Soil Mix
Simple, straightforward soil mixes and advice for raised bed vegetable gardens.
Soil Mix
For first time gardeners, figuring out the perfect soil mix for a raised bed can be one of the most daunting tasks. There are so many different combinations out there and you can spend hours and hours (and we have!) sifting through advice on the internet. The great news is that no single growing medium is perfect for growing vegetables; there are many! You can be as simple or get as fancy as you want. You can buy store bought bags of soil or you can make your own compost and tweak your soil to cater to different vegetables!
The below soil mix is our favorite for starting a garden. It is simple, economical, the components are available at local garden stores, and it works well for all types of vegetables.
Tips:
What’s mushroom compost, you may ask? It is composted material that is used to grow mushrooms after the mushrooms have been harvested. It adds a punch of nutrients to help with vegetable growth. Can’t find mushroom compost? It’s available in the spring at most garden stores, but if you can’t find it, feel free to substitute composted cow or poultry manure.
Go organic! The better quality soil and compost you buy, the better your growth will be and the more confident you’ll be of your product. We recommend purchasing organic soil and compost when available.
Want Some Alternatives?
While the basic mixture above is tried and true, there are other options! Here are some below:
This soil mixture is good if you can’t find decent quality top soil or have problems finding mushroom compost or composted manure.
This is the famous “Mel’s Mix.” While we have not tested it, many folks believe this is the optimal soil mixture for raised beds. Try it out and let us know what you think!
Have a soil mix you swear by? Let us know what it is and we’ll add it to the collection!
How much soil do you need?
Calculate the amount of soil you need to buy using this formula:
Length (feet) x width (feet) x height (feet) of soil = cubic feet of soil needed
For a 4’ x 4’ x 1’ raised bed, you’ll need 16 cubic feet of soil.
Some soil is sold by the cubic yard. To calculate cubic yards, divide the cubic feet by 27. So, for the 4’ x 4’ x 1’ raised bed, you’ll need .59 total cubic yards of soil.
When and how to add more soil
When you first add your soil mixture to your raised bed all you need to do is mix it well and start growing. If you use good quality soil and soil mixtures, you shouldn’t need to add anything else for the first growing season. Here are two times you should add new soil:
At the start of every season. Over the winter, you’ll notice that your soil has become more compact and if you dig your fingers in, you’ll also probably notice that worms have taken up residence in your raised bed. Do not be alarmed, this is all good stuff! The soil is benefiting from worms and microorganisms that have taken up in the soil since the last harvest and you don’t want to disturb them! All you need to do at the start of each growing season is spread an inch or two of the same soil mixes above on top of the soil that’s already there.
If you are re-planting crops mid-summer. If you plan to re-plant some of your raised bed in the middle of summer in places where spring crops have died out, make sure to spread an inch or so of compost on top of the soil in the areas you want to re-plant. The previous crop will have sapped the nutrients in the soil and the compost will replenish those nutrients.