The above two comments indicate an acceptance of pollution that should not exist today, some 40 years after the first Earth Day, but it does exist. Since there have been no real studies about the affects of plastic in the garden we really do not know what might happen. There are those that believe plastics are inert and might be useful for loosening compacted soils, but we do know that some hard plastics release BPA in liquids. The Food And Drug Administration sets limits on how much plastics touching our food can release under the assumption that these are harmful to humans. While plastics should not be in the soil of an organic grower what might be there is probably in small enough quantities to be of little harm. Some years ago some heavy metals were of great concern until we learned that plants do not uptake them, although if in the soil they may attach to the skins of root crops where they would be a concern.

Hi, I am somewhat dissapointed today,,,,, I got my compost delivered and generally the quality seems fine. Inside of the 10 tons pile its really warm. When I showel it into my wheelbarrow it´s steaming. It smells as well "good". BUT,,,,,,, I have a problem with bringig it to my lawn,,,,,, there is pieces of roots, wood, bark in the compost which are apparentely still worked by bacteria and fungi. Those pieces are warm as well and feel soft. But if I bring this on my lawn , the wood-pieces will stay on top of the turf and only smallest pieces sink onto the soil. Even if I brush it in different directions, back and forward..... What can I do? Leave the compost on a pile until the wood decomposes further ? Or "filter" the bigger pieces from the smaller ones (lots of work probably). My father in law opts for anyhow throwing the compost to the lawn,,,,,,,,, but its not him that is going to ruin his new lawn-mower cutting bark, wood and roots with the next lawnmowing.... Any info welcome,,,, Thanks & a nice weekend,,,,,

When I had to fill four cinderblock raised beds, approx. 20 feet by 4 feet by 18inches high, I took the plunge and got a delivery from a local farm. It was rather expensive for my taste, but for me was easier than making 100 trips for bagged stuff, and in the long run probably wasn't that much more expensive after all, when you consider time and gas, etc. Of course, your bed is smaller, so doable with bags. If you really want to finish this today, I would think you'd have to go with bagged stuff, unless you can get a delivery today. I can't help you with the clay soil question, but I put a link below that might help with calculating what you need. I'm clueless at figuring out this kind of thing, so these calculators really help me. Hope this helps, and good luck with your new bed! Dee Here is a link that might be useful: calculator

this has been an odd thread to watch develop. dustin, you gotta settle down. You can garden for years and just barely scratch the surface of knowing what you are doing, and really, all you learn is how to manage the conditions you have. you can know a lot about how to grow...but know very little about how to grow in a new situation, a new set of conditions. The original post is about high levels of certain nutrients. Original Poster later states that these nutrients exist in multiple forms, and not all forms are as available to the plant as others. Then later, laments the fact that he has toxic levels of these nutrients...but no indication of which of multiple forms are present. It's like there are two different people posting. Or that this whole thing is a rabbit hole. Normally, for beginners, my advice is water, weed, keep a journal. Learn. The success of gardening in the first few years is only to a small degree measured by the produce. It's really about the learning, but you don't realize that until later. My advice here is, get a crash course in learning to diagnose plant problems by sight. Ortho problem solver is a good place to start, the big one. Then...despite the lament of too much of whatever...have you tried fertilizer* when your plants have shown signs of distress? Not a lot, just a little, just to see what the response would be? Sounds strange when your soil test says you have a lot...but you can die of thirst in the ocean. Just because you have it does not mean you have proper amounts of the right form...and as long as you don't get a proper soil test, you will never know. *I'm not offering legal advice. Disclaimer not needed, but will be provided anyway. Can't wait to hear the distress that will be created because I recommended a book with ortho in the title. Your complaint about your compost measuring high is kinda like complaining that your mattress is too soft because you have soft sheets. You are stuck on half the story, and you're constantly hitting repeat.