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by Gardenmaker on April 18th, 2005

Gardenmaker

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I'm building an above ground garden. Would it be best to use 100% humus or a mixture of humus and top soil?

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  • by Thommy on June 11th, 2005

    Thommy

    Notmrjohn mentioned something very important. Treated lumber is very toxic and contains arsenic. These old railroad ties are terrible. Older playground equipment made of treated lumber is probably the toxic type. In two years, this treated lumber will be phazed out because of its toxicity. Next to a vegetable garden, it could be bad news.

    Actually, there are some rock powders and soil amendments which would be great for your garden.

    Top soil is not always great. In fact, it often is "played out and no longer fertile" farmland. The farmer gets more for the dirt than he could for anything which might happen to grow.

    Compost is always the top priority. You can bring in lots (usually about $28 a cubic yard). Build about 8 inches or so of compost. If you can blend this in with a tiller with the soil there and amendments, it will help set you up. Use molasses to kick off the microbe activity.

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