npgSymboL
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Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:29 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

What kind of soil do I buy?

Hi everyone.
Gardening is very new to me and seeing as though spring is approaching us in australia I thought I'd suprise my parents with a little veggie garden.

I need to order some soil to be delivered to my house but I'm usure as to what I should buy.
On their leaflet it reads that they sell;
Top soil
Garden Mix
Organic mix
organic top dressing
mushroom compost
leaf mulch
garden fertilizers
potting mix
eucalyptus mulch
cow manure
chicken manure

I was thinking garden mix but I'm not too sure.

I'll be sewing some seeds of different veggies like carrots, cucumbers, tomatos, leek, capsicum, radish.
perhaps try some corn and rockmelon later on
and will also add a mixed harb garden.

should I fertilise it with anything before sewing the seeds?
do I mix that in with the soil or just add it on top?


thankyou in advance :)
Last edited by npgSymboL on Thu Aug 13, 2009 2:36 am, edited 1 time in total.

npgSymboL
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Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:29 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

can I ask if anyone has a formula so that I can measure and work out how many tonnes I need?

thankyouu

---
it's ok about the 2nd question. I don't need a formula anymore
I found an online calculator that helped :)

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gixxerific
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Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

I would definitely start off with the organic mix, than just about any of the others are good as well.

npgSymboL
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Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:29 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

thankyou gixxerific
I ended up calling them and they said a premium organic mix would be good with some cow manure. 3 parts organic mix to 1 part cow manure

does this sound good?
anything else I should think about adding?

my dad used to live in a village in greece and used to farm
so I'd like to suprise him with something real good. thanks :)

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gixxerific
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Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

npgSymboL wrote:thank you gixxerific
I ended up calling them and they said a premium organic mix would be good with some cow manure. 3 parts organic mix to 1 part cow manure

does this sound good?
anything else I should think about adding?

my dad used to live in a village in greece and used to farm
so I'd like to suprise him with something real good. thanks :)
That sounds like a great start, I normally use horse manure from a farm around me it's free, not saying cow manure is bad at all. Actually have a cow farm right next to me just haven't had the courage to go up to their door and ask for their cow's poop yet. :P He was in the front yard today when I drove past I almost turned around but he looked busy. One of these day's I will go there, but you never know, they might meet you at the door with a shotgun. :shock:

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freedhardwoods
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Joined: Sun May 17, 2009 9:32 pm
Location: Southwest IN

Is there something wrong with the soil you already have where you are going to plant your garden? It would be much cheaper and easier to improve what you have unless there is something drastically wrong with it.

npgSymboL
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Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:29 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

gixx haha goodluck with that.

just start waving when you drive past him.
get him pre warmed up a little
once he starts waving back without you annitiating the wave then it's time to ask haha :lol:


freedhardwoods
what we have is a very clay based soil
actually it's pretty much all clay.
I think a lot of australia has this problem

thanks for your replies :)

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Diane
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Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2009 4:38 am
Location: Mass

That's what I have here in the NE.
In my raised bed I mixed in humus, manure, top soil, potting soil and lots of compost.
It's not soft yet but it's much better than it was.
Good luck and what a nice thing to do for your father. :)

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freedhardwoods
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Joined: Sun May 17, 2009 9:32 pm
Location: Southwest IN

I have very heavy clay here. A few years ago I added very large amounts of sawdust to subsoil (from my house basement) that would barely grow weeds and turned it into very rich soil. I think it would be worthwhile to improve what you have. 8)



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