Let's talk DIRT people!!!!

[T-Bird]

Ok - so my friends' cousin's inlaw's babysitter's mom works for angelina jolie, and guess what's up with Her and Brad FOR REAL?????

But seriously - DIRT!!!

So I want to put in a raised bed....I got like 13 bags of top soil and 40 pounds of peat moss......will this be good mix?? Can't remember why I choose that in the original "plan" over a month ago....and still haven't put it together, lol! Took a day off work for this to get it done.....yay! and it's a beautiful day! Will rain tomorrow.....yay! if I finish my work!:p

Do I need anything else? if yes - What else to I need?

[Ilse W.]

Compost, compost, compost....seeds, water, sunshine! You're all set :D

[Moretta]

Sounds so exciting and lots of work, but well worth it in the end.

[sport]

I hate to say this but Pete Moss is not considered to be eco friendly over here but maybe it is OK where you live.

[kaybee]

sport--they say there is canadian peat moss that doesnt destroy the bogs like it does here, but i dont really know...

[juliebove]

Why so much peat moss?

[iwuvmydoggy]

more importantly, what can you use in place of peat moss? that way we all know for the future :)

[SharonC]

Coconut Fiber...

http://www.cleanairgardening.com/coco-fiber-bricks.html
Why is Coco Fiber better than Peat Moss?
Coco Fibers resist compacting and retain water year after year. It also is organic and promotes sustainable harvesting on palm plantations. On the other hand, using Peat Moss damages the ecosystem. Peat moss deposits are slow to recover from mining because Peat bogs are similar to coral reefs: each brick that's harvested can take up to 2,000 years to grow back!

Peat moss requires a chemical additive to absorb water, sheds water until the surface is saturated, and compacts easily. Peatmoss is also acidic - it has a pH value of about 4. Peat moss can acidify the soil, scorch roots, and wilt leaves. Peat moss bricks often contain a variety of debris, including sticks and stones. You never know what you'll find in a peat bog!

Coconut Fiber is a proven growing medium. It's a natural alternative to mined peat moss and outperforms most of the popular brands of peat and sphagnum peat. Cocopeat has a high content of lignin and cellulose. These components are ideal for growing mushrooms and other plants that require soil rich in cellulose. Choose coconut fiber bricks to boost the health of your plants and help the environment too!

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garden/view_question/id/1800/
True organic people don’t use peat moss except for one thing – storage of perishable materials. Here’s the research explaining why: Peat Moss - Viking Preservative and two of the most interesting quotes from the report:

Peat bogs have long been known for preserving organic material. In Scotland, tubs of butter have been found intact after 1,800 years; elsewhere, a loaf of bread thousands of years old was found.

In a demonstration for the Norwegian state radio network NRK, Christensen opened a plastic container in which a Zebra fish had been stored in peat for two years. It was intact and smelled fine.

Peat moss is anti- microbial – the last thing we want to use to help build healthy soils. Plus, peat moss is much more expensive than compost. Store your bulbs and food in it - but keep it out of the soil.

http://www.planetnatural.com/site/xdpy/kb/growcoir-coconut-coir.html

[T-Bird]

Sounds interesting!

But just wondering if as they site claims....


Regardless of whether you think the world is quickly using up its supply of peat moss or whether or not you consider peat moss a renewable resource, there's a substitute for peat that you are going to like a lot better. It is quickly renewable, is already a surplus product, and works beautifully. Test after test has shown that in every way it is superior, or at least equal, to peat. But that's not the full story, please read on!

why they are charging much more for it than an equal quantity of peat moss....?

[iwuvmydoggy]

Coconut Fiber...

http://www.cleanairgardening.com/coco-fiber-bricks.html
Why is Coco Fiber better than Peat Moss?
Coco Fibers resist compacting and retain water year after year. It also is organic and promotes sustainable harvesting on palm plantations. On the other hand, using Peat Moss damages the ecosystem. Peat moss deposits are slow to recover from mining because Peat bogs are similar to coral reefs: each brick that's harvested can take up to 2,000 years to grow back!

Peat moss requires a chemical additive to absorb water, sheds water until the surface is saturated, and compacts easily. Peatmoss is also acidic - it has a pH value of about 4. Peat moss can acidify the soil, scorch roots, and wilt leaves. Peat moss bricks often contain a variety of debris, including sticks and stones. You never know what you'll find in a peat bog!

Coconut Fiber is a proven growing medium. It's a natural alternative to mined peat moss and outperforms most of the popular brands of peat and sphagnum peat. Cocopeat has a high content of lignin and cellulose. These components are ideal for growing mushrooms and other plants that require soil rich in cellulose. Choose coconut fiber bricks to boost the health of your plants and help the environment too!

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garden/view_question/id/1800/
True organic people don’t use peat moss except for one thing – storage of perishable materials. Here’s the research explaining why: Peat Moss - Viking Preservative and two of the most interesting quotes from the report:

Peat bogs have long been known for preserving organic material. In Scotland, tubs of butter have been found intact after 1,800 years; elsewhere, a loaf of bread thousands of years old was found.

In a demonstration for the Norwegian state radio network NRK, Christensen opened a plastic container in which a Zebra fish had been stored in peat for two years. It was intact and smelled fine.

Peat moss is anti- microbial – the last thing we want to use to help build healthy soils. Plus, peat moss is much more expensive than compost. Store your bulbs and food in it - but keep it out of the soil.

http://www.planetnatural.com/site/xdpy/kb/growcoir-coconut-coir.html

WOW!! i had no idea that was available!!! thank you SO much!!!! i will definitely look into getting some of this. (i only have 1 already made bed right now, so when i build future beds i will look for this stuff since i know about it) :D thank you very much!!!!

[SharonC]

iwuvmydoggy, you are welcome. I wuv my doggy too!

T-Bird, I don't know why it costs more than peat moss, but it is a fairly new product in the natural gardening world - maybe it will go down in price when it is more common. Have not compared prices here - peat moss is on the expensive side as far as a soil amendment in my area. I live in Dallas, Texas where we have more natural gardening products in the stores than in most of the country due to our great radio talk show host, Howard Garrett, the Dirt Doctor who has been talking 'the natural way' here for a very long time - www.dirtdoctor.com

I amend my clay soil with lots of compost and also lava sand, expanded shale, dried molasses, cornmeal, wormcastings, etc. Just recently started adding a lttle coconut fiber. Also, use a coconut fiber based potting soil in my pots.

[kaybee]

i think it costs more because of the shipping maybe? peat moss comes from canada (and maybe alot of other places) and here in ireland it comes from ireland. but coconut fiber has to be brought in from the tropics. unfortunate. wish they could come up with a more "local" peat substitute...