Commercially bagged organic fertilizers cost about $30 for a 40-pound bag. They contain a mix of ground corn, wheat, soybeans, cottonseed, alfalfa, fish meal, seaweed, and feather meal. All of these ingredients can be found individually at your local feed store in brown, 50-pound bags. The cost ranges from $4 to $20 depending on the market price of the contents. I find the cost of the plain brown bags to be 1/6 the local cost of commercially bagged and labeled organic fertilizer. Another difference between organic fertilizer and chemical fertilizer like Lesco's is the time it takes to show results. Chemical fertilizers usually show results in a day or two. Organic fertilizers show results in 3 weeks (21 days and not any faster). The results they show are a very deep green color. I adjust for the timing by applying 3 weeks earlier than I think I need it. After many years I came up with the idea of fertilizing on the federal holidays. They are easy to remember and that works very well for me in San Antonio. Some people use organic fertilizer because they are concerned about the health and well being of their children and pets that play in the yard. Most chemical fertilizers and all herbicides have warning labels to explain how long you should stay off the lawn after applying the product. Organic fertilizers are made from food and don't need warnings. In fact my fertilizer sessions sometimes broke out into corn meal fights with my daughters. When it gets into your eyes, you blink it out. No pain or stinging. Some people don't use alfalfa or other products because they think it will attract skunks or (fill in your favorite local critter). It does not seem to. As to the cost, you have to calculate the cost per 1,000 square feet. Almost all fertilizers are applied by that measure. If your bag of Lesco costs $12 and covers 6,000 square feet, you divide $12 by 6 and get $2.00 per 1,000 square feet. My cost example for corn meal was posted above. The cost difference is usually not an issue when you look at it that way. Sometimes chemical fertilizers are very inexpensive, but unless you have a football field to cover (like Andy has), you can usually justify using cheap organic grains in your lawn hobby. One more thing to say. Many people find that once they stop using all chemical fertilizers, fungicide, herbicide, and insecticide, they find their yards are full of wildlife. In particular they see the return of toads (slug and snail predators as well as cockroaches and anything else), lizards (insect eaters), geckos (insect eaters), and birds (insect and caterpillar eaters). If you don't spray the wasps living under the eaves of your house, they are voracious caterpillar predators. The point is that you no longer need insecticide in the garden because all the animal predators have returned to do it for you. If you are comparing the cost of the two methods, you have to include all the costs of all the chemicals you use versus the cost of only using organic fertilizer. Is one better than the other? Consider the ideas above to decide for yourself. I use organics because I am cheap and lazy but I want the lawn to look nice. Turns out it is one of the nicer lawns in the neighborhood.

Produce that tastes great does so because it is mineral rich. So far as minerals go it hardly matters how they get there - whether they are synthesized or from mined sources - but the plants won't get to sophisticated levels of carb production without high levels of microbes to grab and digest the minerals for them.

A lot of interesting info here, and obviously plenty of room for debate. I don't have near the knowledge many of you do but I can share my personnel experience as a hobbyist gardner. For several decades I have refused to use pesticides, just basically not liking the idea of using poisons. Knowing that a healthy plant is more successful in fighting disease and pests I would use chemical fertilizers to help keep my plants healthy. Well unfortunately, or maybe fortunately I was forced into early retirement and the last couple of years I have had a lot more time for hobby stuff. I started composting, having readily available lots of leaf and green matter in the yard. Then I started learning more about soil biology by poking around the web (that's how I found this place). So I decided to up the game and go 100% organic, relying only on my compost, and compost teas. My plants were easily just as if not more healthy than previous years, but the thing I noticed most was it seemed I had more beneficial insects in the garden. A couple of years I tried to introduce lady bugs for the occasional aphid problem. They would just fly away never to be seen again. This year no aphids but I kept seeing the random ladybug. Additionally I have found it hugely satisfying and feel a more complete cycle between my garden and my table. I am increasing my knowledge and experience of composting, and feel my compost is becoming better with every batch by adding simple things such as alfalfa and seaweed (always take my pack when I visit the ocean). Having a microscope I have also been able to see for myself the change and increase of microbial life in my soil and assume that will lead to a more healthy relationship between plant and soil. Now I have to find someone to give my leftover chemical ferts to..

There is no need to 'remove' any kind of soil unless it is contaminated by something. Clay soil is perfectly decent soil for many reasons that is just sometimes difficult to work or that sometimes drains poorly. Skip adding any additional bagged soil (unnecessary unless you are just plain short of soil) and amend with any kind of organic matter to lighten and improve drainage. Any of the Kellogg products (and their sister labels, Master Nursery and Gardner&Bloome) will work perfectly well for this purpose but if you need to amend a large area, it will always be far less expensive to purchase in bulk, rather than bagged. And I trust you are amending over a large area rather than individual planting holes - you want to create a broad uniform texture, not pockets of enriched soil.