Vermiculite Substituion?

korovan 3/23/2010, 5:53 pm

Hey all, I'm a noob to SFG, and am just aboput to get started. I have a big pile of black bark mulch (mostly hemlock and fir) lying around. Do you think I could use it to substitute for either the vermiculite or the peat moss? Any advice is welcome!

Lavender Debs 3/23/2010, 6:34 pm

Hi noob. This is also my first year. What I know about wood mulch is that it takes the nitrogen from the soil as it breaks down. I am sure you will be unhappy with the output of vegetables in your box if you use it.

There is a guy in the pnw (boffer) who likes to say something like cry once, happy later......or something like that, meaning bite the bullet, pay for the vermiculite and peat the first year and keep using it again and again after that.

Deborah ....welcome from Everett


	Hello Guest! Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum. There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.

Vermiculite Substituion?

Vermiculite Substituion?

Re: Vermiculite Substituion?