I would probably contact a local nursery. They would know what is best for the local soil. I know I have seen recommendations for Portland nurseries on Fresh Chalk.
OSU has a really cool Master Gardner program! I've taken one of their classes but you can ask a Master Gardener any question here... extension.oregonstate.edu/m...
Have you looked on YouTube? I found some great tips like using crushed egg shells and mixing into my dirt to help with composting and feeding my plants. There are so many ways to do it with using items you’d usually discard.
How much sq footage is involved? Improving it can happen in many ways depending on the state of the soil and what type of plants you're putting in. Worms can help, compost can help, it's really dependent on what's going on. Finally water and drainage may be an issue as well.
I just did some research on this myself...adding worm castings, coconut husk also called coir, vermiculite and compost can wake up old, tired and decomposed or overly compacted potting soils. This may be slightly different for general garden soil. I recommend looking for proper ratios. Putting all ingredients into a big tub or on a plastic sheet and adding a bit of moisture makes mixing easy.
No no no. Hold up. 1. It is extremely unlikely that the soil you had delivered is in anyway “bad”. 2. The only true way to know whether or not your soil has required nutrients to support plants growth is to do a soil test. The county you live in may offer them for free or you can go through several university programs across the US.
I would do a soil test. If you are having issues with tomatoes and bottom/bloom rot, you'll need to add powdered milk to the soil (it really works!) Also let me know if you need any seeds--i run a seed exchange and have way too many this year
Allison, usually the soil from a landscape company is "hot," and still decomposing. Sometimes if it doesn't have a chance to sit and air for a couple days, it can burn the plants with too much nitrogen and heat. I would concur with a couple others to take a soil sample to your extension office to determine ph. You can buy ph tests at Lowes and many of the other garden centers, they just aren't as accurate as Extension. Remember to amend each year by adding 1 large cube (3cu) bag of peat moss, a couple bags of composted manure and a couple bags of the generic top soil, this would be for a raised bed approximately 10x4 and mixed with the current soil.