To the notion that wood chip mulch "ties up" nitrogen in soil, I provide the following from Linda Chalker-Scott of Washington State University (full reference linked below) Concern: Wood chip mulches will tie up nitrogen and cause deficiencies in plants. Evidence: Actually, many studies have demonstrated that woody mulch materials increase nutrient levels in soils and/or associated plant foliage. My hypothesis is that a zone of nitrogen deficiency exists at the mulch/soil interface, inhibiting weed seed germination while having no influence upon established plant roots below the soil surface. For this reason, it is inadvisable to use high C:N mulches in annual beds or vegetable gardens where the plants of interest do not have deep, extensive root systems. As I noted, if incorporated into the soil before they have decomposed, wood chips can divert soil N sources away from plants. That can be dealt with via supplemental N additions along with any un-decomposed wood chips being incorporated into the soil. When applied as a mulch there is absolutely no adverse effect on soil N. Building soil OM in a permanent planting bed via topdressing with either mulch or compost does take time. My experience in the clay soils in TX is that the use of supplemented wood mulch or compost as a mulch will have comparable effects in approximately the same amount of time. Wood chip mulch of very high quality, aged at least 6 months, is far more readily available and cheaper than comparable amounts of compost, which if purchased is often of very questionable quality. About the only alternative to topdressing and the time it takes is to remove the plants, amend the soil, then replant. Here is a link that might be useful: Chalker-Scott on Wood Chip Mulch This post was edited by TXEB on Sat, Sep 7, 13 at 9:49

There are numerous soil providers in the vicinity. The City of Tacoma itself provides TAGRO soil products comprised of yard waste and biosolids and are available bagged or in bulk by pick up or delivery. Cedar Grove composting is located in nearby Maple Valley and provides a certified organic compost to various parts of the Puget Sound area, again available bagged or in bulk. There is also H&B Topsoil on Portland Avenue and G&L Bark and Supply. I would avoid 100% compost for the raised beds - too rich and will shrink significantly in volume. What is ideal is a soil mix that includes both a mineral soil and organic matter in appropriate concentrations. Look for something called 3-way mix or garden planting mix - most bulk soil suppliers will offer something like this. Cedar Grove's Vegetable Garden mix is about ideal for your purposes. Some suppliers require a minimum delivery amount that may exceed what you need or can use. You can either share a delivery with neighbors or if access to a pick up, haul your own. Here is a link that might be useful: Cedar Grove veggie mix

Where I have bought my plants: I have focused on getting my plants at the best prices I could. 1). Native plants. Madronas, vine maples: Watershed Garden Works. (wholesale nursery, but will sell to retail customers) 2). Lilacs: a).Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens (during lilac festival) b). Means Nursery (limited selection, but if they happen to have one you like they are cheap) c). Tsugawa Nursery d). Lowes (you can get some nice ones at half price on closeout around June or July.) Got a nice Natchez Crape Myrtle and Goldfinger Potentilla there on closeout also. 3). Azaleas: a). Encore Azaleas are my favorite. Available at most local nurseries, but there are so many varieties they tend to only have a few. The last ones I got I bought by mail order from gardenerdirect.com so I could choose exactly the one I wanted. They were reasonable at $20 each for 1 gallon (same as you can find them for locally) adding shipping bumped the price up to $25 each, which was still pretty reasonable considering I got to pick exactly the one I wanted. 4).Crape Myrtles: Al’s Garden Center. They carry a lot of them and some are at really good prices. Wasn’t able to find the Midnight Magic locally so I bought some by mail order from soonerplantfarms.com, but they were pricey- small ones for about $35 each. I see that evergreennursery.com offers some very inexpensive so I would go with them if I hadn’t already bought them. I plan to order a few Moonlight Magics from evergreennursery. 5). Parrotia Persica: Big ones at a low price at Tsugawa. 6). Trachycarpus Wagnerianus: (Temple Palm) Cistus Nursery (Portland Nursery also has them but they are more expensive) 7). Unusual camellias: Sometimes Cistus Nursery has some nice ones like Black Opal and Zigzag, the prices are good. I have gotten some nice Zigzags and a Donation Camellia by mail order from Gossler Farms. 8). Popular Camellias: Portland Nursery gets a ton of them in the fall, the 1 gallon Monrovias are affordable at $20. On the bigger ones you may find you can get a better price at a place like Tsugawa, although they won’t have as many varieties. 9). Indian Hawthorn: Got a Majestic Beauty at Farmington Gardens, only place I could find one. Portland Nursery and Al’s Garden Center carry some dwarf varieties from Monrovia in 1 gallon at an affordable $13 or so. 10). Magnolias: I wanted an inexpensive Butterflies Magnolia. Whitman Farms of Salem (primarily a mail order nursery) had on their plant catalog a 1 gallon for $25, but they were out. Portland Nursery had a 1 gallon on their pricelist for about $23 but they were also out. 11). Flowering Quince: Got some really tiny Scarlet Storms mail order from Hirt’s for about $12 each. Tsugawa has quite a few of a more regular size at a reasonable price. 12). Roses: Portland Nursery has a ton. Tsugawa has quite a few also. In general good sized roses are in the $20-25 range so it’s not necessarily worth shopping around that much, although I got a bare root Blue Girl at Lowes for something like $8. These are the best sources I have found for shrubs and trees. If you are looking for annuals and perennials there are additional nurseries, for example Joy Creek, that would be worth trying.

Bruce (Bendback50) knows what he's talking about and is absolutely correct that P. hawayana and A. gracilis are one and the same. This is not opinion, but fact. Earthworms are often re-classified when it is discovered that their physiology more closely resembles a different group or when new families or genera are added to the taxonomic lists. A. gracilis is a species that has been caught in this re-classification loop on more than one occasion, thus it is known by many names, most of which are outdated. The current correct name is Amynthas gracilis. Stay tuned, however, because getting taxonomists to agree and settle on a classification is akin to hearding cats... There is no one worm type or species that is generally "best" for buliding soil. While we break them out into the categories endogeic, anecic and epigeic, most worms have characteristics similar to those of the other categories. For instance, Lumbricus rubellus is categorized as an epigeic worm and performs and grows best in surface debris, but it can and often does burrow surprisingly deeply. The defining lines between species categories are not firm, but are rather blurry in many cases. It takes worms from all categories working in all areas of soil to maximize soil health. Determining whether an epigeic or endogeic species is best for you soil at a given point is akin to trying to determine which came first, the ckicken or the egg. Endogeic worms feed in soil that has decayed OM worked into the matrix; epigeic and anecic species decay that surface debris so it can be worked into the matrix. Which should come first? That is a question only the worms can answer. It is for this reason that adopting the "if you build it they will come" approach is usually the best idea. Create conditions suitable to worm activity; keep the soil well mulched and moist, avoid chemicals and tilling where possible, and the right worms will arrive at just the right times. Lastly, and most pragmatically, there are no sources of endogeic worms for sale, and even if there were, there is no guarantee that the species being sold would be appropriate to your particular soil type. So, mulch, mulch, mulch, get roots in the ground (plant roots encourage soil biology), avoid disturbing the soil as much as is practical, and let the worms do what worms do! Make sense? Kelly S