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Soil, Compost & Mulch

raised bed soil + container mix

14 years ago

I am putting in new raised beds and topping them of with a topsoil + compost mix. I also have some old mix from swc that I want to put in the raised bed ( for volume). The container mix has pine fines, peat, perlite as ingredients.

I understand that first year soils in raised beds may not perform optimally (depending on the quality of the soil). Would I be compounding the problems by dumping in the old container mix?

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Comments (5)

gardenlen
14 years ago
i'd use it anything you add is going to break down and help teh medium, remember to mulch with green type mulches ie.,. spoilt luceren hay or the like, these add nutrients as they break down and keep root runs cool/warm and moisture contained as well as supress weeds growth. we tuck all our kitchen scraps under our mulch as well asn let the worms work it into teh soil right where we want it.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page
Kimmsr
14 years ago
"Topsoil" is simply the top 4 to 6 inches of soil that supposedly contains organic matter, so what you really want is soil to which you can add organic matter and make your own "topsoil". If what is sold as "Topsoil" in your area gets a premium price there is no good reason to buy that.
You can mix that container mix into whatever soil you buy for that raised bed, many of us have put our potting soils into the compost over the years. It can take 3 to 5 years for the Soil Food Web to establish in soils that have been deprived of organic matter, so adding more organic matter will not compound any problems or rake longer to make that soil into a good, healthy soil because organic matter is what you need to make a good, healthy soil.
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Mine are 50/50 homemade manured compost and creek bottom soil. They get compost additions 2x a year. Link below is to several previous discussions of this question with lots of other suggestions. And you'll find even more mix recipes over on the SQ Foot Gardening and Container Gardening forums since they used raised beds a great deal. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: What to fill rasied beds with? discussions
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You didn't state your zone location. In my area of western WA with dry summers & wet mild winters drainage is utmost because things rot in our cold wet soils if I don't amend soil for fall/winter crops. We need to add lime yearly due to the heavy rain leaching the soil. You could consult the county extension gardening resources or consult a local independent nursery for more information about the soils in your area. Mixing it up now sounds like a good idea. Mulch plants after planting. Add compost after harvest. Keep putting organic matter back in on top of the soil & the worms will work it in the rest of the way. You won't have to dig through & mix it all up again. The beauty of raised beds is that you only dig once. If you're planting transplants you could just part the layers & plant them. Seeds will need fine soil so they can break through. Chunks make it more difficult for them. I agree about allowing space for mulch to hold the moisture & provide some frost protection if your climate warrants.
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Skybird - sorry, I think I completely confused you! The soil that sinks every year is a container mix we had delivered from a nursery when we built the first four beds, so there's no native soil in those at all. Just organic stuff, so it's constantly degrading. I just didn't want to add SO much organic matter to our native soil in the asparagus bed that it would end up doing the same thing, but it seems like I would need to use at least 1/3 or more organic matter for that to happen, and I don't think I need nearly that much. I'm probably just obsessing anyway (what a shock!) ;) Our soil is good...kind of a heavy loam I guess. I wouldn't quite say "light and fluffy," but it usually crumbles fairly easily. It really only gets hard when it's been compacted. I find clay once in a while when I dig around but there's not much at all in the first foot or so. Many wise and hard-working homeowners before us have brought in good stuff. But it must have been all clay a looooong time ago - we're about a mile or less from what used to be an old brickyard. And believe me, we WILL certainly enjoy the asparagus - it's my favorite veggie. :) I guess we should expect to be able to start harvesting in the third year, which seems far away until I realize we've been in this house more than five years already. Thanks again! Dianne
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Lloyd
14 years ago
Got a new dictionary did ya kimm?

:-)

Lloyd
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
14 years ago
Here we go again!! Filling raised beds very often requires importing some sort of soil mix.......most of us don't have piles of soil sitting around that we can use to make our own "topsoil" (even if that were possible)! So ignore comments that purchasing soil is a waste of time and/or money - often it is the most efficient and economical way to accomplish this task.

A "topsoil/compost mix" sounds like a decent start.....this is sometimes referred to as a garden planting mix (or 3- or 5-way mix, depending on ingredients) and typically will contain sufficient organic matter to get things started well. Adding used container mix to the raised beds will not hurt.
greensingh
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the responses guys. Just want to clarify that I had researched the topic of raised bed/soil on the forums before and thats why I decided to go ahead with the soil compost mix. I will be adding OM to this so with time the fertility will improve.
My main concern was with the timing, since it is close to spring and didn't know if there is enough time for the things to settle down. I have read about pine/bark tying up nitrogen if used fresh but hopefully a year or so of use should take care of that.
On a related note, since I am not sure about the fertility of the soil delivered ( the compost was probably mixed last season), should I top dress an inch or so of compost while planting or should I wait and watch the plants for nutritional deficiences and then add accordingly?

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