Raised beds for gardening is my favorite method. If you’re working with raised beds gardening, you will easily control your soil’s characteristics. The beds will warm faster in spring. There will be fewer weeds and a more straightforward removal of the ones that show up. The soil won’t get compact like an in-ground lawn. However, there is a drawback you’ll have to determine how to fill up a tall elevated garden beds. This can be a challenge! It doesn’t matter if it’s native soil, the soil mix, a mixture of compost and soil, or something else that we’ll explain the options available. There are plenty of things that one can try to give your garden with raised beds!
Soil Volume
Garden soil bags are available in cubic feet sizes, generally between 1 and 3 cubic foot bags. The bulk soil you purchase from an area landscape supply business will be measured in cubic yards. The first step is to calculate your garden’s size in cubic inches. To calculate this, you multiply the length by width and then the foot depth (e.g., 4′ x 6′ x 1.5″). You now have your cubic feet total and can determine how much bagged soil is required to complete the bed! If you decide to purchase the bulk soil, it is necessary to calculate the volume into cubic yards.
To convert your quantity to cubic yards, multiply your cubic foot figure by 0.037037 or use this converter. For those who find math not to be their most robust ability (or you’re simply lazy, no shame!), a soil calculator in raised beds will calculate everything for you and in both cubic feet and yards. Why didn’t I give this to you at the beginning? Because I’m mean, and I wanted to work your brain a little. We don’t depend on bulk soil by itself as it does not always appear to be of the best quality or the most preferred texture. That’s certainly our experience. Thus, the bulk of the soil is usually added to fill in the space at the bottom of deep beds like our 2 feet deep beds, which are up to one-quarter full.
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To learn more about how to build a raised garden bed against a fence read here.
Bagged Soil
We opt for top-quality organic soil mixes and compost for the rest of the amount. It is possible to mix with bulk soil in and out to boost the quantity but not nearly as much as other great stuff. For bagged soil, it is usually G&B Organics (by Kellogg) available at the nearby Ace Hardware garden beds center and local Farm Supply. Suppose we’re planning an extensive shopping spree in Home Depot to buy lumber and other materials and other items. In that case, we’ll purchase a few bags of the Kellogg Organics line of bagged soils.
We’re not 100% in love with Kellogg solely, and this isn’t an advertising post… It’s just that I am sharing what has worked for us in the garden! They have a wide selection of products available, inexpensive, and OMRI certified for organic gardening, and yield positive results! Both G&B Organics and Kellogg offer huge 3-cubic feet bags of raised beds, plant mixes, and soil conditioner. Other top brands include Dr. Earth’s, Roots Organics, E.B. Stone and Fox Farm, to name some. It is not advisable to use “potting soil” because it’s too soft and light for raised beds. When you combine various items, you’ll get the most diverse textures and compositions. Some are denser, others spongier Some are made of pumice or perlite, while others are with no.
If you would like to hire someone to take care of your raised garden beds, you can always contact grounds maintenance near me.
Use 40% COMPOST
Compost is organic material that has been broken down and then decomposed into nutrient-rich plant food. It is an excellent soil conditioner that will bring your Garden Beds to life! We try to make as much compost from our compost to our worm bin or our huge compost pile as possible. Unfortunately, we cannot produce enough compost from scratch to meet the needs of all our gardens, particularly for big projects such as filling up raised beds. Therefore, we use organic bags of compost or even bulk mulch. The bulk compost option we buy is made from locally-sourced green waste.
Our most popular bagged compost one is Malibu Compost Biodynamic Blend, also simply referred to in the form of “Bu’s.” It’s composted, aged cow manure that is organically certified on dairy farms. They employ biodynamic methods. Be aware that Bu’s compost is abundant, and they suggest mixing just 25 percent of their compost with the soil mix.
However, the Bu’s brand is only accessible on the West Coast. Located somewhere in the Northeast, the Coast of Maine offers similar products. There are other companies available across the U.S. Comment below if you know of a great local product similar to this available in your region!
Compost Options
Apart from our homemade compost and Bu’s, we’re in a position to purchase the “organic compost” product from our local landscaping supply store in enormous quantities for larger projects. Look to see if the local company sells something similar! We also look at some of the bags, such as G&B Organics “Harvest Supreme,” as a compost amendment rather than soil; therefore, we will consider these when trying to achieve that 40/40/20 ratio.
Not to be left out, worm castings (aka”worm poop!) are also composted. Worm castings are extremely beneficial for your plants that they’re known in the form of “black gold.” I highly recommend making a worm catcher at your home! It’s a great option to divert food waste away from the garbage, and then recycle this “waste” into a precious product to use in your house or Garden Beds! Worm bins aren’t expensive and pretty simple to maintain, and they don’t smell like rotten food.
Aeration
As crucial as compost, Aeration is essential in maintaining the health of the soil. This can be done with pumice, lava rock, or perlite. Sand with a coarse texture also encourages drainage and Aeration; however not as effective as the other.
What is the reason for adding material for Aeration? We’ve discussed that soil is filled with living organisms, requiring air to flourish! Those living things include beneficial microbes, nematodes, protozoa, worms, fungi, and many others. Not to mention that your plant’s roots require air to grow as well! The roots breathe! I often stress not to over-love your plants by putting too much water on them, which can cause them to drown.
Aeration additives do more than offer air. Their presence encourages drainage and keeps the soil from becoming too compact. This may sound counterintuitive to say, but materials that absorb water like pumice and lava rocks enhance the retention of water while at the same time ensuring excellent drainage. They’ll retain moisture inside themselves, which helps to keep an even moist bed for a more extended amount of time between the watering. As with many aspects of gardening, there’s a need for balance.
