Oh So New

Onelisab 5/5/2018, 2:25 pm

Hi Everyone. I live in Lubbock, Texas. Im just getting started with my Square Foot Garden. We are in a really bad drought. Im harvesting any rain water. The last I collected was 4 weeks ago. I am crazy in LOVE with the idea of Square Foot Gardens. Vermiculite is my question of the day. Im having a really difficult time finding Coarse Vermiculite in West Texas. Of course, no pun intended, I can order it online, but the shipping is crazy.
Ive used the really handy spreadsheet I found through this forum, but still would need to travel an hour to pick some up.
Home Depot carries it, but it is not coarse.
ULine carries it and calls it Grade 1,2,3,4. They told me Grade 3 is better for gardens. They are not a gardener store. How would they know?????
Anyone in the Lubbock area have suggestions?

**sanderson** 5/5/2018, 4:32 pm

Hydroponic or "special crop" stores? If you order from ULine, order the coarsest (biggest chunks) they carry. Sometimes you can find coarse vermiculite in the building supply area. No kidding. Very Happy

**donnainzone5** 5/5/2018, 4:59 pm

I prefer U-Line grade 4, which is extra-coarse. If you live within driving distance of one of its warehouses, you can call ahead, order, and pick your vermiculite up without having to pay shipping charges. Last time I ordered this way, the minimum was two bags.

Otherwise, I suggest Greenhouse Megastore. They offer a "less-coarse" grade of "coarse" vermiculite, but it should work. The manufacturer is PVP Ind.

**Scorpio Rising** 5/5/2018, 7:03 pm

Onelisab wrote:Hi Everyone. I live in Lubbock, Texas. Im just getting started with my Square Foot Garden. We are in a really bad drought. Im harvesting any rain water. The last I collected was 4 weeks ago. I am crazy in LOVE with the idea of Square Foot Gardens. Vermiculite is my question of the day. Im having a really difficult time finding Coarse Vermiculite in West Texas. Of course, no pun intended, I can order it online, but the shipping is crazy.
Ive used the really handy spreadsheet I found through this forum, but still would need to travel an hour to pick some up.
Home Depot carries it, but it is not coarse.
ULine carries it and calls it Grade 1,2,3,4. They told me Grade 3 is better for gardens. They are not a gardener store. How would they know?????
Anyone in the Lubbock area have suggestions?

Hey there, welcome! I couldn’t find the coarse either in my mad rush to start up. I say do what you can with what you can get. I have had to “fluff” my beds in year 3 with real coarse vermiculite. The other stuff just doesn’t hold on...But you can at least get started...I am rogue a little though...it will be fine.

$glad you\'re here$

**AtlantaMarie** 5/5/2018, 8:35 pm

Hi Onelisab. Welcome from Atlanta, GA. Glad you're here.

Lived in Killeen for a while...

What do you want to grow?

Onelisab 5/5/2018, 8:39 pm

I’m starting with tomatoes, peppers, okra and a few others. Not too many this year. This is my first time to grow a garden by myself—-I grew up eating from one, but my parents were the Gardner’s. I was the picker

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Onelisab 5/6/2018, 1:01 am

Thank you all for your input. I really do appreciate it.

**sanderson** 5/6/2018, 3:18 am

Reading the description of your summer temps makes it sound so inviting. Very Happy

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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.