Mixing the fill .. or rather, mixed up fill
The SVGA method calls for the growing medium to be made from equal portions of blended compost, peat moss and course vermiculite; this recipe is referred to as "Mel's Mix." Note the absence of potting soil. By "blended compost" Mel is referring to compost made up of many different materials; Mel recommends that the compost be made up of at least five different components. Now, since any one bag of compost is not likely to contain five different composed materials, Mel recommends that different composts be purchased and blended; or, if making your own compost, to be sure that it contains as many different ingredients as possible. Peat moss is easily enough to come by, it can be found at most any garden supply, farm supply or nursery; it can be a bit pricey. Vermiculite on the other hand can be a challenge to find .. at least in large quantities. I found small four qt. bags in the garden department at OSH and a couple other stores. Only one nursery had the larger 4 cubic ft. bags; it also can be a bit pricey. At the nursery I told the lady what I was looking for and what I intended to do. She recommended different brands/types of compost, she pointed out the peat moss bales and the 4 cubic ft. bags of Vermiculite. The compost varied in price from $3 for 2 cubic ft. of steer manure, to $6 for 2 cubic ft. of general compost and $9 for 2 cubic ft. of Paydirt, which contains chicken manure and other materials (I hear chicken poop is good stuff). I explained to the nursery lady what I intended to do by blending the different composts and then mixing it with equal parts of Vermiculite and peat moss. Needless to say, the facial expression that followed left not doubt that she was skeptical of my plan. She insisted that I would need to use at least some potting soil. Now, I'm sure that she had my best interests in mind. She pointed out that the bags of compost also contain peat moss (except the steer manure), as did the bag of potting soil (potting soil was $6 for a 2 cubic ft. bag). The potting soil also contains Vermiculite and Perlite. Ultimately, I was seduced by the nursery lady's charm and knowledge of rotten organic material and chicken sh!t, and I took the cheap way out. I purchased a bag of steer manure, a bag of Paydirt, 3 bags of the general compost (Mix and Mulch) and one bag of potting soil.
When I returned home I mixed the products. The planters I made hold 6 cubic ft. of material each, in each planter I put :
1 cubic ft. of potting soil
1 cubic ft. of steer manure
1 cubic ft. of Paydirt
2 cubic ft. of Mix and Mulch
I reserved 1 cubic ft. of Mix and Mulch to add later in the week after the fill settles.
The planter filled with soil. I used cotton twine to create the grid for my square foot garden.
