Raised bed garden going bad? Where do I buy compost?

vette1966

13 years ago

Guys,

I live in Kokomo, IN & I want to purchase 100 sq ft (100) 40# of the best composed soil available for my raised bed garden project.

I checked the big box stores & top soil is going for $1.50 / bag.

Horse manure & peat moss cost a $1.75 / bag.

I had a dump truck load of "good black" top soil deliver last fall & had to send it back because it was 80% clay.

I also called the country recycling for "free compost" & was told it goes 5 min after it is delivered. It was recommended for flower but not for eatables because it has the sewer treatment compost & other unwanted chemicals.

Here are my questions:

1. What mixture of the above soil, manure & peat moss is the best for the garden?

2. Can the composed soil be delivered to my home via truck & where to I purchased it?

Thanks!

Andy

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Comments (6)

jean001a
13 years ago
In my region, the folks who sell bulk soil (and perhaps stones) also have various amendments.

Check the Yellow Pages.
Kimmsr
13 years ago
Before purchasing anything labeled "topsoil" think about what it is you expect it to be. Since you already returned something being sold as "topsoil" since it was 80 percent clay would you expect other sources of "topsoil" to supply anything much different?
A good garden soil will have about 92 percent mineral and about 8 percent organic matter which can be compost, leaf mold, shredded leaves, etc. I would not rely on the sellers assurances that what the seller is selling is what I want and have asked for about a 1 cup sample to test myself using this simple test.
Soil test for organic matter. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top
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Scotty66 - "Dirt" and "soil" are typically used interchangeably. Soil does have an actual definition and an entire science behind it, although I am not all that knowledgeable on the subject, as I mentioned in my first post. But I do know that compost and soil are NOT the same thing, and compost is not the same thing as a mixture of peat moss, coir, and perlite or vermiculite, as another person suggested. Compost (if it's purely compost from kitchen and yard waste) lacks the minerals found in both natural soil AND potting soil. It breaks down to one important element of soil, humus. I didn't really think that things simply *can't* grow in compost only... if that were the case, weeds would never grow on the pile, and I often see that when people have piles they just allow to sit. But, based on what I have read, it's not generally an optimal growing medium. I can grow certain plants in a glass of water, but that doesn't mean that's the optimal medium for their growth. I also don't think that an unamended bale of straw is the best medium for long-term growth of plants. It's definitely not "dirt" even if you can grow in it. Interesting experiment JH, to prove that things can grow well! I do wonder whether there is a difference between growing solely in compost in a closed container, and growing solely in compost which is sitting on natural soil or crushed rocks, or next to such a surface (to allow for adequate drainage.) Jon's experiment aside, a raised bed filled with compost but open to the ground is different from planting in only compost. If I had huge amounts of compost and didn't want to spend money to purchase additional soil, then I would probably try to plant in only the compost. But, since that is not the case, I prefer to add soil. In the case of someone wanting to compost in the raised beds... adding soil or some amendments will likely be a necessity, if for no other reason that that compost piles shrink dramatically and it will be difficult to make enough compost in the beds to fill the beds by spring.
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I think your answer is pretty simple and you recognized it right off the bat :-) It IS a nitrogen deficiency and it is caused by the mulch. Wood-based mulches, and especially those that are quite fine, tie up nitrogen availablity at the soil surface, or if incorporated even accidentally into the soil, further down into the soil level. This is seldom a concern with larger woody or perennial plants but can be a real issue with annuals or shallowly rooted veggies. Change the mulch or supplement with a high nitrogen fertilizer to offset. Since nitrogen is extremely mobile in the soil, you may need to do this repeatedly during the growing season. A couple of other issues: compost is compost :-) Once it is fully composted, it doesn't make any difference what the raw ingredients were or how wide the variety, the nutrient analysis will be very similar. Leaf mold or just composted leaves is a very desirable (and expensive to purchase) soil amendment and has an NPK analysis very similar to that of a mixed ingredient compost. And finished or aged compost of any kind will have a pH of near neutral. Contrary to common belief, evidence has shown that wood mulches don't have any significant impact on soil pH either...perhaps a slight lowering at the soil surface again but not much more. And the vast majority of plants, including most veggies, will prefer a slightly to moderately acidic soil. I would agree on the soil test, however. Over the course of attempting to 'fix' your soil, you might have gotten things a bit out of whack and it is always a good idea to have a base or starting point you know from which to work in any necessary amendments.
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"how many minutes would you estimate I should water?" That's the thing right there. You really need a system in place where you can adjust timing and emitter size to give the results you need, and you determine that by trial and error, and that too varies by rainfall and plant size. I have a dead dry environment with no appreciable ground moisture and use two drip loops, the red one and the gray one, called so by the two cans of spray paint I happened to have on hand at the time. Each runs from a controlled sprinkler valve/vac breaker via 1/2" pvc tubing, and they run together everywhere. One loop is long duration and long interval, and one is short. There are cheap three dollar plastic ball valves at each bed to cut off the whole bed from the system. Each bed has a 12 inch threaded pipe coming up out of the ground and capped with a multi-barbed manifold head for 1/4" tubing. if a plant needs more water, I pop off the emitter and replace it with one with faster flow. The few things in a row like trellised peas and cukes get a long imbedded emitter drip line, but mostly it's just manifold heads with quarter inch lines snaking everywhere, so it's designed for specimen plants like toms, peppers, and squash, not bedding plants like carrots or garlic. If I had such bedding plants I'd just replace a tubing head on the short duration line with a shrub sprayer head. It's all dead simple and the whole thing probably cost $250 US. That's parts prices. 200 feet of tubing costs roughly $70 all by itself. It can be buried either in the beds or in the paths with spurs to the beds. Anywhere. I have no winter freezes so there was no reason to put a drain on the low spot. Two things. One is I have to do something like this to manage water because of the climate, but can still drag out a hose for touchups. Two, you still have to watch for clogged emitters. Three, it's easy but not mindless.
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kqcrna
13 years ago
Yes, we have the same clay here in Ohio. I have yet to find a good local source of bulk compost. I have bought bulk "soil compost mix", expensive and I swear it was nothing but clay. Most recently I bought cheap topsoil and amended it myself with my own compost (unfinished), straw, grass clippings, mixed leaves and grass clippings, UCGs, whatever I had. It turned out great. It was basically a lasagna bed but I added a few inches of soil first.

If you're not currently making your own compost, you might want to consider starting for future use.

Karen
spogarden
13 years ago
Do you have any stables or farms near by? They often have great compost & manure and sometimes will deliver it for a small fee. If you have the yard space get more than you need and let it age.
In the fall it is ok to put somewhat fresh manure on the beds, springtime you would only want well aged manure, a couple of years old.
DominicB
13 years ago
I made a new discovery this spring as I got into "I need tons of compost" mode. I live in suburban New York, an area that has quite a lot of large estates and small areas of undeveloped land. I found some spots outside people's gardens where they've been (probably illegally) dumping their grass and leaves for years, and also a large estate that had an out-of-the-way dumping spot for the same. I pushed off a matted pile of last years' grass and leaves and found black gold underneath. Not guaranteed weed seed free, but looks great and lots of it. I filled up many 5 gallon buckets over a few weeks.

You might want to check around your area, to see if there's any such place. I even took my pitchfork and gave the gigantic pile a good turn to better mix things up for future return visits.
minnieoaka
13 years ago
Hi Andy,
I live in Ga. and garden in raised beds. I don't purchase "topsoil" from big companies anymore after getting a funny smelling mix that has continually tested out VERY alkaline (Georgia has pretty consistent acidic soils and alkalinity is seldom a problem). However, I have had some good luck with having good old Georgia red clay delivered and then amending it heavily with my own compost. In fact, my raised bed with this mix produce great veggies and is about a 6.4 pH which is near perfect for my veggies. Good luck.

Raised bed garden going bad? Where do I buy compost?

Comments (6)

jean001a

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