Interesting Discrepancy on Potting Soil

[Jim Koepke]

SWMBO wanted to pick up some potting soil while it was on sale. It was priced at 3 cubic feet for $10. If it was dryer we could go to the landscape supply and pick up a yard. My half ton pickup rides low with a yard of dry soil. With all the rain my wheels would likely rub the top of the wheel wells.

After bringing it home, it occurred to me that the package wasn't 3 cubic feet. The bag measured 24X18X8 inches, that is only 2 cubic feet.

Naturally when in town today the receipt was left at home. Anyway there was something else needed that they carried so when one of the clerks was free she was informed of my question and asked if a manager might help. After showing the manager the product and measuring it for her she realized the product was mislabeled and conferred with some of the others while my other shopping was being done. She came up to me and gave me two $10 store credit cards.

One happy customer for now, but it makes me wonder if anything will be done to correct the incorrect product labeling.

jtk

[Patrick McCarthy]

I have sometimes also questioned the volume measurement, but assumed that they must be referring to the bulk BEFORE they compress it for packing. Don’t know, as i didn’t really pursue it. My bad. Good food for thought

[Jim Koepke]

I have sometimes also questioned the volume measurement, but assumed that they must be referring to the bulk BEFORE they compress it for packing. Don’t know, as i didn’t really pursue it. My bad. Good food for thought

It occurred to me they might try to use the compressed size versus actual size. Part of my conversation to the store manager was to say their supplier must have mislabeled the product. This left me as a problem customer, but it wasn't the store's fault.

jtk

[Bill Dufour]

I was at Lowes yesterday and the worker was telling a customer that they have to call it soil and not compost. To be called compost it has to be heated to 160 degrees for some time. I assume this is to kill off any seeds or diseases. I do know that tomato seeds will survive through a hot compost pile while almost every other seed will be killed by the heat.
Bill D.

[Jim Koepke]

I was at Lowes yesterday and the worker was telling a customer that they have to call it soil and not compost. To be called compost it has to be heated to 160 degrees for some time. I assume this is to kill off any seeds or diseases. I do know that tomato seeds will survive through a hot compost pile while almost every other seed will be killed by the heat.
Bill D.

Statements from sales associates such as this often make me wonder if they are actually knowledgable on the subject, if this is something they heard from a co-worker or merely making it up on the fly.

From a quick search of > compost versus soil < there isn't any mention of being heated to 160º in the few links followed. The common difference was compost consists of solely organic material where soil may have sand, pebbles and other inorganic matter.

Just for fun, one of my compost piles has provided a small crop of potatoes going on three or four years now.

jtk