Hi

I live north of Baltimore. I fill raised beds with a 50/50 mix of top soil and LeafGro. Leafgro is a composted yard waste product sold by the state of Maryland to many garden stores up and down the east coast. I would check with your local garden store and hard goods retailers. Try Grey Goose nursery in Olney - they sell a mixed top soil-Leafgro product and also a custom mix with topsoil, manure, peat moss, green sand, crushed crab shell,etc.

Scott

Here is a link that might be useful: Grey Goose Farm

Where is Grey Goose? I've never heard of it (that I know of). I believe Good Earth in Olney sells Leafgro.

I buy topsoil and Leafgro from Rels in Olney. They will deliver for a charge. You can either buy bagged or bulk. Last time I was there, they were selling Leafgro for $4 a bag. By far the cheapest source I know.

I can't say how "clean" their topsoil is. I would think that Leafgro is about the cleanest thing you can buy.

What I would NOT recommend for food crops is Compro or Tuscarora Landscapers Choice (produced by Loudon County). Since these are produced from sewage, there are issues with heavy metals and other contaminants.

My parents used Compro on their lawn many years ago and we spent DAYS picking up hundreds of cigarette butts that came with the Compro. Apparently, cigarette butts can survive a trip through Blue Plains.

I forgot to say that bulk works out to about half the cost of bagged, a bit of fuzz factor depending on how much you buy and what the delivery charge is. And you can spread any extra on the lawn.

That's offset by the possible convenience of getting bags.

After using several soil products. I like the lgmsoil.com brand the most. Their planter mix and potting soil have done wonders for my grapes and garden flowers. You can purchase in bulk and by bag. Most importantly, I am not finding a strange particles in the mix.