Posted: 3/31/2011 4:12:25 PM EDT
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I bought a bag of garden soil (one cubic yard). I'm going to add 1/3 vermiculite. Should I make up the other 1/3 with peat moss or manure or compost (or some combination of that)? |
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I use all raised beds and have gone to strictly about a 65/35 compost peat mix. I just got 10 4cf bags of vermiculite I will be mixing in as I plant new crops.
The veggies in the pure compost / peat mix are some of the best I've ever grown. I used to just mix compost in with my native soil and got okay to good results but after seeing what the new method does I will replace all my old soil with the new mix. Also I add Azomite rock dust and green sand to the mix to replace all the micronutrients and minerals that our soils are lacking. The " Mel's Mix " method of 1/3 compost (made from at least 5 different composts) 1/3 peat and 1/3 vermiculite is a good start IMHO but if everything that goes into the compost is lacking in minerals then the compost will be lacking it too. That and decent organic fertilizers that contain mycorrhizae and other beneficial fungi all work together to create a healthy soil for the plants to grow in. You just don't get that in commercial fertilizers. JMO but it is working well for me. |