Mark, you mention your local topsoil is rather calcium deficient. We have only a small garden, but save all our eggshells and run them through the blender. They don't go in the compost, but straight to our tomatoes.
Also coffee grounds are free at most restaurants and are loaded with nitrogen.
https://www.trees.com/gardening-and-landscaping/coffee-grounds-for-gardening
We go through a fair number of eggs per week. I confess that it is just easier to shovel on some fish bone meal. The fish fertilizer fragrance also evokes some sentimental childhood memories of enjoying time in the garden and greenhouses with Dad. Funny how odors and music can do that.
Our native soil is quite alkaline, so those acidic coffee grounds are very welcome. I despise Starbucks as a business model (and think their coffee is substandard), but they were quite happy to give me all the coffee grounds I could handle—20 pounds in a trash bag or two each visit.
I am considering buying a cubic yard or two of already amended organic soil just to quick-start the beds. I would normally have started indoor seedlings in November, but didn't because only this month did I think I am up to the endeavor.
Topic: Soil amendments (Read 3247 times)