Driving to Florida!

We're heading down to Florida to see Mickey Mouse on Friday. This will be my 2 DD's first visit to WDW and I am so excited to see their reaction. What I am worried about is the drive with a 1 yo and an almost 3 yo.

As such, as of this Friday I will be absent from the boards for a couple of weeks.

I do have a question to throw out there before I leave though. We'll be driving down the I-79->I-77->I-26->I-95 and I was thinking of stopping at a Lowes, Home Depot (or 2) on the way home to see if I could find any raised beds or maybe some Mel's Mix to bring home. I've done a search on the Lowes site for the MM at various Lowes locations, but they all say unavailable. Maybe it's too late in the season for them to carry it, I don't know. So, my question goes out to my fellow SFGers that live close to my route... Has anyone seen MM or raised beds for a good price in Lowes and/or HD lately? If so, can you send me the address of the store so I can check it out on the way home?

Yes, as a matter of fact I have ..... kinda...

You won't find the Mel's mix down here in Central FL .... have to make your own.

The Verm in 4 cu bags is sparse also, but "the worms way" has it.... see Vermiculite DB on this forum (I wouldn't suggest trying to find that place without a GPS ...not in a good part of town).

Peat/Spaghnum are readily available in 2 cu, 3 cu & 3.8 cu bags

Compost is either Black Cow (HD or Lowe's), or a mushroom compost (at Lowe's) .... no other choices unless you go with the exotic (expensive) hydroponic additives (bat, monkey, seabird, earthworm, etc ...... Worms Way had two complete aisles dedicated to "poop" ).

As far as boxes ..... HD had them on clearance last week (as low as $27.00 for a 4 x 4... 8" high). However, they also have "stacking joints", where you use your own lumber and slide it in the joints to make boxes ..... might be a better deal. Lowe's had "square box planters with faux-log fronts ...but they looked kinda cheap/cheezy.

I would actually suggest that you stop in the HD's or Lowe's (or Tractor Supply Company, or "feed & seed" stores) that are in lower GA or upper FL. There isn't much agriculture base coming down I-95 ..... but if you head North from the WDW(Orlando area, you hit the agricultural part of the state.

If I had to guess ..... any HD, Lowe's or Feed & Seed/Hardware store from just above Orlando to all the way to Gainsville along US 27/441, 301 or I-75 would have a better selection of what your looking for.

Drop me a PM with yr contact info & I'll try to help out where I can (if it's over a weekend)

I haven't seen any, but I'll look. Best wishes with your trip, keep safe and have a wonderful time!

Question: Would there be an issue transporting soil past international borders? I'd hate for you to score some MM only to have to leave it at the border....

acara wrote:As far as boxes ..... HD had them on clearance last week (as low as $27.00 for a 4 x 4... 8" high). However, they also have "stacking joints", where you use your own lumber and slide it in the joints to make boxes ..... might be a better deal. Lowe's had "square box planters with faux-log fronts ...but they looked kinda cheap/cheezy.

The stacking joints sound like a great idea! I will have to check those out. I saw the one with the faux-log fronts on the Lowes website. I was wondering about them as they look kind of nice on the site. I can get compost up my way and have made my own MM for my existing box. I was just thinking it would be nice to get the pre-made MM to see if it makes a difference. Thank you for all the tips!

Megan wrote:Question: Would there be an issue transporting soil past international borders? I'd hate for you to score some MM only to have to leave it at the border....

I never even thought about that. I'll definitely check into it though Megan. Thank you!