What is the best soil mix for a raised bed garden
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we took three trees down and I made the area my garden. I got a small dump truck with 1/2 compost and 1/2 garden soil Delivered. I worked it into the remaining soil, adding epson salt, coffee grounds and crushed egg shells. This was 4 years ago and my garden has thrived every year.
To start it out well, use potting soil or raised garden soil (I saw some at home depot last summer), some peat moss and perhaps some sterilized manure (it won't smell). Don't use top soil, it is just dirt and clay. Remember that the soil will settle some as the rain and watering packs it down, so a little higher than you want it to be at first won't hurt. Use mostly the soil, may be a third between the peat moss and the manure. If you are going to have flowers in the bed, wood chips would be good, and you can put garden fabric down under it if you want. If you are doing a veggie garden, use shredded leaves or cut grass. It will degrade and put some nutrients back into the soil for what the plants will use up. As they degrade, you just add more. I add each time we cut the lawn and it also helps to keep the soil moist longer when it is hot by shading the soil. Use a good fertilizer no matter what you are planting. You can foliar feed flowers, or feed the roots. Veggies need root fertilizing, not foliar feeding, as you will get less produce and richer plants. Research what you are planting to see if it needs extra amending, like tomatoes like extra magnesium and calcium and what to use for amending. Good luck with your new gardening project!
I've had good luck with Miracle Grow potting soil. I'd mix a bit of sand in with it though. Last spring, my neighbors had a few truck loads of good, black top soil delivered for their flower beds, they wound up with millions of weeds. Don't use anything pressure treated though if you're growing food in the raised beds, the chemicals can be harmful. I like cocoa bean hull mulch, it improves the soil & smells like chocolate, but can be hard to find sometimes.
Make a compost pile and make your own dirt. You'll have some weeds with it but it's a lot better than most commercial products--not to mention cheaper!
I’ve been using a 4 part mix - equal parts top soil,compost, peatmoss, vermiculite or pearlite. I would like to get a raised bed installed....saw a really cool galvanized frame..just have to see what it costs....and how big it is.