occurred over the last few years:
-
April 12, 2025
-
April 13, 2024
-
April 15, 2023
-
April 9, 2022
-
April 10, 2021
Purchase any plant during the event, and employees will fill up your planter(s) with free potting soil.
Purchase any plant (you’ll show your receipt as proof), and Fred Meyer will supply you with free Black Gold All Purpose Potting Soil. Yep, 100% free. But it's not going to be a free bag of potting soil. Instead, you’ll bring your own pots or planters from home, and they’ll fill them up for you with soil on the spot.
During the 2025 event, each shopper could bring up to six planters, each up to 12 inches across. We'll update this if Fred Meyer announces any changes for 2026.
Buy a plant under $2 to get the most bang for your buck.
Since the free potting soil comes with proof of any plant purchase on Fuchsia Saturday, why spend more than you have to? Typically, the fuchsia plants are the cheapest option at just over a dollar, so grab one of those to unlock the freebie for the least money out of pocket.
In 2025, fuchsia starts (aka baby plants) in a 3-inch pot rang up as low as $1.09 with your Fred Meyer Reward card, and geranium starts went for as low as $0.99. We'll be watching for 2026 pricing and will update when we know more.
Bring six of your own 12" planters and get up to $32 worth of free soil.
To really maximize this freebie, bring six of your own 12-inch pots or planters from home (that’s the limit from 2025 — we'll update if it changes for 2026).
Filling all six of your 12-inch pots will take about 64.2 total quarts of soil, based on some math we did with this handy Bonnie soil calculator.
Since Black Gold Potting Soil sells for about $0.50 per quart at Fred Meyer, that means you can get up to $32 worth of potting soil for free.
KCL TIP: Ask the employees to fill your pots or planters all the way to the top — soil settles over time, so you want to start with as much as possible. Some locations may even offer to do the planting for you if staffing allows.
Remember, you must buy a plant from the outdoor garden center to qualify for the freebie.
Just keep in mind that this freebie deal only works for live plants from the outdoor garden center. Seeds, indoor plants, or cut flowers purchased inside the store won't qualify you for the free soil.
You'll want to get to the store early for your free potting soil.
The event kicks off at 7 a.m. local time, but it gets busy fast. Soil supplies often run out by 9:30 a.m., so set your alarm and get there first thing.
You May Also Be Interested In:
Download the KCL app to add and redeem coupons in store
For iOS and Android users.
