TheWaterbug wrote:MG: thanks for the sage advice! I didn't even know those contractor bags existed. That's a much saner solution than mine
The good news is that I just ordered a [url=https://www.amazon.com/Global-Strategies-DB10-42HP-Demo-Bags/dp/B004VA2YMW]20-pack of 42-gal Demo Bags from amazon[/url] (free 2-day shipping

), and compost pick-up day is this Friday, so we'll see it all works out.
OK! The Demo Bags arrived the other day. I mis-read the package; it's only a 10-pack, so these bags are $2.19 apiece. Still, it's cheaper than buying soil.
I drove to the compost site over my lunch hour and filled six bags:
[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3552590/6BagsOfMulch_web.jpg[/img]
I filled them about knee-high, and they were heavy, but liftable. I probably could have fit 8-9 bags in my SUV had I planned a bit better, but once they were in they were too difficult to move, and I was getting tired and sweaty, and I still had to come back to my desk at work, so I just quit.
I'm sure I could fit ~20 bags in my minivan if I wanted to. I'll see how much I actually need after I use these six bags.
It seems like pretty decent stuff. It's a bit coarse, and there's a little bit of random junk in it, but not too much, and quite honestly not much more than there already is my existing dirt. It was steaming when it came out of the dump truck, and it's got the right smell. Here's a closeup:
[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3552590/MulchCloseup_web.jpg[/img]
That washed-out circle is a quarter, for scale. As they say on the cereal box, "Enlarged to show texture." It's much darker than it looks in the photo.
I plan on using it to mulch [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38806]four 16-ft rows of corn[/url] this weekend, and then later to mulch four 8-ft rows of cole crops that just emerged. We'll see how much it covers.
I was also thinking of using it to amend some soil for a second batch of carrots, since my [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38805]first batch didn't grow very long/deep[/url].
The bag method seems like it'll work fine for all of my regular vegetable needs. If this mulch works out I'll keep thinking about how to get a big truckload for next season's pumpkin patch.
Sunset 23/USDA 11a, Elev. 783', Frost free since 8,000 BC. Plagued by squirrels, gophers, and peafowl, but coming to terms with it!