You can order vermiculite online. I found several sources when I was building my bed, although I ended up having a semi-local nursery order it for me. I paid about $17 (US) for 4 cubic feet of it.

As for compost, I did the best I could and searched high and low, but only found three types (Black Kow, organic Mushroom and homemade). Since I had searched for over 3 weeks, I went with what I had.

However, I plan to add chicken manure (my aunt keeps chickens) and horse manure to my homemade compost in order to up the ante a bit. I figure my homemade stuff is already pretty good since it has lots of different stuff in it. I hope to add some worms to the compost soon, but haven't found a local source yet.

Speaking of worms, what worms are good to add to it?

I'd say these are probably the most frequently asked questions in the entire SFG forum.

"I can't find vermiculite! What else should I use?" First, almost everyone thinks they can't find vermiculite, but eventually, they do. I had to try 5 or 6 garden centers, and eventually found it myself, just before I posted my own "But it's just not available" post. It's there, you just have to dig harder (or find it online, like lissa has suggested) That being said, vermiculite is just the best option Mel has discovered - not using it doesn't mean you won't get veggies. Perlite can be used, or that portion of the mix can be omitted, and you'll still have viable soil, just less optimal - requiring you to water more and it will compact on you.

"I can't find 5 types of compost!" 5 isn't a magic number. It's just the lowest number Mel came up with that will have a broad enough spectrum of nutrients and organisms to support the average garden. If you have one good source of compost (like the stuff you make yourself, from kitchen waste and random 'stuff') then you only need one type of compost. It's about providing your plants with enough variety of organic material to provide all of the nutrients it needs. Personally, I used a seaweed and shrimp compost, a forest compost, horse manure compost and my own worm castings. Anyway, don't get hung up on the number 5, just try to get as much variety as you can.

SFG is a different way of gardening than most people are used to. Because it uses intensive planting and low beds, it's geared towards using a very high-capacity soil with great drainage and water retention. Mel traded some of the old wisdom with higher technology (trellises, vermiculite, no soil, blended compost) and tuned the result. If you need (or want to) to tune your own for your own reasons, go ahead - the plants won't care. They may do better or worse than my beds, but most likely, you'll get veggies no matter what.

Thank you for the answers. I drove about a 100 miles Saturday looking for vermiculite. I did find a one pound bag in a local hardware store... I will look online. I do have some wonderful home grown compost so that is what I will start with..

Echoes, May I suggest that you let your fingers do the walking? I called about 20 local places, starting in the phone book with nurseries and feed stores. As each one said they didn't have vermiculite, I asked them for a recommendation for someone else to call. That's how I found my vermiculite, at a semi-local nursery where the owner was willing to order it for me.

One of the feed stores has it on order as well, but he's having no luck with his supplier.

Thanks Lissa, I have called some that I didn't go by and so far nada... Must not be anyone who uses this stuff in Central Oregon LOL... I have not given up yet..

Certainly you can continue w/o vermiculite or even add it some at a later date - if you feel you must.

Echoes, Just a quick follow-up for you. I spoke with my guy at the feed store in my hometown. He got me two bags and made sure he had a place to order more. Maybe your local feed store can help you out as well? Unless you've just decided to skip the vermiculite and add it when you can find it later, that is. :)