Well hello everyone!! I am new here and completely new to gardening!!
I have built a 4x6 raised bed that is 10-inches deep, that will be in full sun for at least 8 hours a day. Now I am looking to fill it and get my plants in there.
I have been doing a lot of online research regarding what type of soil I need to use and and how much of each. I am looking for a little guidance and to know if I bought the right stuff.
My native soil is garbage...so I am filling the bed with other stuff.
I bought 14 cu. ft. of Miracle Grow Garden Soil, 3 cu. ft. of Peat Moss, and 3 cu. ft. of a Manure/Hummus mix. Is this good??
Also, when I go to mix the soil....do I mix everything together and then fill the bed?? Do I put some down in layers and just mix the top??
Any and all help is greatly appreciated!! Thanks in advance!!
- rainbowgardener
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It sounds as good as anything else.
3 years ago I began with trucked in garden loam, peat moss and composted manure plus a few amendements like limestone, greensand, blood meal, phosphate rock, etc.
In the fall I add an inch or two of compost to each bed and rake it in. Come spring, each time I plant something in a square (my garden is mostly Square Foot Gardening) I add a couple of trowels of compost to the soil and mix it in.
For any brassicas, like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower, I add a handful of limestone to the bottom of the soil to prevent clubroot.
So far I've been lucky. I even had a good crop the year the rain drowned many local gardens. The raised beds are terrific.
So get started and read, read, read. I suggest The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch, Rodale's Organic Gardening Encyclopedia and for the Northeast, Bob Thomsen's The New Victory Garden Book. They are a few that have been very helpful to me.
3 years ago I began with trucked in garden loam, peat moss and composted manure plus a few amendements like limestone, greensand, blood meal, phosphate rock, etc.
In the fall I add an inch or two of compost to each bed and rake it in. Come spring, each time I plant something in a square (my garden is mostly Square Foot Gardening) I add a couple of trowels of compost to the soil and mix it in.
For any brassicas, like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower, I add a handful of limestone to the bottom of the soil to prevent clubroot.
So far I've been lucky. I even had a good crop the year the rain drowned many local gardens. The raised beds are terrific.
So get started and read, read, read. I suggest The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch, Rodale's Organic Gardening Encyclopedia and for the Northeast, Bob Thomsen's The New Victory Garden Book. They are a few that have been very helpful to me.
Thanks!!
I finished filling the bed today. I have 2 cu.ft. of soil left and 1cu.ft. of peat left.
I watered the soil, but the water was not draining through the soil. I would let it sit a few minutes and it would still be pooled up on the surface...then I'd use a pitch fork and underneath was completely dry.
So someone told me that new soil can be water "repellent" a bit and to water it and mix it a couple times. So I did that....then I lost sun light. When I left it, it still seemed to be mostly mud.
Did I do something wrong?? Is this other guy right in saying it is repellent at first?? Should I add more peat?? But doesn't peat hold water?? I'm totally baffled right now.
I finished filling the bed today. I have 2 cu.ft. of soil left and 1cu.ft. of peat left.
I watered the soil, but the water was not draining through the soil. I would let it sit a few minutes and it would still be pooled up on the surface...then I'd use a pitch fork and underneath was completely dry.
So someone told me that new soil can be water "repellent" a bit and to water it and mix it a couple times. So I did that....then I lost sun light. When I left it, it still seemed to be mostly mud.
Did I do something wrong?? Is this other guy right in saying it is repellent at first?? Should I add more peat?? But doesn't peat hold water?? I'm totally baffled right now.
- rainbowgardener
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- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
No don't add more peat; it is the peat that is causing the problem. Regular soil is not water repellant, but peat when dry is. If you can, I'd mix in more of the regular soil. Then just keep watering and mixing. Once the peat is thoroughly moistened, it won't be water repellant any more (unless it totally dries out again).
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So everything is planted and growing well!! I have string beans and peas already growing.
But the soil just doesn't seem right. When I water the garden, the water pools up on the surface and then runs down to a corner that is a low part of the garden. Today after watering, I dug into the garden and noticed that the soil underneath the top layer was not getting wet.
What is going on here??
But the soil just doesn't seem right. When I water the garden, the water pools up on the surface and then runs down to a corner that is a low part of the garden. Today after watering, I dug into the garden and noticed that the soil underneath the top layer was not getting wet.
What is going on here??
It's the peat doing its "hydrophobic" trick. It repels water--yes, repels water. You may need to hand-squish some of the soil to "persuade" the peat to absorb water.
This, among other reasons, is why I used Mel Bartholomew's recommended planting mix in only one of my raised beds, only one time. I didn't replenish with the same proportions, and I didn't fill my other four raised beds with it, either. His recommendation is 1/3 mixed composts, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 peat moss.
I suggest that you replenish (when it's needed, maybe in the fall or next spring) the same way: add homemade compost and/or vermiculite. Only.
For now, squish that peat--and whatever is close by--to get it to absorb water. If there is any way to get warm (not hot) water to the raised bed, peat will be more inclined to absorb that warm water than the cold water we usually have available from our hoses. But, if not, the squish method worked for me. Messy but effective. *sigh*
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
This, among other reasons, is why I used Mel Bartholomew's recommended planting mix in only one of my raised beds, only one time. I didn't replenish with the same proportions, and I didn't fill my other four raised beds with it, either. His recommendation is 1/3 mixed composts, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 peat moss.
I suggest that you replenish (when it's needed, maybe in the fall or next spring) the same way: add homemade compost and/or vermiculite. Only.
For now, squish that peat--and whatever is close by--to get it to absorb water. If there is any way to get warm (not hot) water to the raised bed, peat will be more inclined to absorb that warm water than the cold water we usually have available from our hoses. But, if not, the squish method worked for me. Messy but effective. *sigh*
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
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- rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b