I wanted to address Susan's Rant on the bagged soil she bought. One of the areas our nursery excels in is the sale of bagged potting soils, planting mixes, soil conditioners, and mulch. We sell no bulk materials. Everything is bagged. We carry two brands of organics, E.B. Stone and Foxfarm. We decided a long time ago that if we are going to sell these products then they would have to be the best. We also knew that quality costs and our bags represent that. Foxfarm Potting soil costs $12.99 per 1.5 cu.ft. bag. The Foxfarm Planting Mix is $9.99 for a cubic foot. They are by far our most expensive soils. Lets dive into whats in the bag. Foxfarm Potting Soil contains the following, earthworm castings, bat guano, Pacific northwest sea-going fish and crab meal, composted forest humus, sandy loan, and sphagnum peat moss. When you compare this with the ingredients of many potting soils you understand why the bags are priced this way. Results are what counts and our potting soils and amendments provide the results. How discouraging to sell our premium plants and while loading the truck find bags of some cheap potting soil or planting mix in the car. I don't understand why people would buy quality plants only to plant them using bags of composted sawdust, sand, and perlite. These are actually the ingredients in some low ball potting soils sold near here.

Its taken a while but as our customers have gotten to know us and trust our advice they have switched to our soils because they have experienced the benefits first hand. The soil Susan at Garden Rant used at $2.80 a bag can only contain some very inexpensive ingredients, like wood fines and composted leaves. I would rather have had her use our Green all Soil Booster in a 1.5 cu. ft. bag at $5.99 or three for $17. Look what it has that the "top soil" doesn't. Fir bark, chicken manure, mushroom compost, earthworm castings, volcanic pumice stone, bat guano, kelp meal, and feather meal. This explains the cost. Better ingredients equals better results. No composted leaves, the manure type is listed, and no dirt. You need to mix this stuff in the ground, not just throw it on the soil surface.

We realize that the majority of people will never spend the money on amendments priced like this, but that's one reason why so many seem frustrated with their gardening results.