What you need in your present garden soil is organic matter. You already have plenty of the mineral part of what makes soil and that simply needs organic matter. If you still want to buy one of those "soils" try to get a sample and do this test,
1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.
to see what really is in them.
I would simply look for compost and/or leaf mold to mix with the soil I already have.

It sounds like a lot of expensive hype to me. I agree with kimmsr, amend your soil with lots of compost. That's it.

Also the potting mix is horrible for too many reasons to mention. I won't get into that but if you're interested ask over on the container gardening forum.

I'm sure the expensive stuff is nice and all, but I'm also sure it's not necessary.

I think that most of the things that you might buy to fill your beds will be organic, unless you buy some of that "garden soil" that has fertilizer mixed in. I always avoid that stuff, figuring I'll add my own fertilizer as needed, thankyouverymuch.

Getting a raised bed filled is daunting, both in effort and price. I've been filling my raised beds with a mix of topsoil, peat moss, and composted manure from Home Depot, which hasn't been too bad price-wise, and the things I planted in it last year have done great.

I'd love to fill my raised beds with my own compost, but it would be years before I could make enough for that, so I'll content myself with using my compost for topping up in subsequent years.

I agree that the container gardening folks might have some good advice for you, but the container approach is different than the in-ground approach, and raised beds could be treated either way.

As I see it, there are really two approaches when you're filling a raised bed for the first time. One is to make the bed small enough that you can fill it with the very best most perfect mix you can imagine. This probably means that you'll have less space than you really wanted, but boy will it be nice. The other approach is to make the beds larger, maybe even every bit as large as you wanted, and fill them with whatever your finances and circumstances allow. In this case, the soil might not be as perfect as you can imagine, but if you play your cards right, it will be workable, and you'll be able to grow some stuff.

Both of my approaches involve being "good enough" this year, and improving on the beds (either in size or in contents) in subsequent years. This can be frustrating, because I know that I, for one, often want results RIGHT NOW, but gardening is really an iterative process.

Mostly, don't stress about it too much, and fill the beds as best you can. You don't need to buy the most expensive mix the shop offers.

Hi Kayan

I looked at the soil company's website, I would just go with the topsoil they sell.

You have a large volume to fill into those beds (32 cu. ft. per bed) so three yards would probably get close to what you want. They also sell green waste compost so I'd grab a bag maybe two for each of the beds and mix that into the top few inches of the new soil in your bed.

As you said you are going to get a biostack composter so you will have your own compost in the future. I'd also consider a decent mulch (shredded leaves or straw) once you get your plants in.

They have a truck to rent or they will deliver.

Lloyd

Not a gardener and never built a raised bed.

Should have asked, what are you planting in these beds? Flowers, veggies....

Lloyd

We keep coming back to the same issue in repeated threads - the OP is concerned about filling raised beds.....a lot of soil product (3.5 cubic yards) is required that simply doesn't exist now. Obviously she needs something to fill them and just adding compost is not gonna do it.

kayan, buying whatever you need in bagged form is excessively expensive based on the quantity required, at least 3.5 cubic yards. You need to look at bulk product - it will be 25-30% less, perhaps even more. The Essential Soil Mix is a bit more complicated than you need and is very pricey at $72/cy. I'd consider customizing your own mix by purchasing 2.5-3cy of Lyngso's screened topsoil or nursery mix and 1 cy of any of their composts. That'll bring the cost down by 50% or more. If you have your own truck, you can pick it up (will take a couple of trips) or you can have it delivered.

It should ALL be organic, just not necessarily certified as such. The only thing that would prevent any of the soil blends or composts being organic is the addition of synthetic fertilizers in what they refer to as their "nutrient package", as in the Essential mix. Ask to confirm. And don't worry about about the appropriateness of any potting soil should you choose to go the bagged route. Raised beds are NOT the same as growing plants in containers and as long as it meets your organic requirements, it's good to go :-)

Many thanks to all of you who have already replied!

I suppose I should've stated that I'm planning on growing pretty much just veggies and nothing else in the beds. Of course I'm worried about the veggies for my family's consumption, but some of it will go to my family restaurant as well and I don't want my parents to get sued for false advertising. I also want to set up shop at a local farmer's market and bring in some extra income (or at least pay for the beds and soil for now) and be able to put "organic" on my signs.

After reading all the replies twice I think I'm closer to deciding on what to get. So it looks like the winners are topsoil/nursery mix combined with green waste compost/grover's finished comport/composted horse manure.

I'm also excited to try that soil test in a jar thing. Haha!

The people at Lyngso got back to me pretty quickly:

"By organic I imagine you mean is it certified to be used in organic gardens?

If you plan on growing vegetables in the raised beds I would recommend using 3 parts Potting Mix to 1 part Diestel Compost. All the composts we sell are approved for using in organic gardens. There is some Redwood Amendment in the Potting Mix, it has been treated with ammonia to provide additional nitrogen while the bacteria and fungi are breaking the redwood down. If you want to avoid the Fine Redwood Amendment we could substitute peat moss or coir. The price will be higher, I can get a price for you if you like."

chihuahua6, I will take up your offer and ask about the potting mix in the container gardening forum. :)

Thanks again, everyone. I love gardenweb- I can always get input from people who know what they're talking about.

kayan said:
"Thanks again, everyone. I love gardenweb- I can always get input from people who know what they're talking about."

along with a lot of input from people who don't know what they're talking about. ;)
The interesting part is separating the wheat from the chaff
good luck with your garden

...some of it will go to my family restaurant as well and I don't want my parents to get sued for false advertising. I also want to set up shop at a local farmer's market and bring in some extra income (or at least pay for the beds and soil for now) and be able to put "organic" on my signs.

As I understand it you need to be certified, with government records, for 3 years prior to using the word organic in your sales. You should check with the USDA on that to see what the latest is.

As I understand it you need to be certified, with government records, for 3 years prior to using the word organic in your sales.

Isn't there some sort of term like "transitional organic," meaning that the farm is using organic methods, but hasn't made it through the waiting period yet? I know that my local food co-op sells some transitional organic items, working on the assumption that people who are going organic should be supported, but that the waiting period can be quite a hassle.

Like most things, I'm all for it if it's clearly labeled for what it is.

Depending on the details of the family restaurant, it might be possible to pass on the information in some way that won't get you in the way of certifications and the like. I know I had dinner at a little place last Summer where the waiter confided in us that some ingredient on the menu had come from his own garden. There's a difference between mentioning in passing, "Oh yes, these vegetables come from my daughter's garden, and she follows organic practices" and printing up something official in an advertisement or something. You certainly shouldn't claim a certification you don't have.

I think kayan will be fine advertising it as organic. He/she however can not claim "certified organic" or "USDA certified organic".

I believe it has to do with producing a certain volume. If you're a small farmer producing such and such amounts of vegetables you do not need to be certified. This is just a quick note from memory when I looked up the info a few months ago. If you do an internet search you can get more detailed information. Perhaps kayan has already done so.

Amanda

If you are willing to put up with the feds in your business, go for it. I know several ranchers who, in the past 20 years, have not used medicines, hormones, chemical fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides and do not bring in livestock feed from the outside. Everything is self contained except the addition of calcium and kelp supplement. But they refuse to let the government in, so they call their operation, "grass fed," instead of organic.

from kimmsr above
"1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. "

THAT IS NOT STRUCTURE, THAT IS TEXTURE!

Kimm, you keep saying that someone can top a flat area with a little compost and fill a raised bed. Would you care to elaborate? Where is that 3.5 cu. yd. of material going to miraculously appear from, and when?

Ridiculous.

Karen

You cannot top an area with a little bit of compost and expect it to be a raised bed, you need a lot of compost. Most soils in the USA are badly depleted of organic matter and adding sufficient quantities of organic matter will raise the level of that bed, maybe not 18 inches but the level will come up. If the level does not rise you did not add enough organic matter. Many of my beds are 4 inches higer than the surrounding turf, simply from the OM that was added to bring the amount of humus in the soil up to about 8 percent.
There is a low spot in the yard that is 4 inches below the seasonal high water table, and it has about 6 inches of water standing there right now. I could raise that high enough simply by adding organic matter there, or I could spend a very large chunk of money and buy 60 yards of "topsoil" to raise it and then I would still need to add organic matter to that "topsoil". I have not done anything there because there is no need to and I have many better places to add the organic matter I can get.

That still doesn't answer the question. I doubt anyone is disputing the significance or importance of adding organic matter to any planting area, including raised beds. But 3.5 cubic yards of compost is one heck of a LOT of compost - it's a lot of any type of soil material - and most of us just don't have big piles of stuff waiting around to be used for this purpose.

And using only pure compost as the sole component of a planting area or raised beds is not ideal anyway. First, there will be continued shrinkage to contend with and one can expect to lose as much of 30% of the material during the growing season, perhaps more if in a hot climate requiring frequent watering. And plants need the mineral component of soils as well to provide the necessary trace elements that are often lacking in sufficient concentrations in just compost.

Purchasing or importing soil and adding to it whatever OM one has on hand or is willing to purchase is still the most efficient, simplest and most cost effective method of filling a quantity of raised beds. Unless one has a very large pile of soil sitting around from a major construciton project :-)

And kimmsr, if I were you, I'd consider doing something about that low area.......3500-5000 square feet of garden space that floods regularly is a LOT of garden space going to waste - it's almost the size of my entire lot minus the house. That's how much 60 cubic yards would fill......unless this is another one of your extreme exaggerations.

This has been a huge problem for me as well. I can't take the advice to just "use what's here" - our urban property, when we bought it, is cemented over. Short of breaking up the cement, we have to buy soil for our beds.

This is what I did this year - I purchased a mix from a landscape supply company that sells in bulk. It was supposedly an ideal mix for raised beds - compost, peat moss, and the ubiquitous pine bark, which I figured was ok (and a friend at a garden center recommended it as an amendment anyway so I figured it was ok). It sounded close to Mel's mix, with pine bark instead of vermiculite.

The results have been disastrous! Nothing is growing. Trying to navigate all the bad advise and false advertising with limited experience has been demoralizing.

If I go to Home Depot and look at the soil available in bags, it is almost all Scott's or Miracle Grow fertilized mixes. I don't know a whole lot about soil but I would like to build healthy, living soil that can support beneficial organisms. Organic soil at the garden center is $18.00 for a two cubic foot bag.

We have decided to dump out one of the beds and try to salvage some tomato plants this year. The alternative is to watch everything die.

I hate the idea of buying Miracle Gro soil mixes, but I am in the city and I don't see a lot of alternatives. Bulk soil didn't work out, garden center stuff is WAY too expensive, and Home Depot only wants to sell me better living through chemistry.

Is there some sort of conspiracy against home vegetable gardeners? It feels like it.