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like many things it seems the price of potting soil is skyrocketing. over the weekend i spotted a 40 lb. bag at a local nursery for 35 dollars! granted, it was top of the line stuff, but geez...
what's a good alternative for a fairly large volume raised bed garden? topsoil? used mushroom compost?
one of the things i planned to try is this, but that will only help somewhat.
If you’re growing things for food, spend more for safer, organic stuff. Many of the cheap stuff uses wastes that have chemicals and other unhealthy stuff in it.
If you’re growing things for food, spend more for safer, organic stuff. Many of the cheap stuff uses wastes that have chemicals and other unhealthy stuff in it.
that's the thing - i don't want to spend more.
your post reminded me of a time i almost put' biosolids' in my garden - the town i was living in was giving away for free. very glad i decided not to do that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemlock140
I just got some from Costco, $9 for a 50 quart bag and it was by Miracle Gro. That's about what I paid for half as much last year at Lowe's.
that's a pretty good price for 2 cubic feet. it's $16.47 at home depot. unfortunately i don't have a costco membership. amazon has a similar price as home depot.
Old times we used peat, perlite, vermiculite, and sand. But most wouldn’t get the proportions right today and it truly depends on the exact materials available.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by uggabugga
that's the thing - i don't want to spend more.
your post reminded me of a time i almost put' biosolids' in my garden - the town i was living in was giving away for free. very glad i decided not to do that.
that's a pretty good price for 2 cubic feet. it's $16.47 at home depot. unfortunately i don't have a costco membership. amazon has a similar price as home depot.
It's probably not worth joining just for that, but perhaps you have a local friend or relative that will take you along next time they go? You could try a bulk seller and bring boxes or bags. They sell by the yard and will deliver, but may also offer bags of it, or let you fill your own containers. You would have to call to check prices. They never post prices, so they probably change a lot.
I just got some from Costco, $9 for a 50 quart bag and it was by Miracle Gro. That's about what I paid for half as much last year at Lowe's.
I loved buying those big bags there. Fills up a lot of pots but I didn't this year and trying to get into the groove of making my own.
Quote:
Originally Posted by uggabugga
like many things it seems the price of potting soil is skyrocketing. over the weekend i spotted a 40 lb. bag at a local nursery for 35 dollars! granted, it was top of the line stuff, but geez...
what's a good alternative for a fairly large volume raised bed garden? topsoil? used mushroom compost?
Think about doing a compost pile somewhere or have a family/friend do it.
The other thing you can do is make your own. Still have to buy the material but it should cost less as a whole. Time to watch some YouTube videos on how to make your own soil.
Quote:
Originally Posted by carnivalday
I make my own potting soil, with 1/3 coco coir, perlite, and compost.
I'm doing only container gardening this year. I used all my old soil from containers I grew in last year, combined it in equal proportions to a new bag of potting soil, my own compost and added a few handfuls of perlite per container. So far everything is growing wonderfully and I didn't have to buy more than one bag of soil.
like many things it seems the price of potting soil is skyrocketing. over the weekend i spotted a 40 lb. bag at a local nursery for 35 dollars! granted, it was top of the line stuff, but geez...
what's a good alternative for a fairly large volume raised bed garden? topsoil? used mushroom compost?
one of the things i planned to try is this, but that will only help somewhat.
Here’s what you do. Start your own compost pile and take care of it. In a year’s time you should have a nice start rot filling those raised beds. In the meantime, by a few large bags of good quality garden soil. Poke a bunch of wholes in it to aid with drainage. Some bags have a grid printed on them already, but if not simply use a Sharpie and draw a grid on one side of the bag. Poke a hole where you want to add a seed or plant. You’ll be amazed at how well veggies grow using this method. After you harvest the veggies, simply empty the contents of the bag in your raised beds and you have a good start on filling them.
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