There are some possible raised bed gardening soil mix recipes that you can try for your garden. Raised bed gardening isn’t for everyone. Not only it can be overwhelming, but it’s not exactly the most common gardening type you find out there. One of the main challenges related to this gardening type is the soil type. On the contrary to what people think, the soil for raised beds is different from the garden soil. That’s why knowing different mix options can help you deliver the most fruitful outcome.
The Importance of Raised Bed Soil
Why do gardeners fuss so much about the right raised bed gardening soil mix recipes? It’s because the soil should be healthy and nutritious so you can also have healthy plants. Keep in mind that soil provides nutrients, air, and water for the plants as well as the (soil) organism. You want to have somewhat crumbly, deep, and loose soil. Not only can it hold the water (so the root can access it), but it should also support quick draining ability for the excess water.Buying the mixed soil is okay if you only work with one raised bed. But if you have several of them, you will only spend so much money. If you do need a type of soil, be sure to buy it in bulk so you can save it. It can significantly save you tons of money. But of course, having your own mix can be handy. Not only it saves you money, but you can also pick the right mix for your garden.
Some of the Options
It’s a good thing that there are some options for raised bed gardening soil mix recipes. Some of the most popular and common options are the classic soil mix with only 3-ingredient options. For this recipe, you need to mix up vermiculite, peat moss, and (varied) organic compost together. All of them are 1/3 in proportion.This is the best recipe for a small raised bed garden. If you have a big one, you need to adjust the peat and vermiculite to around 1 ¼ for each. If you can’t find vermiculite, you can substitute it with coconut coir or perlite.
- The Perfect Blend
For this recipe, you will need peat moss (5 bags), organic compost (3 bags), worm castings (4 bags), organic chicken manure (3 bags), organic vermiculite (2 bags), kelp meal (1 to 2 lbs), azomite (3 to 6 lbs), oyster shell flour (3 to 6 lbs), and all purpose fertilizer (2 to 4 lbs).
Simply mix them all. Use a big tarp for a perfect mix. By doing this layout, you can avoid pockets of manure, peat, and others. This kind of recipe would be perfect for a raised bed with 8 x 4 x 1 foot of size. It may seem like a lot of ingredients, but rest assured that the results won’t disappoint you.
- The Bagged Blend You need organic garden soil (4 bags), organic garden soil and organic fertilizers (2 bags), topsoil (2 bags with the size of 40 lbs), and worm castings (3 cups). As before, you only need to mix them up. As you can see, this kind of mix consists of various soil blends. This one is just perfect for those not having the direct access to bulk materials.
- The Rich Blend This recipe is pretty simple, but the results are potent. You only need topsoil, various organic compost, and organic compost. Each of them is 1/3 in proportion. For the organic compost, it can be worm castings, homemade compost, or chicken manure.
Final Words
Making your own soil mix isn’t difficult, but feel free to have experiments on your own. In reality, there is no perfect soil mix. The right raised bed gardening soil mix recipes would be the one that meets your garden’s requirements.Photo by Neslihan Gunaydin on Unsplash