What is the best soil for raised garden bed?
Compost and topsoil are mixed in a ratio of 2:1 to produce high-quality raised garden bed soil. If you want to buy bags to fill the bed, the goal is to mix 2 parts of topsoil with 1 part of compost. If you use some soil in the garden or there is already soil in your bed, please add 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) of compost. Then, put them together until the soil is mixed.
Compost provides rich organic nutrition for plants. As part of the compost proportion, you can also mix chopped leaves, earthworm compost or mushroom compost.
Choose fertile topsoil, which means it is loose and not too compact. This allows water to drain and prevents soil compaction.
If you want to fill several beds, please know whether the local nursery or home improvement shop can transport a large amount of topsoil or compost.
The ratio of compost to soil is 3 to 1, which can also play a good role.
Can I fill my elevated bed with the soil in my yard?
As long as compost is added, ground soil can be used. If you know there are no pathogens or pests, please use only the ground or native soil. If you are lucky to have healthy soil, please continue to use it! To determine the nutrient content of the soil, please buy a cheap soil test kit from most nurseries or home improvement stores. Then, if the soil needs specific nutrients, you can improve it.
If you have sandy or clay ground soil, compost can improve drainage and soil texture.
If your soil cannot keep water well, please use earthworm dung instead of traditional compost. The worm dung mixed into the soil can better improve the soil texture, so it can maintain water for a longer time.
What is the difference between garden soil and elevated bed soil?
They are very similar, but peat moss is added to the raised bed soil. The garden soil is essentially topsoil, with wood chips added. Elevated bed soil goes further - it is basically garden soil with peat moss and nutrients added. Elevated bed soil keeps water and nutrients longer than garden soil.
If the raised bed soil cannot be found, just mix the compost with the topsoil in equal amount, or add the compost to the garden soil.
How to save money when filling the elevated bed?
Put sticks or logs under the raised bed. Do not fill the whole raised bed with soil, but spread branches, logs, sawdust or sticks on the bottom before adding soil. Wood products take up space, so you don't need so much soil.
In addition, with the passage of time, the wood products will decompose and increase the volume of the bed.
How to Fill my elevated garden Bed?
1. Determine how much soil you need for your bed. Search for free online soil calculators. You can enter the square feet of the elevated garden beds, as well as the length, width and depth of each bed. The calculator will automatically figure out how many bags of soil you need.
For example, if you have a 9 sq ft (0.84 m
If you don't have cardboard to use, spread out newspaper. They break down faster than cardboard, but they prevent weeds.
2. Place organic materials like branches, logs, or hay under your bed. These materials add volume to the bed, so you don't have to use as much soil. Then, spread a layer of compost over sticks, logs, or hay. All of these things break down, which adds carbon and nitrogen to the soil.Spray water on each layer to moisten it before adding more material.
3 Fill the bed with a mixture of topsoil and compost. You can pour equal parts compost and topsoil into the bed and mix it together with a shovel or digging fork. Continue filling the bed until it is 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) from the top of the bed frame.
You will find that the soil level drops after a few seasons. This is totally normal! You just need to fill your loft bed with compost before the next gardening season.
Do I have to add compost to my elevated garden bed?
It's best to add compost once a year to replenish nutrients. At the end of the growing season, fill the soil of your raised bed with 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6 cm) of your own compost or compost you bought. Mix it into the existing soil to allow nutrients to get into the bed.
You can purchase different types of compost, such as mushroom compost or poultry compost. Try using a different type of compost every few seasons to add a variety of nutrients to the bed.
If you use your own compost, be sure to break it down completely first.
Compost will decompose completely when it no longer smells and you can no longer see visible food debris in the mixture.
