Don't Buy Soil to Amend Soil!

[@chesterhobbs7244]

Your channel is my No. 1 source of quality gardening information. You are such a blessing to the gardening community.

[@MadCityBells]

So glad there's some sensible advice on gardening on KZbin! Thank you!

[@definitelyevan3974]

I recently took a bulb auger and drilled 40 holes 2 feet deep into my poor draining clay low area. I then filled it with a slurry mixture of composted leaf, peat moss, biochar and manure. The holes are about 2 inches apart. The last heavy rain we had seemed to absorb everything? I had almost zero runoff. Something else notable was the growth on my 2 willow oaks. The oak closest to the amended area has outpaced the other by over a foot and they were the exact same size up until the experiment. More to come

[@crazysquirrel9425]

When you have hard clay soil (aka hardpan) or mostly sand, you have little choice but to buy soil amendments. At least for a long while. Most people do not have the time or space to make their own soil.

[@jodibraun6383]

You could break up your soil by planting a cover crop of daikon radish in the fall & letting it overwinter. The radish breaks down over the winter, and the root itself is so large that it gradually breaks up the clay as it grows. Then, organic matter is added when it breaks down. It's a bit inconvenient to lose an entire growing area for the fall season, but might be worth trying.

[@wesleyhackney]

Thanks again for common sense advice which is hard to get anywhere else these days

[@Aswaguespack]

In 2021 Hurricane Ida hit our coastal region and I didn’t do any vegetable gardening as I was too busy with repairs on our Home. I let my garden go and I allowed it to go wild. Winter came and killed all the vegetation in the garden which I just ground up and worked back into the soil with some added composted rabbit manure I get for free. This spring the garden is back and doing fine although the organic matter added will help with drainage and will continue to break down and assist with the development of healthy soil bacteria (at least that’s what I hope for 😉) so adding organic matter is a long process it helps with drainage more immediately and slowly helps with soil chemistry and soil health in the long term. Plus it’s cheaper than cheap -it’s free! 👍🏻

[@blondienewton4669]

We built garden beds last year, and we bought 6 yards of what we were told was screened topsoil. What they showed us at the nursery was not what they delivered. They refused to take it back and We had no choice but to use it. You should see the weeds that we now have in the garden bed this year. I hope we can amend it this year.

[@Bob-w2b8j]

This is my fear with ordering bulk from a landscape supply company. It's probably half the price to order bulk, but I also see mixed reviews on the product. Personally I'd rather pay extra to get a palette of omri certified stuff, although I don't love getting a bunch of stuff in plastic bags. Some companies will sell a big tote of their product, like fox farm has a 55 cubic foot tote of ocean forest for example, but I can't find any company in the area that sells that size. Anyway good luck, I hope you can fix the problem with the soil they gave you

[@blondienewton4669]

@@Bob-w2b8j We amended this year with compost and manure. In the past I have bought bags of Kellogg's raised garden bed soil mix and it's really nice. But to fill 3 6x4 beds and one 3x4 bed would have cost way more than I had to spend. I don't understand why these nurseries do this whole bait-and-switch thing. We were willing to pay what it cost, and what they showed us looked really nice, but they delivered what I would call 'fill'. Needless to say, they will never see our money again. We pulled all the weeds, added manure and compost, and planted our plants. I'm hoping for a good garden this year.

[@marcuslarson5313]

Thank you! Thank you! It drives me crazy to see this. Maybe if all new gardeners learned to grow cover crops for the first year or two. It would make them so much better at gardening. I know it would have me.

[@erntaku]

When I first started my in-ground garden a few years ago, my "soil" wasn't even soil. Our plot was nothing but dead, sandy, clay fill-dirt. I had to buy 4 or 5 bags of Kellog's "Garden Soil" and till it into my native dirt. In my experience, products labeled "garden soil" have never listed any king of inorganics (sand/clay) in the ingredients. There's no way I would have been able to grow anything in our native dirt. Now that I've been growing for a few years, I've managed to produce my own compost to amend my beds with. But just starting out, buying amendments was the only way to go.

[@Bob-w2b8j]

That's exactly my plan as well. I haven't seen any omri certified product that has anything like sand or clay in it, it's usually composted wood, compost, and other amendments. Maybe he's talking about low quality soils or something. For me I have soil that's mostly sand, so my plan is to pay extra just one time to do a one-time amendment, then make my own compost and mulch from there. I think that's the way to go if you have really crappy soil

[@jonfranklin9361]

I agree with what you said 100 percent. I have to purchase soil , my back farm lot is contaminated with metal, glass, old wires, anything else you can think of. Just yesterday I removed 30 gallon barrel of trash from 14x 8 area.

[@alyssa0411]

I recently moved into a housing tract. They basically stripped all the topsoil and left me with a mix of extremely dense clay mixed with rocks. Knowing that wasn’t the most attractive thing to leave the homeowners with, they threw about an inch of bark mulch on top to give you the appearance of a nicer looking back yard. Now I came in all ready to add some more greenery to the yard, (because who wants just a rectangular shape of sod in their yard) and I quickly found that I couldn’t really dig that deep without a fight. This clay is awful! I need a pick ax to make a hole in some areas for shrubs. When it’s wet, it’s very heavy and sticky. When it’s dry, it’s almost as hard as a rock. I could easily make pottery with this stuff. I tested the drainage by making a large hole and filling it with water, over a day later, the water was still in the hole. What do I do? I spent a whole summer throwing bags of soil conditioner and garden soil into garden beds. I planted green manure and turned them under before they went to seed. My soil is a little better, but still very heavy with chunks of clay.

[@garyolsen6299]

Use compost on top in the late fall. Maybe add some horse feed alfalfa .

[@spir5102]

I have been waiting for years for someone to say what you said! I’ve never understood buying dirt when I’ve got almost 7 acres of dirt for free! I find myself, after seeing all these ads and videos about buying soil, wondering if there’s something wrong with me because I refuse to pay good money for dirt! I would love videos showing how you actually amend your soil to make it better. Also, I’ve pondered how to get dirt on my property without creating a big hole to fall into. Can you talk about where you get your soil on your own property to move it to your garden? Thanks.

[@Alex_Plante]

100% agree. I`m slowly converting my garden to raised beds, but one problem with raised beds, is that only 2/3 of the garden is gardenable, so to compensate I also have to expand my vegetable garden. Since my vegetable garden is in a low-lying part of my yard that drains badly, I have to raise the ground level by about 6 to 8 inches, before building the raised beds. So yes, I'm getting soil. I mix in some sand, compost and some of my original soil. Soil that is both sandy and high in organic material is easy to work with. For example, you can easily harvest potatoes and other root crops using a pitch fork, you do not need to dig them out. I also agree with you about weed fabric or geotextile. I hate that stuff in gardens. I have 2 exceptions though: under stone patios, and along a very young cedar hedge that will one day get much wider. You can also use it under raised beds if you have plants nearby (such as blackberries and raspberries) that spread aggressively through the ground.

[@evelynkowalski3716]

Thank you sir for giving us this true blue, old school advice, I really appreciate the time and effort you have taken to bring this to our attention. Your transparency speaks volumes. God bless you abundantly

[@marky3131]

Well said!! It’s crazy how many folks just buy soil to improve their gardens

[@ke6ucr]

Thank you! I was wondering about what to do and you answered my questions.

[@MrsGator7]

I buy hummus in the big yellow bag from Soil3

[@js4135]

Very helpful! Thanks! I've made compost tea everyday from manure and it works great. This shows that extended brewing is unproductive and you can brew more tea from the brewing reduction.

[@michaelboom7704]

Been making compost 3-4 different way for the last few years, love the differences.

[@firecloud77]

The roots from my neighbor's gigantic fir tree have invaded about 1/3rd of my garden space, so I can only grow crops in containers (mostly 27-gallon totes). I don't use any soil in them. I use Sunshine Mix #4 soilless mix. It produces superb crops -- with the help of synthetic and organic fertilizers, of course.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Add some soil to reduce watering. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipaaZnald9KMmJY

[@reneethomson3202]

I’d like to get your suggestions on what I should do here in Hockley , Texas. We bought a property in May of 2021. It’s 1.73 acre . The previous owners and the realtor dummied up the back part of the property with topsoil. But the property is slightly lower than the two properties around us. The owners built a water ditch that stays dry most of the year, but fills quickly if we get heavy rains. That area is very compacted and has severe erosion. Im trying to make the ground more absorbent. I’ve built up one part of the man made pond area. ( which was too expensive) . Since I have so much erosion, shouldn’t I build it up while trying to improve the absorption?

[@stephenchallis1592]

Thank you for another excellent video.

[@rosythivierge752]

i was about to buy soil haha thank you i don’t need to

[@judymckerrow6720]

Thank you Mr. P. I thought the organic matter in my soil was bad at 4.3 % but I guess not horrible. 🌷💚🙃

[@eleanoraddy4683]

This is the first time i knew what you were going to say!

[@jeremiahembs5343]

I tried getting compost this year for my sandy desert soil. The home depot and lowes in our city doesn't carry it at all. Tons of garden soil. No compost at all. Eventually I had to order some so called "super compost" in small bags and pick it up, but it's still not enough volume for what I wanted. Giant bags of compost were simply not available. It's a shame.

[@MadCityBells]

We have a company that delivers purple organics compost to our driveway (without bags, saving plastic). There's a minimum purchase but it's not much. Check if there's a similar company near you. I just googled 'mulch compost delivery near me'.

[@sbffsbrarbrr]

I would agree with the other commenter that having compost delivered is much more economical than bags. If you go this route, ask how they make the compost and how long it's been aged. If you can't use all the compost and have the space, you can just save for next year or use it up in the fall as mulch on your beds.

[@bonnies8018]

Thank you for the very clear advice. I am somewhat afraid to use any amendments with manure in them because I don't want those pesticides that will stunt the growth of my veggies. Do I really need to be afraid of this? I hear so many the horror stories. I just got your book so I can't be fooled by all the marketing gimics I keep stumbling on regarding soil or mix, etc.

[@JWHealing]

I think if you can find a brand that you know carefully sources their manure you're good. We have a local garden center that is careful in choosing their amendment brands. They have one brand of composted chicken manure they sell and this one employee I know isn't lying says he uses it all the time on his veggies. I've used it too w/good results. All their employees are gardeners.

[@bonnies8018]

@@JWHealing Thank you, Janet. I will check with my local garden centers. That makes it easier.

[@XchelRocks]

I live in an area that is sandy soil (zone 9), should I remove some soil and replace with compost?

[@billsnyder6945]

What is the alternative to landscape fabric to get rid of bindweed in wood chips?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Roundup or other herbicide. landscape fabric will not get rid of bindweed, nor will 6 feet of wood chips.

[@billsnyder6945]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 this is in an area next to a vegetable garden that I want to expand into. Surprised you advocate roundup, would you use it in and around your own gardens and not worry about residuals? I have read bindweed can be killed by depriving of light although it takes a while.

[@janetbeach2762]

I live in zone 10 central Florida. My soil is mostly sand. I have a large oak tree. Many compost bins. What to do to make better soil? I have no clay.

[@Bob-w2b8j]

Lots and lots of organic matter, namely compost and mulch. When you see people on KZbin who are really into gardening in Florida, they always talk about getting yearly drop offs of a bunch of cubic yards of mulch, usually from something like chip drop. Personally I'd rather start with something certified organic, because there are some horror stories with getting a chip drop that is full of trash, broken glass, etc. then start by planting a crop that you can use for "green manure" and biomass, like tithonia, moringa, pigeon pea, cowpea. From there you can start making your own compost and mulch, and your soil will slowly improve over time

[@matthewking2209]

Most of the bags of soil or top soil I have seen are composted forest products. Can you to do a video on this electroculture myth.

[@thalys5208]

Hello, you mention to use manure instead of soil for amendment. Is it safe to plant stuff in the garden after applying manure or do I need to wait for it to break down. I read online that fresh manure can burn plants. Not sure how fresh manure are that are sold in bags.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Manure should be composted or be old. The aging varies with the manure, so composting is the best option.

[@ralusek]

Wouldn't another reason to buy soil be under the circumstance that your own soil has a poor ratio of sand/silt/clay? Adding organics helps, but if you introduce some additional soil with a better composition, shouldn't that also be useful?

[@Bob-w2b8j]

Yes, getting a good quality organic certified soil I don't think is a bad idea to start off your garden, just as a one time amendment. I disagree with this guy that it's always a bad idea

[@ethandsemmel]

I buy miracle gro "garden soil" because it goes on sale and for in ground beds, garden soil is the usual recommended product. The bag recommends blending it in with your native soil, however I usually just lay it on top of the soil like a mulch and the past few weeks I've noticed that it looks more like compost than soil. Lots of small wood bits in it. In fact the bag label lists the ingredients as peat moss, fertilizer, and one or more of (coir, processed forest products, and compost) - it'll doesn't seem like there is any actual soil in it.

[@SrirachaEnjoyer]

Well then you’re probably buying potting mix, and your money would go farther if you just bought pure compost instead. Potting mix is for containers, not in ground beds

[@ethandsemmel]

@@SrirachaEnjoyer I'm not sure why you would say this when I wrote I'm buying garden soil - made for in ground gardening.

[@SrirachaEnjoyer]

@@ethandsemmel I wrote it because the term "garden soil" has no established definition. Based on the ingredients you listed, you bought potting mix, not actual soil. You amended your native soil with potting mix, which is exactly what this video is suggesting you not do

[@ethandsemmel]

Again...I'm not amending my soil with it. I'm not mixing it in. I'm just laying it on top of my native soil and using it like a mulch or I'm using it to fill in low areas of my soil, also as recommended in the video. For $2 a bag when on sale, as compared to $10-$30 a bag for compost, I'll take it.

[@Bob-w2b8j]

Yeah I don't know if this guy is talking about really crappy garden soil, but every organic garden soil I've seen is all stuff like compost, fertilizer, shredded wood, peat moss or coco coir, etc. there usually not any regular sand or dirt in it, so I feel like it can absolutely improve your soil. I guess the point is that you can't just lay that stuff down and expect it to be a permanent amendment, you need to continue applying organic matter to the soil over the years as you grown. But yeah, I agree with you, and I have no problem buying good garden soil to improve my crappy sandbox Florida soil 😂

[@DaveSmith-pm2yq]

My native soil is almost pure sand. I mixed it in raised beds 50 50 compost and native soil, is this to much compost?

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

Good sense!

[@MelodyHopkins]

How do you improve your soil if you have a lot of dense groundcovers? I have poor fertility, sandy soil which needs constant improvement.

[@MadCityBells]

If you have leaves in your yard in the fall, shred them (I bought a small shredder a few years ago at a relatively low price). Throw the shredded leaves on the ground cover and either leave it to find its way down to the soil or gently agitate it with a rake to help it down. It'll dramatically improve your soil over the years. If you don't have leaves, you could use your own well rotted home compost or good quality purchased compost to do the same.

[@MelodyHopkins]

@@MadCityBells Thanks, I do use leaves from my river birch tree. They are small and deteriorate quickly so I don't have to shred them. There aren't enough for all my beds though.

[@sbffsbrarbrr]

@@MelodyHopkins Maybe you can ask neighbors to save leaves for you in the fall. I get a ton of leaves from neighbors and just run them over with my lawn mower. Grass clippings work really well. I save them every other time that I mow the lawn and sprinkle over the garden beds. It may not look like a lot initially but adds up over time.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Organic matter - what ever you can get locally.

[@MelodyHopkins]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 Won't that smother out the small groundcovers? I do try to lightly sprinkle some compost over the top of them, but I'm sure it's not enough to help much.

[@thisarfingai]

100% THIS!

[@Pete.Ty1]

👍👍👍Thank you.

[@Rocketman0407]

They think it improves the soil. Just the same way topdressing with compost does. That said many are probably getting some benfit from it since most bagged soil is not actually soil but compost and peat/coco and some fertilizers

[@richardp2309]

Great just get to the point quicker.

[@botany3]

Where do you buy "real soil?" I don't have enough and need to raise the soil.

[@hadleymanmusic]

I got sand

[@hadleymanmusic]

That's like cement when it's dry. Tan Sand tan clay and red clay

[@racebiketuner]

Sadly I've never been able to get anyone to believe this.

[@life.takeslife]

They bright to bad lol 😅