Raised bed soil compacted: Where did I go wrong?

14 years ago

I'm in the process of sprucing up my one-year-old raised beds for the Fall, and I've noticed that they have sunk quite a bit. I was planning to add more of the same to the beds, but I'm starting to wonder if I need to change my mix.

The beds are composed of a 50/50 mix of bagged compost and bagged topsoil.

I am in south Florida and I wonder if I don't have the right mix for the rainy season and that the soil is/ will be too heavy.

Any thoughts? Ideas for good mixes?

Thanks so much!

Jane

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

cjc45
14 years ago
Just add compost. If you keep it heavily mulched, you shouldn't have to keep adding every season, it will make its own compost. Does the soil feel too heavy? If it's soggy and hard to dig, mix in more mulch and maybe some sand. If not, it should be okay.
imagardener2
14 years ago
It's natural for the level to go down as the compost ages IMO. To top it up I'd add pine bark fines which will lighten and improve the soil or Jungle Growth potting mix which is light.

I have a differing opinion about adding sand. Nematodes live in sand and will get imported to your virgin mix if you add it. There go the tomatoes, peppers, etc.

Totally agree with the mulch becoming compost over time.
Related Discussions
6' Tall Eggplants - Where did I go wrong?
Q
Comments (11)
I have a half dozen eggplants, all from 4-6 feet tall. I also planted them in May, they began producing in July and have been very steady all summer. They're planted in peat, perlite, mushroom/cow manure compost. I feed them about every other week with a liquid 12-4-8 fertilizer mixed at 1 teaspoon per gallon of water. Three varieties: Black Beauty, Ichiban and Green Goddess. Have you fertilized at all? With that growth, sounds like you're watering enough. I see you're in Zone 9 and you say they're getting enough sun (at least 8+ hours?). Not sure how to help but you might try some different varieties and see if that makes a difference. In Mel's Mix, they will most likely need a regular feeding schedule but do some research on what they need and be careful about the rate of application. (Are other things in the same bed growing okay?) wt
...See More
New soil/compost in raised beds keeps going dry
Q
Comments (16)
"how many minutes would you estimate I should water?" That's the thing right there. You really need a system in place where you can adjust timing and emitter size to give the results you need, and you determine that by trial and error, and that too varies by rainfall and plant size. I have a dead dry environment with no appreciable ground moisture and use two drip loops, the red one and the gray one, called so by the two cans of spray paint I happened to have on hand at the time. Each runs from a controlled sprinkler valve/vac breaker via 1/2" pvc tubing, and they run together everywhere. One loop is long duration and long interval, and one is short. There are cheap three dollar plastic ball valves at each bed to cut off the whole bed from the system. Each bed has a 12 inch threaded pipe coming up out of the ground and capped with a multi-barbed manifold head for 1/4" tubing. if a plant needs more water, I pop off the emitter and replace it with one with faster flow. The few things in a row like trellised peas and cukes get a long imbedded emitter drip line, but mostly it's just manifold heads with quarter inch lines snaking everywhere, so it's designed for specimen plants like toms, peppers, and squash, not bedding plants like carrots or garlic. If I had such bedding plants I'd just replace a tubing head on the short duration line with a shrub sprayer head. It's all dead simple and the whole thing probably cost $250 US. That's parts prices. 200 feet of tubing costs roughly $70 all by itself. It can be buried either in the beds or in the paths with spurs to the beds. Anywhere. I have no winter freezes so there was no reason to put a drain on the low spot. Two things. One is I have to do something like this to manage water because of the climate, but can still drag out a hose for touchups. Two, you still have to watch for clogged emitters. Three, it's easy but not mindless.
...See More
Bagged soil or bulk order soil for raised beds?
Q
Comments (6)
Some of them are labeled for raised beds - I use Daddy Pete's Raised Bed mix. Most soil/media in this area is pine bark blends which is better than peat moss based media in my opinion but every garden is different. As long as it is fluffy and allows a lot of air in it should work. Also know that any good growing media is only going to last two years at the most. You will have to add new media next year after this mix breaks down. Breaking down is what you want. I don't always blend stuff together in my raised beds. I start off with good fluffy media and add compost (a thin layer) and fresh sterile media on top each year. If I notice that a bed is getting compacted (very rare) I will use a shovel and break it up and mix in rotted leaves or old wood chips. Air in the soil is as important as water - those roots have to breathe.
...See More
Raised bed soil is compacted, what to add to loosen?
Q
Comments (26)
South Alabama climate. Those were whole red oak and white oak leaves. It really amazed me how quickly they disappeared after tilling them in. During the tilling I could see that the tines were breaking them up pretty good, but still, I guess the microbes were really hungry, too. Apparently the time between spreading the leaves and tilling them in was shorter than I recalled: Covered the garden with leaves on 11/27/2017... Leaves set until January 6, 2018... ...when they were tilled in. Then on 04/09/2018 the garden was tilled again and wide rows were formed and peppers and tomatoes were transplanted. Some leaf litter is still seen. This is basically four months from the time I piled over a foot of leaves on the garden until I started planting. You can look a few messages above to see how the garden has grown. The climate does play a big role in what we can do. In a colder climate those leaves would not have broken down as quickly. But, with the heat and moisture (and later some nitrogen applied) they will be gobbled up much quicker than they would be in a cooler climate. What the soil microbes do in one location can be significantly different from what they do somewhere else. :)
...See More
solstice98
14 years ago
I would go with the pine fines. I grow some things in just that and they do very well, but like all mulches it breaks down over time. The fines will help balance out the top soil you used, which I think can become compacted and heavy.

I also prefer Jungle Growth potting mix of all the packaged mixes, primarily because it contains a good portion of pine fines.

Kate
floridajane
Original Author
14 years ago
Great! I've got a neighbor who has pine needles all over the place. I'm sure they wouldn't mind the help getting some of those out of the way!
Glad to hear I hadn't done in the soil entirely. Thanks, everyone!

Jane
solstice98
14 years ago
Pine fines are well composted, small pine bark chips. The pine needles will be good as a mulch but aren't the same as fines.
floridajane
Original Author
14 years ago
Ohhh, Good to know! Thanks, solstice!
Jane
solstice98
14 years ago
Don't feel bad. I called them "those tiny bark bits" for a long time until I learned on this forum that they actually have a name! Once you start using them you'll be hooked, but they aren't always easy to find.
Irma_StPete
14 years ago
Where do you find them?
an_ill-mannered_ache
14 years ago
ah, now THAT is the question...
imagardener2
14 years ago
Lucky people in central FL say they have found theirs at WalMart where it is called "soil conditioner". Alas here on the west coast our WalMarts have never had it or heard of it.

I travel 45 min. to Troy's Tropics in Sarasota at $5/bag, twice what other people have said they paid.Would love to get it cheaper and closer.
gatormomx2
14 years ago
Wal-Mart used to carry them here but I have not found any in a season at least . Staff at all the big box stores now look at me like I'm nuts when I ask for pine fines mulch or composted pine bark .

They do not understand why I will not purchase the dyed red stuff . Duh !
solstice98
14 years ago
Once a year I buy mine from a mulch company. They deliver a yard of the nicest fines you can imagine. If you are in Central Florida, try the Bolling Forest mulch guys. If you are outside the area maybe they could tell you who does the same type of work closer to you.

Raised bed soil compacted: Where did I go wrong?

Comments (12)

cjc45

imagardener2

Related Discussions

solstice98

floridajane
Original Author

solstice98

floridajane
Original Author

solstice98

Irma_StPete

an_ill-mannered_ache

imagardener2

gatormomx2

solstice98

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Raised bed soil compacted: Where did I go wrong?

Comments (12)

Related Discussions

floridajaneOriginal Author

floridajaneOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

floridajane
Original Author

floridajane
Original Author