Re: Is bagged compost REALLY compost?

subsonic 5/7/2012, 2:04 am

I have question here
the one bag says it has Aloe Vera extract in it
Just what does Aloe Vera Extract do for the soil?
I have Aloe Veras growing around here, should I be breaking off limbs to compost? Razz

SwampCatNana 5/7/2012, 7:57 am

RoOsTeR - Thanks for the update. I went to the site about 2 weeks ago and it said the only place the MM was sold was in their store.
I'm checking now to see if MM is sold in any Lowe's locally. Plus, I was putting Mel's Mix in the search box.
There are too many to search here. I will probably have to call and ask where they have it.
Lee

**sfg4uKim** 5/7/2012, 8:37 am

SwampCatNana wrote:RoOsTeR - Thanks for the update. I went to the site about 2 weeks ago and it said the only place the MM was sold was in their store.
I'm checking now to see if MM is sold in any Lowe's locally. Plus, I was putting Mel's Mix in the search box.
There are too many to search here. I will probably have to call and ask where they have it.
Lee

Of course I can't be sure, but I think the SFG Store misunderstood what you
meant. THEY sell Mel's Mix "for local pick-up only" and may have thought
that's what you asked.

Rooster told you about Garden Time, and I've recently sent an email to Gro-Well to get a list from them as to where they distribute their "Mel's Mix". Victoria from the Foundation mentioned they are doing a "trial run" at Home Depot in New York. STAY TUNED! http://gro-well.com/lawnandgarden/squarefootgardening.html

SwampCatNana 5/7/2012, 5:56 pm

SFG4uKim - thanks for the info and link. Someone pointed out to me that Lowe's sells it also. I can order on-line and have it delivered to my local store for pick-up.
Lee

Daniel9999 5/7/2012, 7:58 pm

subsonic wrote:I have question here
the one bag says it has Aloe Vera extract in it
Just what does Aloe Vera Extract do for the soil?
I have Aloe Veras growing around here, should I be breaking off limbs to compost?

Its there to provide moisture to help keep the beneficial bacteria and fungi alive.

claudiamedic 5/7/2012, 8:37 pm

Thanks for the great discussion! I'm disappointed that no Lowe's near me sell the MM but I may have to give them a call to ask them about carrying it in the future. I'm having to settle for bagged "stuff" this year but my next project is composting so I'll not be stuck with this problem next year.

Thanks again!

SwampCatNana 5/7/2012, 8:42 pm

claudiamedic wrote:Thanks for the great discussion! I'm disappointed that no Lowe's near me sell the MM but I may have to give them a call to ask them about carrying it in the future. I'm having to settle for bagged "stuff" this year but my next project is composting so I'll not be stuck with this problem next year.

Thanks again!

If you can find a Lowe's any where in the US, you can order on-line and have it sent to your store for pick up, free.
I called and asked them.
Lee

Jeff Foster 5/13/2012, 5:41 pm

Best gardening forum on the web. Gardener and Bloome Soil Building Compost and Kellogg Garden Soil are both Organic Materials Research Institue listed Organic. Both have 5 plus composted materials that are very different. Bat Guano, Chicken Manure, Kelp Meal, and Worm Castings. No Peat. Perfect to mix with your Organic vermiculite and Organic Peat Mosss to make Mels Mix. Available in Southwestern Idaho and the Western states at green houses and at Home Depot.

So cool to have the Vermiculite data base now. I had to search all over Idaho 5 years ago for Vermiculite. Do the same for bagged compost. I learned about Gardener and Bloome on this website years ago. The importance of 5 plus different composted materials from Mel's book.

milaneyjane 5/13/2012, 9:53 pm

Thank you for doing this. I just picked up 3 bags of composted manure from Menard's. Didn't read the fine print until I got home...... Guaranteed to be at least 10% manure. Really????

**donnainzone5** 5/13/2012, 10:24 pm

Milaneyjane,

I hope you're going to return those 10% bags!

Sponsored content


	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.