Vermiculite sources in Central Florida

I found 4 cubic feet bags for $19.00 at:

Osceola Farm & Ranch Supply
215 13th St
Saint Cloud, FL 34769
(407) 892-4040


They also cary Perlite in the same type of 4 cu/ft bags, for a few bucks cheaper. They DO have seeds and plantlings, fertilizer (of various types), and I believe they may carry a variety of compost, but they do not carry Peat Moss (although they said they were thinking about it due to numerous customer requests.)

They carry typical feed store materials (horse, cattle, dog/cat, rabbit feed), as well as hay bales and the like. The guys there were really nice and knew exactly what I was asking for, even if they weren't so sure as what or how it was used. (Are there any Sq. Ft. Gardening merchandising materials available for these guys? )

I'm really lucky... this place is about 3 1/2 blocks from my house... so I could've walked the wheelboro to and from in about 15 minutes, but they are here in town and carried the most important ingredients for my Square Foot Garden (woulda been nice to see a display with the book on sale there!! )

Congrats on finding your source took me a few phone calls myself but i finaly found it when i told them what it was for they were like hungh??? (scratching thier heads) they had never heard of it so i explained it as basicaly as i could and they sorta understood. they were also happy i posted up thier business information here they have had a couple orders since. good luck with your garden

Thanks! I've managed to redistribute the mixture from one of my 4x8's into half of another 4x8. I think I'm still a little light on the compost.. but I noticed someone else in my area has posted another source.. so I might just pop in to see what they've got, and that (along with some more peat and compost) should give me more than enough for my two 4x8's.

Found Course Vermiculite at the following location:

Down 2 Earth Farms
855 East Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway
(Intersection of US HWY 192/13th Street and Crawford Avenue)
Saint Cloud, Florida 34769
407-873-9055

I picked up a bag of coarse vermiculite for $14 here. They did say that the price would likely be going up by a dollar or two in the near future, due to an increase in price from their supplier. So if it costs you a tad bit more, please take notice and be aware.

The bag I got from them was clearly marked as being "Coarse" grade Vermiculite, so there is little (if any) doubt about it. It also clearly states that it is free of asbestos. What it does not indicate is the cubic footage of the bag, however, it appeared to me to be roughly equivalent to the 4 cu/ft bags of vermiculite I had previously purchased (I now believe they were "medium" grade.) The weight and size was roughly equivalent to the previous stuff I had purchased, however, the particle size was slightly larger.

If you are in the Orlando area, I would recomend them as a source. They seemed really excited when I said I would mention them on the forums. They tend to buy a supply and wait until they sell out before replenishing that supply. They also sell Perlite, and tried to extol the virtues of it vs. Vermiculite upon me... (one is better for seeds, the other for improving soil and the like.)

Also, beware that this is a small time operation, they are cash only (they do not accept credit or debit cards -- though there are numerous ATM machines nearby, as they frequently pointed out)

Neverless, I found them to be rather charming. They had a Stevia plant, and let me sample a leaf (which I had never tried before)... much to my surprise (greenish taste at first followed by a burst of sweetness.. wow!). They might be a good source in the Central Florida area, and I recommend you let them know you saw the post on the SFG forums!

They may have other things to provide... I was talking with the lady about compost, and she mentioned Horse manure compost as a possibility. I'm always looking to diversivy my compost, so... it might be worthwhile. There are also Chicken farms nearby, so... if we can manipulate things, and convince them to get some of the chicken ranch's compost...we might get a rather good mix out of them.

Again, small time operation.. so... caveat emptor (buyer beware.) Neverless... they had what I was looking for!

UPDATE: This is definately the stuff I've been looking for. The best way to describe it would be something like.. the largest pieces are the size of aquarium gravel or cat litter. Occasionally, there are some reflective bits here and there (mica?)