Question Bulk soil

[Dannyvanstone]

Hi all,

I’ve just brought 4 raised garden beds. The first two I installed I got some premium soil from a landscape supplier, and it turned out to be quite acidic and full of stones.
Where’s is the best place to buy bulk soil from, I’ll need about 2 cubic meters, or what should I look for when going shopping for bulk soil?
Thank you

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

I would look for bulk potting mix, not a garden mix. Sometimes they get cheeky as garden mix doesn't have to be quite as fine as potting mix.
You could always ask if they have specifications regarding their soil, including composition, PH, and so on. They may not always have all the answers, but it can give you an idea of how "premium" it really is.

 

[Dannyvanstone]

Thank you I’ll try finding bulk potting mix. Is bull mushroom compost worth looking at?

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

I think what compost you use depends on what plants you grow. If memory serves me right mushroom compost is full of nitrogen and is also alkaline. So using it on plants that love that would do wonders I'd say.

 

[Dannyvanstone]

Awesome, thanks Mandy 🙏

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Anytime! Don't be afraid to ask questions you might run in to along the way

 

[AndrewB]

Mushroom compost is great. we use it to top any new beds, just make sure it doesn't smell too funky.

First layer is cardboard to slow any grasses, then woodchips/sawdust for about 6"/150mm, then loaded with garden scraps/compost- hit up a local supermaket for their fruit & veg waste. add that & mix in with a weed free straw to keep it from smelling bad until the bed is full, water it in well, then wait for it to sink down & top with the mushroom compost.

More of a time investment, but grows awesome vegies.

 

[shep]

hi,
i bought so called premium garden soil and it turned out not what it is described as.
next time im going to look further into it at my local landscape yard and then mix in my preferred manure/compost to give me desired results.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Oh wow! I bet you can't return it anymore either. That's ridiculous though; it should be as described.
Admittedly I noticed that even my premium soil had a bit of trace plactic in it last time though. Very odd. I wonder if something has been going on 🤔

 

[shep]

hi mandy,
it was supposed to be the top garden soil full of organic matter.it was just screened garden soil.
at the time being very new to gardening i thought it was what i needed.
the more i read up i made a few mistakes setting up my raised garden bed.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Ah that is very disappointing @shep . I hate false advertisements like that, especially for people new to gardening! I myself thought I had a black thumb, but really I was just using bad soil. Now that I'm using good quality soil my plants sometimes refuse to die, even if I want to clear them out.

We all make mistakes, heck, even pros make plenty of mistakes. But it means we have learnt something, because we recognise it. And learning is growing (as a person too).

 

[shep]

hi mandy,
i spent part of yesterday repairing my raised garden bed
mixed cow and mushroom compost together and topped up my garden bed.i followed by placing a thick layer of sugar cane mulch.
im happy with the way it looks and cant wait to see my results
previous i didnt have any mulch and top layer of soil was drying out way to much and depleting

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

That sounds awesome @shep !
Yeah mulch is definitely something good if your soil dries out too fast. It'll help you cut down on your water bill too

 

[shep]

mandy,
the more i read up on gardening the more mistakes i realise i have made along the way.
yesterday was about fixing mistakes i have made and improving my garden
it was a bonus i had a ball doing it.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

We all make mistakes, but learning from them is how we grow @shep .

If you want, you can always make your own thread on here; that way you can follow your own progress, and see how you grow. Kind of like a diary.

 

[billmc41]

Hi I recently purchased couple cubic metres of organic compost premium garden mix for raised beds,was too fine,water wasn’t penetrating,needed loads sand to mix in,back breaking.

 

[Tish]

Hi! So, I'm on vulgar clay soil now, lost one season to rain and the next to heartbreak, so I collected my garden beds, dug out a nice little well at the bottom (so the bed sits at ground level but the bottom is actually about a foot down) and bought bulk 'organic mix' soil to fill them. This was the cheat/headstart I needed. On top, I actually used premium vegetable bags where I put my plants. I figure that because I'm cheating anyway, this will buy me the time I need to get the beds going, and whatever is in the bulk stuff won't upset my plants. I'm doing something similar where my pumpkin/zucchini/cucumber patch will be - I have mounded up the dug out clay, mixed in a fair whack of gypsum and I'll be making big wells in it and filling it with bag mix where the plants are going. Once the season is over I'll be getting cheap bulk mulch from either the same place or an arborist and covering the dirt to give it a chance to rest while some organic material is composting on top. I have worms and a compost bin, so by the time next season starts I should be fairly self sufficient as far as dirt goes. I'll let you know if it worked!

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

There is no cheating when it comes to gardening. You're doing something and getting results. All you're doing is giving yourself the headstart you needed to make gardening enjoyable, which is awesome! So many people quit when they struggle too hard, but finding a solution and allowing yourself to love what you do is amazing