susane22
Newly Registered
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:53 pm
Location: Tennessee

Gershon, your pics were not posted. I found some organic dirt and mushroom compost that I will use as well as rent a till to use some of our clay soil. This should be fine and then add in compost as it's ready.
thanks for everyone's help.
oh, one question or two...: I just planted the seeds into peat cups yesterday. I put in 2-3 seeds per cup of each veggie and then I'll cut the one or two that are the weaklings....is this correct? My mom said this would interrupt the root system.
And, I put the peat cups in the sun room next to a window. Do they need to be covered?
Thanks!

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gixxerific
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

Do you have a truck? Or no somebody with one. There has to be a nursery around that sells bulk topsoil or compost. Trying to fill even a small area with bagged soil can get expensive very fast.

cynthia_h
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7500
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 7:02 pm
Location: El Cerrito, CA

Around here, it's possible to rent (I think?) U-Haul pick-ups by the hour. If you cost it out in a truckload vs. bags, the truckload--even renting!--may come out cheaper.

Or you could use the time-honored method of finding a friend with a truck, offering pizza/beer/lunch of choice for the favor. :wink:

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

Sunflower7
Full Member
Posts: 24
Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Pennsylvania in USA

susane22, I was asking exactly same question you are asking.
I am going to order 4x6 raised bed made of ceder.
Yes, how can we find organic clean top soil without toxic chemicals mixed when people don't have good soil to plant vegetables and fruit trees?
My plan is to collect soil in my vegetable garden and mix with aged cow manure, coffee ground, peat moss, etc to amend soil to put in my raised bed.
It is very hard to find good organic clean top soil therefore it is better for me to use safe soil in my veg garden.
Man who lives in next door has flower bed and his soil is so fluffy and rich.
He said he got organic top soil from Wal Mart.
I guess it is ok to use top soil for flower garden but when we use for vegetable garden, we need to be much more careful knowing we are growing foods.

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quiltbea
Full Member
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:27 pm
Location: Southwestern Maine

When I started gardening for the first time in spring 2009, I had my son build my 4' X 4' raised beds with 1x2x12" lumber. I ordered organic garden loam from a nearby company. Filled the beds.
Added peat moss, and organic cow manure compost that I bought by the bagful, plus amendments like greensand and limestone and worked it all in together.

It gave me a bountiful crop even though we had torrentail rains that spring that ruined many row gardens in this state. I had lots of veggies for my family. The soil was healthy and the beds raised enough to allow excess water to run off. The only thing that didn't make it was my corn which I sowed in a separate hilled area, not raised beds. Too much rain.

I got my information from Mel Bartholemew's gardening book, Square Foot Garden, and I'm so glad I did. Its much easier to handle raised beds, easier to weed and water, conserves water, and easy to amend soil. Each time I harvest a plant, I add a cup of compost (bought by the bagful at first) to my square foot to get ready for the next crop.

So check neighbors and stop at someone's garden and ask where they get their compost or garden loam. Check the yellow pages and Craigslist. Ask co-workers if they know any sources. They're out there but sometimes take lots of questions to find.

Good luck.



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