Where do you get lots of cheap soil?
- Thread starter ChelswannabeGT
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I have gotten compost from the city for free before.
Do a mix of dirt, compost, leaves, mulch or what ever you got .
Do a mix of dirt, compost, leaves, mulch or what ever you got .
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Do a modified Hugelkulture. Fill the bottom of the boxes with rotten wood. This will help in many ways.
MaryMary
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Gardening on the cheap is my specialty!! 
I agree with SilentRunning, filling the bottom with rotting wood is a good idea. You could also try calling tree trimming services (or the county road crew,) and asking what they do with the shredded wood chips after they finish a job. Usually you can get them free, or for just the price of the gas to get to your house. (The smaller pieces of wood probably would rot down quicker.) Go to a local Starbuck's, and ask them for coffee grounds, mix them in with the wood chips - you can add many, many buckets of coffee grounds in there. (If you don't have a coffee shop nearby, try a gas station or restaurant.) Water it thoroughly.
You might try getting in contact with your local 4H or FFA club. There is probably a kid that would love to let you muck out their stalls! (Or a farmer that would allow you to haul away his pile!!) Sheep, goats, rabbits, llamas, and alpacas - all of these produce what is called "cold manure." That means there is not enough nitrogen in the manure to burn the plants, the manure does not have to age. Water it thoroughly.
Also, you could try straw bale gardening. If you start soon, you should be able to get the bales ready in time to use them this year. (Last year I experimented with a straw bale, and I managed to get the internal temperature up to 150 degrees in three weeks. So you'd still have two to three weeks for it to cool down enough to plant in.) Position them over the wood chips, and cut the baling wire after you have them in place. (This year, it might be better to plant in them without cutting the wire. Then cut it at the end of your growing season, and let it rot down over the winter.) Again - Water it thoroughly.
All of that will rot down over the course of the year, so start yourself a compost pile now, and you'll have it to top it off next year!
Hope that helps!
I agree with SilentRunning, filling the bottom with rotting wood is a good idea. You could also try calling tree trimming services (or the county road crew,) and asking what they do with the shredded wood chips after they finish a job. Usually you can get them free, or for just the price of the gas to get to your house. (The smaller pieces of wood probably would rot down quicker.) Go to a local Starbuck's, and ask them for coffee grounds, mix them in with the wood chips - you can add many, many buckets of coffee grounds in there. (If you don't have a coffee shop nearby, try a gas station or restaurant.) Water it thoroughly.
You might try getting in contact with your local 4H or FFA club. There is probably a kid that would love to let you muck out their stalls!
(Or a farmer that would allow you to haul away his pile!!) Sheep, goats, rabbits, llamas, and alpacas - all of these produce what is called "cold manure." That means there is not enough nitrogen in the manure to burn the plants, the manure does not have to age. Water it thoroughly. Also, you could try straw bale gardening. If you start soon, you should be able to get the bales ready in time to use them this year. (Last year I experimented with a straw bale, and I managed to get the internal temperature up to 150 degrees in three weeks. So you'd still have two to three weeks for it to cool down enough to plant in.) Position them over the wood chips, and cut the baling wire after you have them in place. (This year, it might be better to plant in them without cutting the wire. Then cut it at the end of your growing season, and let it rot down over the winter.) Again - Water it thoroughly.
All of that will rot down over the course of the year, so start yourself a compost pile now, and you'll have it to top it off next year!
Hope that helps!
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I don't buy soil; I make it
MaryMary
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One thing to keep in mind. Your dirt won't start out being good, rich, fertile dirt the first year. You would have to spend way too much money on bags (and bags ...and bags) of expensive soil. It is not really worth doing that, as @roadrunner said, you can make your own. It will get better each and every year as you amend it. It's a fair assessment to say that gardeners "feed" their soil.
With that in mind, you don't necessarily have to fill all those beds this year. For instance, tomatoes can be grown in a 5 gallon bucket. That means you only have to fill the bucket. If you keep them in the bed, then you can fill the spaces between them with whatever you would put in your compost pile. At the end of the season, dump the bucket of soil in the bed, rake it all together, then just let it stew for the winter.
If you have a deli or bakery nearby, you can get the buckets free, or at least very cheaply. (Cheaper than buying brand new 5 gallon buckets!) The flour and frosting comes in 5 gallon buckets to a bakery. Various salads (tuna, macaroni, potato...) usually come to the deli in buckets. They don't re-use them for anything, they throw them in the trash. Since they are food-safe, they are safe for planting veggies in, just give them a good rinse, and drill some holes in the bottom for drainage.
...and bags) of expensive soil. It is not really worth doing that, as @roadrunner said, you can make your own. It will get better each and every year as you amend it. It's a fair assessment to say that gardeners "feed" their soil. With that in mind, you don't necessarily have to fill all those beds this year. For instance, tomatoes can be grown in a 5 gallon bucket. That means you only have to fill the bucket. If you keep them in the bed, then you can fill the spaces between them with whatever you would put in your compost pile. At the end of the season, dump the bucket of soil in the bed, rake it all together, then just let it stew for the winter.
If you have a deli or bakery nearby, you can get the buckets free, or at least very cheaply. (Cheaper than buying brand new 5 gallon buckets!) The flour and frosting comes in 5 gallon buckets to a bakery. Various salads (tuna, macaroni, potato...) usually come to the deli in buckets. They don't re-use them for anything,
they throw them in the trash. Since they are food-safe, they are safe for planting veggies in, just give them a good rinse, and drill some holes in the bottom for drainage.
Define cheap. Horse manure is often free or like $10 for a pickup truck load and can easily make up 1/4 to 1/2 of a new raised bed. It breaks down fast and mixes with other ingredients well.
I recently bought $7 bags of rice hulls, each bag was 50 lbs from my local gardening co-op. They provide air flow, water retention, and breakdown into nutrients.
Straw is another excellent additive, as well as compost if you can get it free (make your own). Leaves, preferably aged a little, also make an outstanding cheap additive.
I recently bought $7 bags of rice hulls, each bag was 50 lbs from my local gardening co-op. They provide air flow, water retention, and breakdown into nutrients.
Straw is another excellent additive, as well as compost if you can get it free (make your own). Leaves, preferably aged a little, also make an outstanding cheap additive.