Hi from Huron County, Ontario, Canada

lloydga 3/30/2011, 7:17 pm

Newly retired and getting ready for (Canadian) Spring in Zone 5B/6A. I have just built 3 x raised beds (6 ft x 4ft x 20 ins) and was looking online for advice on fill when I happened upon SFG and this great resource.
With apologies if the answers are here already on the forum but a couple of initial questions:
1) What depth, and with what, should I prefill before topping with MM, and
2) Anyone know of a vermiculite supplier in South Western Ontario (Huron County) - I did check the database but there was nothing close?
Many thanks

BackyardBirdGardner 3/30/2011, 8:49 pm

Hey there, and welcome aboard! Those are some good questions to ask here. I assume you have the book in the banner at the top of the page here?

If so, I think Mel mentions filling deeper boxes with sand or some other cheap filler because his MM (Mel's Mix) gets pricey to fill beds that are super deep. Sand, or maybe even existing soil from a construction site (with permission of course) jump to mind. But, there are some super creative folks here, and I'm sure someone will jump in with a great answer.

As for vermiculite, I can't help from down here. Again, though, we have a Canadian prescence here that can hopefully help out. Heck, the contingent is big enough, you guys have your own smiley face over there on the right... Hi from Huron County, Ontario, Canada 445227

Hi from Huron County, Ontario, Canada 445227

Much luck here, and I hope to see more of you around as your weather warms up.

lloydga 3/30/2011, 8:56 pm

Thanks for the welcome and feedback BBG - I've ordered the book but am keen to keep things moving before Spring comes our way

And thanks for pointing out the smiley...... :canada:

**Furbalsmom** 3/30/2011, 9:54 pm

Hi from Huron County, Ontario, Canada 396615

lloydga

Glad to see you here.

I'm like BYBG, I don't have information on vermiculite sources in Canada, especially on the east side.

Regarding fill for your extra deep beds, here is a thread where we discussed options and concerns. Check it out!

DEEP RAISED BEDS

Be sure you keep us updated on your progress, and share pictures too!

bullfrogbabe 3/30/2011, 11:11 pm

Welcome, we can always add some more Canadians to the mels mix!

I buy large bags of vermiculite from the local nursery here in Petawawa, Ontario for about $39 -- 4 sq.feet I think. They use it in their potting and seed starting efforts, so they always have big bags available for sale.

I recommend you stop in at your local (non-big boxstore) nursery. You will likely have to ask if they have the big bags. My local nursery only displays the little bags in the front of the shop/main greenhouse here -- the big bags we need are usually in the storage shed/barn.

lloydga 3/31/2011, 3:48 pm

Many thanks for the welcome....
Wow...polystyrene peanuts, empty bottles.... how about if I use good old organic matter - garden earth, leaves, wood etc?
:canada:

Blackrose 3/31/2011, 4:18 pm

Welcome lloydga!! I love seeing more Canadians on the forum! :canada:

Another suggestion for Vermiculite is to check local farm supply stores. I recently found a farm supply store near me that sells a 4 cubic foot bag for $29. They were even nice enough to order more in for me because they didn't have enough in stock.

Here is a link to a Google search for farm supply near Bayfield, Ontario. I hope it helps!

http://www.google.ca/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=Bayfield%2C+Ontario+farm+supply

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Hi from Huron County, Ontario, Canada

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	Hello Guest! Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum. There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.