For a slow-release nutrient boost, lightly add organic amendments such as blood meal, bone meal, kelp meal, crab meal, and eggshell powder to your planting holes. You can also top-dress your soil with these throughout the growing season. Think of it like seasoning a dish – a little goes a long way!
Avoid spending money on cheap store-bought worm castings or bulk bags claiming to be worm castings. Instead, use composted cow manure if needed. High-quality vermicompost should be fully broken down and fresh, providing immediate nutrition and beneficial microbes. If the vermicompost isn't well-decomposed, it's not high quality.
Remember, this is a STARTER SOIL recipe designed for raised beds and containers, not for mixing into your native soil. This mix gets you started quickly with garden boxes and pots – don’t till it into your garden soil.
To prepare your soil, start by fully saturating the peat moss. It's easier to mix if you do this where the soil will be used, saving you from carrying heavy, wet peat moss. Pre-saturating also minimizes nutrient runoff when you add compost later. Once the peat moss is saturated, mix in the other materials, except for the vermicompost.
After mixing, let the soil cure for a week or two. Once cured, add vermicompost and your organic amendments to the planting holes when setting seeds or transplants. If using organic meals, dig a deeper hole and cover the amendments with soil before planting, ensuring roots or seeds don't come into direct contact with these fertilizers.
