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| For a 4x6 bed I am considering 1 bag of black kow, i bag of mushroom compost, one bad of cheap manure compost, 7 bags of topsoil, 2 bags of MG potting soil and 2 bags of MG garden soil. I will mulch with hay and fertilize with fish emulsion if needed. I also have plenty of leaves left over from fall to add.
Before I add the soil I plan to dig out about 2 inches down into my solid red clay and lay cardboard. Is there anything I should add or take away or consider in the above? I am a newby but determined to start growing my own vegies. I have an impossible spot to buy topsoil by the load and must rely on bags. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| if your digging down 2 inches... you probably don't need to put down cardboard since you've already removed all the grass/weeds. considering the quantity and variety of bagged dirt your buying you might be able to find a local landscaping company that sells soil / mulch by the yard. either way, sounds like your off to a good start. best of luck and enjoy! |
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| A bed that is 24 square feet but to what depth? That amount would be about 7 cubic feet of material or enough to fill that bed about 3 - 1/2 inches. It might be less expensive to find a source of good soil, not just something called "topsoil", in bulk, already mixed and delivered, like Scotty found. |
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- Posted by nancyjane_gardener USDA 8ish No CA (My Page) on Fri, Jan 20, 12 at 21:48
| Our dump actually produces organic compost and growing medium for about $18 for 1/2 yard (that's all our small truck will hold) I think, buying all of those bags of stuff would cost you WAYYYYYY more than the $36 that would probably fill that bed! Check out some of the soil/landscape places in your area. Many of them will deliver for a nominal fee. Good luck! Nancy |
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| People always think bulk by yard is cheap, but did you do the calculation? $30 for half yard? that is expensive, even we don't add in the delivery fee or your gas. One yard will be $60, one yard is 765L, so in bag of 28L will be 27 bags, more than $2 for one bag, is it very cheap? I don't think so, I see bag soil on sale for $0.99 here in Vancouver, I bet it will be more cheap in US. |
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- Posted by Coconut_Head 5b (My Page) on Mon, Jul 2, 12 at 16:46
| My soil I got was $27 per yard and was supposed to have 10% compost added. It's decent enough stuff to start out with and I have been mulching and will be adding my own compost a little later on. I needed quite a bit, ended up getting 6 yards brought in (we borrowed a dump truck to get it). Still, around here, $30 per yard for some nice loamy type soil is easy to come by. I'm just pointing this out to say, Yes, call around and find out if there are some good deals. CH |
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| Dump truck load for $65.00 delivery comes to $3.656 per yard. Give or take a yard. |
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| The OP did mention he/she can't get bulk soil delivered... |
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| Skip MG soils & substitute a bale of peat moss instead (more for your $) + more compost from a variety of bagged sources + your leaf mold will be great You'll want at least 6" of material added to the existing clay. Breaking it up is a great idea since you're planting right away. A pick axe or mattock might be useful as well as a garden fork. I love the ease of a fork over a shovel and how it loosens the soil. If you're going to mix some of the soil amendments in & you're concerned about weed seeds be sure to leave 2" or more to layer on top without mixing in so you can prevent any weed seeds from surfacing. Then with your mulch layer you'll be set this year anyway. Will need to be topped off with more compost next year as the compost will shrink by quite a bit. Or if you harvest in fall to leave fallow layer compost ingredients right on top of the bed. Might be able to use bags or buckets to haul fresh rabbit or llama pelleted manure off craigslist. Nice people raising a large amount of animals have more than they need, so give it away free for the hauling. If you're concerned about drainage add perlite or vermiculite. Inquire at a feed & farm supply store or hydroponics supplier for possibly better prices or larger bags. Either work well to keep soil loose. Perlite tends to float a bit and vermiculite breaks down over time. Go with your gut feeling & your pocketbook. Perlite is cheaper and can be used for rooting cuttings. The remainder of a big bag from Home Depot can be stored for a long time without going bad. |
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| The current issue of Organic Gardening magazine, August/September 2012, has a very good article about amending clay soils. |
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| "Organic Gardening magazine" They need to update their website |
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