Yes, Al, we can discuss just about anything on this thread having to do with these containers. I want to learn more so whatever will help me is fair game! Ok, if I understand this, the ideal is a soil that doesn't maintain perched water but still holds enough moisture for plant health. The next best thing would be a soil with a very minimal PWL. I've looked at your recipes for soil mixes and they look good but I suspect the average suburban homeowner (my students) isn't going to the trouble to make up a soil with ingredients that hard to come by. Do you have any suggestions for amending Mel's mix or some commercial potting soil that will work in these beds with solid bottoms? I don't remember seeing pine bark fines in the local stores, but can't say they don't have them since I've never actually looked... on my list of things to do this weekend! Is there something else that would help that's more readily available? Farkee, I've been gardening since I was knee high to my dad when he had a small truck farm (mumble, mumble) years ago, mostly in large row-type gardens. I knew about intensive gardening but always thought it looked like even more work than I was already doing. Then I found Mel's book and knew I had the answer for my current garden. I've gone from a 3000 square foot garden to two SF beds of about 40 sf each. I'm planning to build another bed this summer, soon enough to plant a few things for a fall garden I hope. I'll never be able to match the production of the big garden but then again I don't have a big family at home anymore to eat all of it and I don't have the energy for it either. Now I try to persuade everybody that the principle behind SF gardening is the way to go, especially for suburbanites who have flower beds that can easily be converted or all that lawn that's just pretty but unproductive. It seems to have become something of a mission in life! LOL Sandy

I got it at IFA (Intermountain Farmer's Association). I bought out the Salt Lake, and Draper stores. I also got some from the Riverton store, and I know that as of two weeks ago, they still had some. I would call around to the other stores and see if they still have some from last year. They will sell you last year's bags for $5.00. If they are out of last year's, I know they will shortly be getting their shipment of new Mel's Mix for this year. Those bags will be around $10 for 2 cubic feet. I priced everything out, and figured that even at $10, it was about the same price as making my own mix, but without the effort of having to mix it myself. To me, that's totally worth it! Good luck!

As suggested in Mel's second book, My wife and I used a large cheap plastic tarp (about 25x15) to mix the ingrediants. On a calm day (wind will blow the tarp around) we started with mixing the composts first by pouring a line of each compost down the middle of the tarp from 5 gallon buckets (6 buckets equal 4 cubic feet) then pulled the ends of the tarp back and forth a bunch of times until it was mixed. Then we added the 4 cubic feet of vermiculite and the 2 cubic feet of compressed peat moss (which we loosened up in buckets to get the 4 cubic feet uncompressed) and poured these onto the tarp and then pulled the ends of the tarp back and forth again until everthing was mixed. We dragged the tarp closer to the garden and then used the 5 gallon buckets as shovels and scooped it into the (empty) raised garden bed. Every inch or two we put down, we wetted it thoroughly. When the tarp was almost empty, We just lifted it up and slid the rest of the mix into the garden.

Yeah, technically compost IS fertilizer, but you may have to add a little additional fertilizer to supplement. No two compost batches are the same and depending on what you are growing and the quality of your compost and the variety of veggies you are growing (heavy feeders, light feeders, etc), I would start out with what you have and then wait and see how things go....but be prepared to add a little supplement during the growing season. I always amend my soil with some fertilizer (originally started out with Osmocote but now use a granular organic brand) along with my compost/manure. During the growing season, I may add a dose of fish emulsion as well or side-dress with some additional granular fertilizer. (I garden year-round and always have to be concerned with depleting my soil. My garden beds never get a rest period.) So relax! Enjoy our garden and learn what best works for YOUR garden and expect successes and failures. You learn from both and become a better gardener as a result! Remember, this is supposed to be FUN! :^P