Earl Mays

Went into Earl Mays today..just to window shop. There was a very enthusiastic young lady there. She had just gotten her horticulture degree recently. She asked if she could help me. I said "well I do squarefoot gardening" of course expecting the usual "huh?" Nope! She said she was familiar with Mel Bartholomew's methods! Oh heaven! I told her I was setting up new beds this year. She said she had all the ingrediants I needed! Oh Yea! Yup she did. Vermiculite was $33 a bag. It is $12.98 at Menards. Peat moss $16.99, at Menards $6.32. OMA-GR0? Says it is "Produced from domestic turf grass clippings, aged leaves, and ground wood." Also has Coop Poop rofl... and cotton burr compost...

So I will get some of the composts there..but the peat moss and vermiculite...nope lol ..

She was very helpful! And she seemed to know more than anyone I have talked too in the last couple of years.

Estimate she wrote up for me for 4x4 $90.02 with tax....hummm definitely will keep it in mind!

I purchased coarse vermiculite from Earl May here in Kansas City...$32 for 4 cu ft bag. The nearest Menards is a few hours away...I need to check to see if they carry what I need if they are that much cheaper.

That's funny that they have Oma-Gro at Earl May in Iowa. That is the compost produced by the city of Omaha from lawn clippings, etc. It is actually pretty good stuff and cheap (at least here anyway!). I have used it in my garden for the past 3 years and will probably supplement this year to "beef up" my small leftover pile of compost from making new boxes last fall.

Cindi, if it makes you feel any better, that's about the going rate for vermiculite around here. I think I costed out a 4x4 bed to $88 for all Mel's Mix ingredients.

Vermiculite at Menards in the insulation department $12.95 for a 3 cf bag...yup got my vermiculite and my peat moss ($8.95 a bag at a local nursery). Will get compost next time.

Thank you, smartchick. I was wondering! I will go with the Oma-gro, chick poo, and menards has buffalo compost. Will pick up another kind..oh Earl Mays has the cottonburr. And I will find another one I am sure.

And have been topping my beds with my bunny poo lol..

So will be good to go for the beds soon.

Was the vermiculite you bought at Menard's coarse or fine? I work at the Menard's here in Ottumwa and I was thinking it was the fine stuff. Earl Mays in town does have all 3 grades of vermiculite though. I was also looking into the Buffalo loam, but it is gonna be expensive to put that in.....I figure I will have to buy 5 bags of the 8 pound bags (the biggest they have) to make 0.75 cubic feet...about $40 just for that. I am getting the Chickity Doo-Doo bag and some manure that we have there. I was wondering if Earl Mays in Des Moines would have more stuff since the worker here basically had no idea what other kinds of fertilizer stuff I would use.