I use Mel's mix.

In my opinion you can use anything you wish, but if you want to call it SQ Ft Gardening it should be Mel's mix as that is one of the unique aspects to the method that differentiates it from other raised bed/intensive growing methods.

Care to share your results justaguy2

Care to share your results justaguy2

In what sense?

I am happy to share my successes, failures and in betweens, but I don't know what it is you are interested in hearing about.

yOUR SUCCESSES WITH MEL'S MIX compared to other mixes.....or one's you made yourself.

Everything is a success, sydsky. Mel's mix simply uses 1/3 quality compost for fertility so no fertilizing is required in most cases.

Yes, I have had plants not do well for various reasons, but overall Mel's mix simply works as advertised.

It is my opinion that some crops, particularly those that are nitrogen pigs will grow faster with some supplemental N, but beyond that as long as the compost is added to everytime something is planted or removed everything grows very well.

How does Mel's mix compare to other mixes? Mel's mix is basically a container mix heavy on the compost. It performs/behaves about the same as similar mixes, just requires less fertilizer to grow terrific plants.

OK, I actually joined as a member just to chime in on these kinds of questions. In Dallas, TX, I had four SFGs (4'x16') last fall, and have been growing this spring. Each bed was identical in terms of what was planted in it and they were all in a 340 square foot area. I wanted to experiment with 4 different soil mixes, because my previous gardening experience told me Mel's mix just wouldn't work in the Texas heat and drought, but I was prepared to be pleasantly surprised.

I have access to a landscape wholesaler, so one bed was EXACTLY like Mel said to make it, complete with the landscape fabric bottom, 5 kinds of compost, peat, and #3 vermiculite. Comments/Results: Almost no weeds, Very expensive, Skimpy growth, harvest approx 2/3 that of the top-producing bed. Twice-daily waterings needed, fertilizer boosts needed, fire-ant prone bed. Upon inspection at the end of the season, plants had a much smaller root system. I took the bottom off at the end of the first growing season and am just growing in the newly-amended mix, on top of native soil, this spring.

One bed was a mix of native soil and composted leaves, rototilled to perfection. Comments/Results: This was the weediest bed (including nut sedge, which went absolutely CRAZY in this bed!). It also, at the end of the first season, had the least friable soil, and was badly in need of a BUNCH more organic material. It was #3 in terms of water usage and amount of veggies harvested. It was probably 75% of the top-producing bed.

One bed was a mix of native soil and composted leaves, rototilled (to function as a "double-digging"). A layer of corrugated cardboard was then laid down, watered, and 3" of specialty landscaper mix (from Living Earth Technology Co. in Dallas) was added. This mix consisted of green sand, lava sand, composted pine bark mulch, soil, and compost. I also added an additional 3" of compost and mixed the compost and specialty landscaper mix together, and dumped them into the bed. This bed was #2 in terms of water usage, #2 in terms of crop production, and there were no weeds to speak of.

The native soil in the last bed was covered with a layer of corrugated cardboard, watered, and then filled and tilled with 4" of Living Earth's specialty landscaper mix, 2" of compost, and 1/2" of expanded shale (also from LETCO). Expanded shale is a relatively new product, and even though I am an Aggie, and A&M was endorsing its use, I was skeptical. I didn't want "gravel" in my veggie garden! I was WRONG!! That stuff is amazing. It holds water SOOO much better than vermiculite! And the plants seem to respond to it better than they respond to those little water crystal things. I only had to water this bed twice a week during the summer, on average (I spot-watered the tomatoes water every-other-day), and that was a miracle! This spring, the other 3 beds had lost about 2" of height; I presume that is the organic matter breaking down. This spring, this bed lost about 1" of height, but the soil looked better than any of the other soil, and had more worms in it.

I had such great luck last summer/fall with bed #4 that this spring, I boosted all the other beds with compost AND expanded shale. Then, I added kelp meal, dry molasses, and Soil Alive! from Gardens Alive to each bed, and everything is growing like gangbusters.

I am not an employee of Living Earth Technology, and I did not get paid for this. However, I would recommend anyone in Texas, who is close to them, just buy your specialty landscape mix and expanded shale from them and be done with it!

Your testimonial sounds like an infomercial. My understanding was folks in dry, arid climates generally use sunken beds rather than raised beds.

Anyway, my apologies if you are simply excited about expanded shale.

I have to agree with urbanhomesteader about hot, dry Texas weather. Despite daily waterings last summer, my peat/vermiculite/compost beds ended up bone dry and hydrophobic by the end of August. I've been taking every opportunity to get some of my native clay soil or other mineral-based amendments into the beds.

I think they'll get better as I keep adding compost and the peat breaks down. I also watered with drip irrigation last year, which I think resulted in small wet pockets of mix and let the rest dry out. I've got the beds covered in soaker hoses this year.

Thanks urbanhomesteader,

It doesn't sound like an infomercial because I've heard it before. I used expanded shale with my blackberry last year and they are doing well. I keep some and use it often. Question is..........Was your mix Compost and shale only? I haven't done much with living earth because I don't have a pick up.

I used 1/2 peat and 1/2 half of Living Earth compost from Covington. Everything looks happy now, so we will see.

I have heard good things about expanded shale as well. Currently the only vermiculite and perlite in my beds is what gets dumped in the compost bin from rooting attempts and what comes along in the commercial mixes I use for seed starting. I haven't have a good source close enough to be worth a trip just for expanded shale, but I might start getting some on runs to get saltwater aquarium materials when I get my new tank set up since there is a Living Earth depot along the way. I've cooled on using buried soaker hoses; I have less time to manage the garden now that I'm a single dad to two preschoolers so I'm having to shift gears a bit and find ways to help the garden adjust to less regular tending...

Just wanted to chime in about the expnded shale too...
We got some in our mix last year and it is amazing- I only had to turn on the drip irrigation twice last year! A few weeks ago I went out to get the beds prepped - usually we have to till every year to break up the clay- this year I just took a hard rake to it and it just broke apart like we had just tilled it- :) Georgia Clay Conquered!!!

I use 1/3 vermiculite and the rest is as many different types of "oganics" as I can find or afford. I never have liked using peat if I could use a well-composted product instead.

I also grow in elevated beds only 6" deep. Drying-out can be solved by using a little micro-irrigation system with a little spray stake that sprays a flat trajectory, peventing the leaves from getting wet and also keeping wind-blown water losses down. With a $30.00 dollar, battery-operated timer from Wal-Mart, my water problems were completely solved.

I think this is staying in line with Mel's theory since, as the peat decomposes, he suggests using compost to supplement each season. So, eventually you would wind up with vermiculite and compost only anyway.

Urbanhomesteader,

If you're still reading this forum, thanks for taking the time in March to write about your experience.

It's helped steer my decision on how to set up a new garden bed, in the hot, dry, clay soil climate of California.

An old compost garden in a previous house was the most productive method I've tried yet. For next years new garden, I'll try mostly compost with Turface (can't find expanded shale here).

Regards

I'm so glad to read this. I have a square foot garden for the first time this year, and I'm so disappointed! I followed Mel's directions for the Mel's Mix to a "t," and it was quite expensive! I live in San Diego, and maybe it's just too hot and dry here for that mix. My chard, spinach and collards tasted extremely salty and just bad, although they grew well. My lettuce is barely growing. My heirloom tomato plants are scraggly, yellowish and the blossoms die and drop off. My green bean plants are yellowish and not thriving. My cucumber finally has some blossoms after three months. My eggplants are barely growing and are yellowish. My watermelon plant is at a standstill. My pepper plants each produced one flower and one pepper and then stopped. I could go on. I'm so disappointed after all that expense and all that work. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I missed this thread in the past somehow, but feel like I still have a couple of cents to contribute. I live in Maine, which has a somewhat different set of climate and soil problems (our soils also vary a lot from place to place). I grew up trying to grow things in a fairly heavy, clayey, soil. I saw Mel's original TV show and bought his first SFG book, which had us dig into our native soil and ammend it. Vermiculite really made a differerence in that soil. I haven't seen expanded shale in my area, but I expect it would make the same sort of difference and probably be "sturdier."

Ultimately I have to disagree with one of your basic premices, that the vermiculite is a "water retainer," that would be the peat moss (I've stuck a link to the wikipedia article about peat moss below). The biggest job of the vermiculite, expanded shale, etc. is to change the texture of the soil and give it beneficial propperties that it does not have on its own. Vermiculite is certainly a porus substance, and will hold watter when it is wetted, (it will also continue to hold some air) but that is not its main "job." It sounds like the expanded shale may really hold more water itself as well as preforming the other functions that vermiculite does, and the combination of that with the fact that it seems to be sturdier (vermiculite is a lot like popcorn, both in the manufacturing process and in the way it breaks down into smaller, and less helpfull (to the soil) particles over time (which is why Mel says to start with the course grade)) and apparently does intrinsically hold more water given the success stories in hot, dry, southern climates.

Anyway, the primary reason for the vermiculite is the way it "props apart" the soil particles, allowing better air and water circulation (both are important to plant roots) easier rooth growth and a lighter, more easily worked soil that resists being compacted. That combined with the idea that you never walk on the soil is a big part of SFG, things don't grow well in heavy, hard packed, soil. I remember a chapter in the old SFG book explaining what the vermiculite really does for your soil, and why it's worth the money to buy to dig into your existing soil to improve the texture and characteristics of the soil, rather it is sandy or clayey. Unfortunately that chapter was one of many things cut from the new book (my old one got lost, I was just glad to find the new one available) as not being nessicary to explain in the new "approach" with the raised beds and the Mel's mix. I think this is too bad, although I appreciate the simplicity of the new book, and the fact that it probably couldn't be as affordable now if it was as thick as it used to be...

My own experience, both from following Mel's advice on ammending existing soil and on making his "mix" for a raised bed, is that the thing I would leave out, if I had to make a choice, would be the peat moss, making a mix with two parts compost, and one part vermiculite, expanded shale, or, in a desperate pinch, perlite (I don't like the way it feels or the way it floats to the top), as the vermiculite type addative will do a lot for the texture and water holding capacity of the compost, which will do more for the plants than anything else. Of course, as I look at having made my own mix, the moss was ultimately the cheapest part, so this idea probably won't be a money saver to most people.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wikipedia peat moss entry