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what to fill my raised garden with?

HomeBrewerDude

HomeBrewerDude

Lifer
I built a 12 x 16 raised bed this weekend and I need to fill it with dirt. Since my yard slopes, the bed currently has about 4" depth on the high side, and 14" on the low side.


I plan to get some dirt/mulch/and possibly compost delivered this week.

How much compost should I mix in with the top soil? Any?

How much mulch should I put on top (to retain moisture and inhibit weed growth)?


thanks in advance!
 
I mixed a 50 lb. bag of chicken manure in my wife's 4x10 raised bed. Now she has 6 ft. tomato plants! We mixed with 75% dirt/ 25% compost. We did not use any mulch and have not had much of a probelm with weeds. Now the bed is so packed with stuff nothing else has a chance to grow.
 
Well, personally, I feel that it's a great place to hide the dead hookers in your trunk. They do get kinda gamey after a while, especially in the summer.
 
Originally posted by: heathertre
Well, personally, I feel that it's a great place to hide the dead hookers in your trunk. They do get kinda gamey after a while, especially in the summer.
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heh, but the smell covers up the stench of dead kittens
 
Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
Originally posted by: heathertre
Well, personally, I feel that it's a great place to hide the dead hookers in your trunk. They do get kinda gamey after a while, especially in the summer.
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heh, but the smell covers up the stench of dead kittens
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Dead kittens? I thought they were chipmunks.
 
You have to layer it...

put in the dead bodies first, then the compost, then the topsoil... and then a thin layer of mulch to protect the topsoil.
 
Originally posted by: Ronstang
Originally posted by: mercanucaribe
Originally posted by: meltdown75
i threw 10 bags of topsoil in my 10 x 3 planter box and my garden loves me and loves life. my garden is love.
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WTF are you growing in that love garden?
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Carrots and cucumbers.
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Well... I do have some cukes... ribbed for my pleasure. 😛
 
Mushroom compost is your friend.

That stuff is like gold. works as dirt additive and you can use a top layer as mulch. Cheap, and it'll make you veggies huge.

Edit: Oh, and if you go with the dead bodies, don't forget the lime 😉
 
I've always wondered what garden vegetables watered solely with beer would taste like. So, try filling it with lots of beer.
 
Originally posted by: dullard
I've always wondered what garden vegetables watered solely with beer would taste like. So, try filling it with lots of beer.
Click to expand...

How about just growing a bunch of hops?
 
Originally posted by: dullard
I've always wondered what garden vegetables watered solely with beer would taste like. So, try filling it with lots of beer.
Click to expand...

You need to repent your ways son. Intentionally spilling beer?!?!?!? :shocked:
 
Originally posted by: MisterJackson
Mushroom compost is your friend.

That stuff is like gold. works as dirt additive and you can use a top layer as mulch. Cheap, and it'll make you veggies huge.

Edit: Oh, and if you go with the dead bodies, don't forget the lime 😉
Click to expand...

... and the coconut and drink it all up.
 
Go easy on the nitrogen (chicken/steer manure, etc) if you're growing tomatoes, or they will get blossom end rot. If you do overfertilize your tomatoes, give them a good shot of a calcium supplement to help prevent the problem. Too much nitrogen creates a calcium deficiency in tomatoes.

For mulch, if you're growing a vegetable garden, use straw to cover the soil, enough to shade it (perhaps two or three inches). It's easy to sweep aside when you need to add more soil ammendments, and can be turned into the soil next spring. Do NOT turn fresh straw into soil directly. It will rob the soil of nutrients as it decomposes. Also, make sure you're using straw, not hay, or you're going to be weeding grasses from your beds. I recommend using a grain straw (like wheat) instead of a grass seed straw (like fescue) because it's less likely to contain a lot of leftover seeds.

For what to fill it with, go with either a good readymade mix (the places that deliver it can let you know what's available) or you can get good topsoil and add as much as maybe 25% or so of good compost. If you need drainage, do NOT add sand. Add something like pumice or perlite and lots of compost. Sand has shown to exacerbate problems with drainage in clay soils.

 
Originally posted by: Bryophyte
Go easy on the nitrogen (chicken/steer manure, etc) if you're growing tomatoes, or they will get blossom end rot. If you do overfertilize your tomatoes, give them a good shot of a calcium supplement to help prevent the problem. Too much nitrogen creates a calcium deficiency in tomatoes.

For mulch, if you're growing a vegetable garden, use straw to cover the soil, enough to shade it (perhaps two or three inches). It's easy to sweep aside when you need to add more soil ammendments, and can be turned into the soil next spring. Do NOT turn fresh straw into soil directly. It will rob the soil of nutrients as it decomposes. Also, make sure you're using straw, not hay, or you're going to be weeding grasses from your beds. I recommend using a grain straw (like wheat) instead of a grass seed straw (like fescue) because it's less likely to contain a lot of leftover seeds.

For what to fill it with, go with either a good readymade mix (the places that deliver it can let you know what's available) or you can get good topsoil and add as much as maybe 25% or so of good compost. If you need drainage, do NOT add sand. Add something like pumice or perlite and lots of compost. Sand has shown to exacerbate problems with drainage in clay soils.
Click to expand...

Hey get it? Calcium supplements in the tomatoes? The tomato is "juicing" - HARHARAHRAHR!
 
Originally posted by: Nyati13
You have to layer it...

put in the dead bodies first, then the compost, then the topsoil... and then a thin layer of mulch to protect the topsoil.
Click to expand...

The layers helps hide the dead bodies better from the authorities. 🙂
 
Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
Originally posted by: dullard
I've always wondered what garden vegetables watered solely with beer would taste like. So, try filling it with lots of beer.
Click to expand...

You need to repent your ways son. Intentionally spilling beer?!?!?!? :shocked:
Click to expand...

It might be okay if you use fake beer...you know..PBR or something like that. I don't think the beer gods would be upset about that. 😉
 
Originally posted by: Bryophyte
Go easy on the nitrogen (chicken/steer manure, etc) if you're growing tomatoes, or they will get blossom end rot. If you do overfertilize your tomatoes, give them a good shot of a calcium supplement to help prevent the problem. Too much nitrogen creates a calcium deficiency in tomatoes.
Click to expand...

We found this out after the fact. We had to use bloom set spray to stop the blooms from dropping.
 
Originally posted by: flyfish
Originally posted by: Bryophyte
Go easy on the nitrogen (chicken/steer manure, etc) if you're growing tomatoes, or they will get blossom end rot. If you do overfertilize your tomatoes, give them a good shot of a calcium supplement to help prevent the problem. Too much nitrogen creates a calcium deficiency in tomatoes.
Click to expand...

We found this out after the fact. We had to use bloom set spray to stop the blooms from dropping.
Click to expand...

mix in egg shells with the soil or add lime to the soil. Easy way to get calcium.
 
I went with 5 yds mushroom garen mix (70% top soil 20% sand 10% mushroom compost) plus 1 yd of topsoil.

Getting delivered Friday, hopefully they will be able to get their truck back there.
 
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