Everything is better fresh, whether it is a doughnut at the store, cut flowers for your dinner table or the potting soil for your patio container. After potting soils or amendments are manufactured they become a living entity. The fertilizers and wetting agent start to react in their moist organic media environment. As part of our commitment to quality we put a date of manufacture on all Black Gold® potting soils, amendments and peat moss. The products are stamped with production codes.