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A raised garden bed is a beautiful addition to any yard and can increase a home’s curb appeal dramatically. However, before you start planting and gardening, you need to consider what type of soil to use in these beds, and The Dirt Bag can help. Besides looking gorgeous, a huge perk of a raised garden bed is having complete control over the soil (and mulch in some cases). For those who have a yard with especially tough soil in which to grow vegetables and flowers, garden beds are even better. You don’t have to worry about dealing with clay soil, pollutants in the dirt, or any issues with tree roots. Great soil is the key to a healthy garden, so choosing the best topsoil for a gardening bed is a big decision.
Although you can get garden beds in various sizes, the best are usually between six and eight feet long, between three and four feet wide, and up to about one foot tall. This gives you the perfect dimensions to plant, weed, sow, and of course, you can do all of this from the comfort of the bedside. The soil in a bed stays loose and resists becoming hard-packed (particularly from footsteps which you no longer have to worry about). Before figuring out the kind of soil you want, you also need to consider how much you’ll need—and it’s always more than you think. Many gardeners opt for soil delivery (which is free at The Dirt Bag), but smaller beds may be able to get filled with bag purchases.
Gardeners who remove the bottom part of a raised bed might want to uproot the grass and flip it over. It will break down over time and also help reduce the amount of soil you’ll need to purchase. The exact best soil mix for you will vary based on your region and what you want to grow, but many gardeners choose a triple mix (topsoil, peat moss/black loam, and compost). A direct 50/50 variation is one of the most popular picks in the US, which blends topsoil with compost. It’s important to know exactly where your soil is coming from since you don’t want topsoil that’s been sitting for a long time with its nutrients leaking out (don’t worry—at The Dirt Bag, that’s never a problem).
Some other soil providers get their topsoil from various new subdivisions being built. This is low-quality soil that doesn’t belong in your garden. However, if you’re purchasing bags of topsoil, look for labels that say “organic vegetable” or “herb mix” that’s designed for growing veggies and flowers. You might want to fill your beds almost to the top with your customized mix, then top it with a bit of compost. Make sure your compost is also organic vegetable compost. If you don’t already create compost yourself, getting a raised garden bed is the perfect excuse to start. You can always top off your beds with your very own compost to help direct more nutrients into the soil. Find out more about soil and compost for raised beds by calling The Dirt Bag today.
