Switched from store-bought soil to mixing my own compost this spring

I used to just grab whatever bagged soil was on sale at Lowe's and dump it in my raised beds. Year after year my tomatoes and peppers did okay but nothing special. Then last April my neighbor Dave gave me a tour of his compost setup and I realized I was spending like $80 a season on dirt that barely had any nutrients. So I built a three-bin system in the corner of my yard using some old pallets and started saving all my kitchen scraps and leaves. Six months later I mixed that finished compost with some peat moss and perlite and filled my beds. The difference was insane my cucumber vines grew twice as fast and my zucchini went from like 5 per plant to 15. Has anyone else had that moment where you realize the bagged stuff is just overpriced filler?

3 comments

3 Comments

aliceharris10d agoTop Commenter

How much of your store-bought soil was just peat moss and sand with a splash of fertilizer labeled as "premium garden soil"? I tore open a bag last spring just out of curiosity and it was basically brown dust with a few wood chips thrown in. Your neighbor Dave must have a serious setup if his compost turned things around that fast. What's his secret ingredient, does he add something like coffee grounds or aged manure that gives it that extra kick?

alext529d ago

Dude, my buddy Mike had the exact same thing happen with a bag of "premium" potting mix he got from a big box store. He opened it up and it was basically just wet sawdust and sand, barely any actual dirt in there. He was so mad because his tomatoes were all stunted and yellowed out after a couple weeks. Then his neighbor gave him a bucket of his own compost and suddenly those plants doubled in size by July. That homemade stuff really is a whole different ballgame compared to the store bought bags.

fisher.jessica10d ago

Has anyone else noticed how much bagged soil settles after a few waterings? I swear by mid-summer my old store-bought beds would sink like four inches. Home mix stays fluffy way longer because of all that organic matter breaking down slowly. The microbes in real compost keep the structure open so roots don't get choked out.

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