Over the next several weeks we will be emphasizing that special stuff in which plants grow. Yes I mean soil, not dirt. Plants grow in soil, dirt gets on clothes. You would think (me being a professional and all that) that I would have learned by now to invest in soil first…. then plants. But no! I’m still human and I can’t resist a pretty plant! Seriously, why buy a $12.99 bag of Natures Way Leaf Mold Compost when you can buy a blooming rose for the same price? Because the plant you buy today will have greater chance of succeeding and will be even better tomorrow growing in good soil.
Another reason I did not invest in bagged goods (soils, mulches, compost, etc) was the inconvenience of it! Before Nelson’s started carrying bagged goods it was always so difficult to buy them at a big box—a 40# bag of soil is not something you can easily heft to the cash register. Once you bought it (after the cashier figured out which product you were purchasing, usually taking several minutes flipping through a book), then there was no one to load it into your vehicle. So frustrating! All that has changed here at Nelson’s, our soil yard is convenient to the parking lot and there is always someone on hand to load it up.
Another issue with bagged goods comes after I get it home. How do I get it where I want it? A wheel barrow or cart is handy to get my precious bag of soil/compost/expanded shale to it’s home. Once there I use the large, shallow plastic tubs we sell at Nelson’s to grow water lilies to transport the materials to wherever I am currently working. Ugly bag stays in the garage and I can easily heft the tubs. We sell these sturdy UV resistant tubs in a variety of sizes for $7.99 and up and they will last for years. I also use these tubs to cover my tomatoes in early spring when we have a frost. In the picture below, you can see the tub propped up against the tomato ready it in the evening for the night. Next morning after the freeze I will lift the pot. More on tomato tricks in another blog. In case you were wondering the tomato is growing in a ‘bottomless” pot.
