If you need a quantity, you want to find a bulk soil product rather than bagged - bagged soils will run you at least 3-4 times the price regardless of quality. And you probably do not need all compost - a planting mix or some combo of soil with added organic matter is better than 100% compost for raised beds. Don't let folks make you feel guilty about buying soil or compost. Not everyone has the luxury of time or space or ingredients or ability (or even community permission) to make their own compost or in the quantities required. And you cannot "make" soil so if you need to fill a bunch of raised beds, importing soil is the only reasonable alternative. Folks in very urban areas do it all the time and it is becoming more and more common in suburban locations, especially those with small lot sizes and crummy native soils. Check this place out - they are throughout CA and look to have a decent product. They deliver themselves but only on large orders but they also supply various retail outlets. Call and see who might be available close to you. If THEY don't deliver, rent a pickup from uHaul or wherever or borrow a friend's.......it will still come out cheaper than buying umpteen bags. The Premium Planter Mix is what I'd go with............or you can do a part load of that and a part load of the compost. Check the analyses first :-) Here is a link that might be useful: SoCal bulk soil supplier

OK... I give up. Due to years of mulching with organic materials and watering my glacier slurry/subsoil has improved to the point where I can dig in it with a shovel. YeeeeeHawwwww ! I am re-working all of the beds because of the addition of some new roses and the deletion of others that do not thrive in this garden. I understand about decomposing compost ... I found out the hard way. My native soil is mostly clay and small rocks. Where it once was dead, it is now live soil with plenty of worms and fungi. Do I need to purchase sandy loam to rebuild these beds properly ? jo_pyeweed ..... please forgive me if it seems like I am hijacking your thread. At least I am on the same topic. Smiles, Lyn

A followup on my garden - I've been having lots of problems with the new garden beds I built with the manure amended soil I purchased earlier this year (see post in January). I was seeing weird growth, like a virus, but it was affecting only plants in beds with the new soil. After doing some research and speaking to the Extension office - it seems that my nice soil which had been amended with cow manure apparently is contaminated with Grazon - an herbicide used on animal hay because it kills pigweed and other broad-leaved weeds. It doesn't hurt the cows, passes right through them into the manure. The manure takes anywhere from a year to several to lose the toxicity of the herbicide... So, instead of terrific beans, cowpeas, potatoes, etc. I have twisted and deformed plants... I'm hoping to let others know about this phenomena - it's apparently well-known in the industry. Too bad I didn't know... Cindy Here is a link that might be useful: Warning about herbicides in manures...

read about hugelkultur. it will make the best possible soil for you, and you can start with terrible soil, the microflora will come. Tree companies will happily give you rotting wood for free. I once had to dig up an apple tree felled by deer, I had planted it with four spent mushroom logs underneath in awful soil (construction soil dumped in the place which became my orchard). Only one year, and the soil was fine and crumbly. Now all my spent logs get buried in my garden.