I just built two new raised beds (one is 15" above ground, the other is 12" above) - somewhere in the 100sq. ft. range altogether that I need to fill with a good topsoil/compost blend. Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced retail source for soil/compost that will deliver? Of course, quality is important, but I have to be as frugal as possible as well (this is turning out to be more expensive than I originally thought!)... I've found a few places online - LETCO, Nature's Way Resources, etc. - but they all seem to be located pretty far outside the city! I live inside the loop, so if I could save a few bucks on delivery charges by finding a supplier closer in, that would be great.... It's times like these when I wish I had a pickup....
Retail source for raised bed soil/compost in Houston?
Let us know what you find, pls. I need some here on the prairie in far w. Houston.
Ann
Talk to John Ferguson over at Nature's Way Resources 936-321-6990 .
Hmm... need to call Nature's Way for an estimate too... I just called LETCO (the Mo. City branch), and their "#1" soil mix w/mushroom compost is $25.50/cu. yd + about $30 delivery... not as bad as I thought it would be, actually!
I just KNOW that I've seen mushroom compost at ?walmart, ?lowe's, ?HD. Can't remember but it was NOT expensive. Maybe Houston Garden Centers. Have to kick my head into gear - the ol' memory box refuses to work right, sometimes.
Ann
Be careful of what you buy if it's bagged. If necessary, buy one bag and open it and check the soil before buying a truck load of it. Some of the stuff sold as "compost", "top soil" or "garden soil" isn't very good. Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way after buying a lot of bags and having weeds sprout from all of it. I hired a local lawn/landscape guy to put my raised beds in and it was worth every penny. The soil he delivered was a mixture of sharp sand, soil and compost/mulch. Everything I've planted in it has thrived.
Nature's Way is well-known and very reputable in Houston.
I've been gardening for over 60 yrs and not about to get caught buying inferior stuff, believe me.At one time DH was convinced that company so&so was selling the best top soil in town. He had to have it (He's not a gardener) and he worked so hard carting it back to the back from the drive. That was the nastiest stuff and so sterile it grew some kind of horrible weeds and anything else in his veggie garden promptly died. He wouldn't listen to me but now he does and doesn't say anything when I buy good stuff for the beds, etc. I know what I'm buying and not about to get stiffed. "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" is a good maxim to go by but the stuff I said I saw is good stuff. I know my products.
Ann
Personally, I wouldn't buy anything from HGC.
I've had GREAT success w/HGC. Of course, I knew what I was buying and how to take care of it and the prices were great! If I don't know what I'm buying or how to take care of it I go to Teas or Cornelius but sometimes I go there, see something (prices high), go to HGC and some away w/some great bargains just as we are able to @ Lowe's, HD or Walmart.
Ann
And how many local nurseries are HGC putting out of business every year? And American jobs? Or is the price the bottom line?
Yes, the price is th ebottom line, for me. Hve you ever been to HGC? Do you see who they employ? And who, in your estimation have they put out of business? Are DGers who swap seed, plants, cuttings being fair to th e Mom & Pop businesses? Come on - be a big girl and admit what you really know is the bottom line? You don't shop Walmart or HD or even the big nurseries in Houston? HGC employs people who do the work that others don't want to do.
Admit it......
Ann