Except... as she noted the other day, it's not dirt. "It's growing media. There's a difference."

"Yeah," I told her, "the difference is that the dirt God gave us in the yard costs considerably less than the growing media our garden center sold us in this large and — dare I say — extremely heavy bag." Actually, as we all know, the difference is profound — considerably more profound than I thought I was being as I played the comic gardener. And explaining the difference to your customers can be child's play — literally. The Web site kidsgardening.com has some excellent, easy-to-understand explanations about the beneficial nature of growing media when used in preparing flowerbeds. It might serve you well to print out some of the tips to share with some of your budding plant people (Get it? Budding? ... Never mind).

For instance, if you're growing in beds, it's best to provide a soil mix that closely approximates soil found outdoors. If your outdoor soil is heavy, you'll need to improve its drainage for use in the greenhouse. Adding compost, peat or other organic matter to the soil helps with this balancing act. You'll also need to check and adjust the pH (to keep it between 6.0 and 6.8) and may want to add other mineral amendments (e.g., bone meal) to provide additional nutrients. When filling beds, first lay down a few inches of gravel and a few inches of sand on the bottom for drainage, then add 1 1/2 feet or more of your soil mix.

Or... you can simply point your customer to the stack of large and — dare I say — extremely heavy bags. She will appreciate the help, even if he won't.