......................................
Have you heard? I've started a separate blog,
The Sugar Sharks, all about our life with Type I Diabetes.
.....................................

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

WFMW: buying good dirt

Paying for "good" dirt?? I know, right now you're probably thinking that I've lost my frugal mind. Hang on, you're reading the right blog! Sometimes, it actually turns out to be the best frugal move to pay more for something. How does that work?

I enjoy flowers, but I am not one of those green thumb gardeners who can make anything grow. We also have a fairly new house lot, with no topsoil and rocky ground, neither of which makes our yard conducive to growing anything.

A couple of years ago I stumbled across this Miracle Grow Garden Soil, and I haven't looked back since. One bag of this garden soil replaces the multiple steps normally involved in planting new flowers or vegetables... no extra fertilizers or repeated feedings are needed. It works for both flowers and vegetables. And, while it costs slightly more than regular top soil, I'm pretty sure I come out even when you factor in the cost of separate fertilizers and the plants I've killed off had to replace over the years.

Last year I used this to fill in a new flower bed that we put in to hide the ugly electrical boxes out in our front yard. By the end of the summer the flowers were so huge that I actually had to prune them back-- amazing! All we did after planting was weed and water throughout the summer. DH and I decided then that we would always use this soil when starting new beds.

The Miracle Grow people aren't paying me to brag about their product (although I'd be open if they're reading this- LOL)... it's just a product that I really appreciate, and it definitely works for me!


5 comments:

  1. It's good to know that it does actually make a difference. I just bought some regular soil and fertilizer and I'm pretty sure that it would have cost the same if I just bought the Miracle Gro soil. Oh well, lesson learned!

    ReplyDelete
  2. We have great soil, but if we didn't I'd go that route. Right now, I'm supplementing with organic compost read "manure" which is plenty for now. My mother loves miracle gro; she swears by it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. We're doing Square Foot Gardening, and the soil for that is just a mix of peat moss, vermiculite (except ours is mostly pearlite) and home-made compost. The vermiculite can be a little pricey, but it's not too bad altogether.

    On the other hand, I have no idea how much MG potting soil is, so I can't compare!

    ReplyDelete
  4. that's what we used, as well!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Does it have chemicals? I need better soil for my garden next year and am looking forward to starting my own compost pile so I can use organic gardening. Who knows what big brother is putting in our veggies at the store (yep, conspiracy theorist at work) I will be buying some cheapy topsoil like the kind at the dollar store and adding my compost to it :)

    ReplyDelete

* Thanks for visiting my blog! * The opinions expressed here are mine. I welcome your comments and discussion, but please, like we tell our children, "use your manners"!