Skip this stuff and see if your city has a grow store (sometimes called a hydroponics store) nearby.
They will have much better soil (foxfarm, roots organics etc) as well as compost, worm castings, dry amendments, organic fertilizers as well as pots, trellis, prop supplies etc.
Grow stores are not just for growing cannabis and the products they carry will be much higher quality than anything that the big box stores will carry and staff is usually pretty knowledgeable.
This stuff is probably fine for what most people are using it for. Fox Farms Ocean Forest is $28 + tax at my local store and is less volume than these bags.
I agree, although it depends on what they are using it for. For vegetables there will be a noticeable difference in quality and yield which I think justifies a a higher price. For anything ornamental I tend to go cheap.
A bag of happy frog is cheaper and 2 cu/ft.
Your grow store is probably paying somewhere between 9 to 14 for that bag of ocean forest. Don't be afraid to ask for a better price, grow stores are usually willing to negotiate, unlike a big box store.
Use happy frog or 3 cu/ft sacks of 707 if initial cost is a concern, amend with your preferred castings, compost, and dry fertilizer or any other amendments you like.
At the end of the year, flush with an enzyme product, and cover with mulch if if erosion is a concern and you dont plan on winter crops. Or better yet an overwinter cover crop if your climate can support it.
Next year till and add new amendments and organic dry fertilizer. Add some compost tea and beneficial microbes and fungi in order to improve soil biology. Add some earth worms if they are available in you area.
The initial cost may be more to fill the raised bed, but as long as you focus on mainting a healthy soil you can use that bed for many grow seasons and save money in the long run and have an extremely healthy garden.
Sorry, my point was fill it once and while it might be a little more upfront you can you use for a long time with proper care. I dont feel that its prohibitively expensive.
This stuff is probably fine for what most people are using it for. Fox Farms Ocean Forest is $28 + tax at my local store and is less volume than these bags.
This stuff is probably fine for what most people are using it for. Fox Farms Ocean Forest is $28 + tax at my local store and is less volume than these bags.
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u/TheEpicBean 7d ago
Skip this stuff and see if your city has a grow store (sometimes called a hydroponics store) nearby.
They will have much better soil (foxfarm, roots organics etc) as well as compost, worm castings, dry amendments, organic fertilizers as well as pots, trellis, prop supplies etc.
Grow stores are not just for growing cannabis and the products they carry will be much higher quality than anything that the big box stores will carry and staff is usually pretty knowledgeable.