My Soil For raised beds?

[drew51]

Originally Posted by EBCIII

Can I Plant My Tomato's in it? This is really what I want to know? Or do I need to add anything to it? Beale.

Yes, you can plant in it. I would add some peat, and use an organic fertilizer. Mulch etc. They will do fine. If it stays too moist you can mix builder's sand (sharp sand), grit sized granite (grit gravel), Napa floor dry (100% Diatomaceous earth) or perlite into the beds, or at least around the plants. Or any combination of these.
I filled my beds with 1/4 garden soil, 1/4 compost 1/4 ,and 1/4 yard waste including branches, old potting soil, leaves, kitchen scraps, corn stalks. and misc yard waste.and scrap non treated wood at the bottom, anything big at the bottom. Waited a year. Mulch with pine straw, or pine bark fines.

Every year you will need to add more, shred leaves add in the fall, refill with compost.

[Worth1]

I just went back and looked at some of your posts and this is what I came up with.

If your raised beds are 3'X12'X14" deep then you will need 1.5 cubic yards of what ever you put in them.
This would mean you would in reality need about 4 cubic yards total.
You can take the remaining 1 yard and distribute it in the two raised beds so as to mound the soil up some to allow for shrinkage.
Or you can chose not to do so.

If your trailer can only haul one cubic yard at a time then that means 3 trips back and forth to where ever you get it from.
Can you haul one yard in the truck and one in the trailer?
Or maybe 1-1/2 in each?

Worth

[EBCIII]

Originally Posted by Worth1

I just went back and looked at some of your posts and this is what I came up with.

If your raised beds are 3'X12'X14" deep then you will need 1.5 cubic yards of what ever you put in them.
This would mean you would in reality need about 4 cubic yards total.
You can take the remaining 1 yard and distribute it in the two raised beds so as to mound the soil up some to allow for shrinkage.
Or you can chose not to do so.

If your trailer can only haul one cubic yard at a time then that means 3 trips back and forth to where ever you get it from.
Can you haul one yard in the truck and one in the trailer?
Or maybe 1-1/2 in each?

Worth

If I put whatever in the truck F150 with tool box and the trailer in it I have no clue as to how much it will hold. I think it would hold a cubic yard. The also figured 4 yards. I have looked at the top soil. It is very nice looking dirt. Rain my fingers through it.

The dirt in my back yard is horrible. It has junk all through it. Cans, bottles, trash? Now where I had it before was Great. Old Cattle Pen, just to far from water, Beale.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by EBCIII

If I put whatever in the truck F150 with tool box and the trailer in it I have no clue as to how much it will hold. I think it would hold a cubic yard. The also figured 4 yards. I have looked at the top soil. It is very nice looking dirt. Rain my fingers through it.

The dirt in my back yard is horrible. It has junk all through it. Cans, bottles, trash? Now where I had it before was Great. Old Cattle Pen, just to far from water, Beale.

I'm probably going to get whipped to all get out for this from folks but I would go with the 50%50% top soil mix the person recommended.
If you could I would also add the sharp sand too if you can find it.
This will help loosen the top soil.

A 1/2 ton truck should be able to haul one yard of compost plus one in the trailer just take it easy and make sure the trailer isn't loaded heavy on the tongue.
Considering it is a good trailer and not a wee little thing like the ones you see hauling golf carts.
I have hauled one yard of wet decomposed granite in mine and it is about all it can handle, too much really.(Dodge)
Compost is lighter.

[drew51]

Some good info Worth! You could use say 1/3 top soil and put most of it on the bottom, cover with compost, mix, cover with more compost. I would also again say to add peat moss. I have many reasons why I use it. For you it would be to attract worms. They need organic matter, in a more unprocessed form. Compost is done! Or almost done, coffee grounds, peat moss attract worms like crazy! Tastes like chicken or something?

Adding sharp sand is a good idea too, builder's sand is sharp sand, all the box stores have it. Sharp sand is non ocean or water sand. That sand is rounded, no sharp points. The water dulls it. Never use that sand for plants! The larger the sand particle the better, see if they have grades, and get the coarsest grade.

[EBCIII]

I can do this. I t would work! Thanks y'all. It will be work but what the heck I do not mind, Beale.

[Gwendolyn]

I am using mostly raised beds this year, bottom lined with 1/2 inch hardware cloth, due to the moles and gophers. I place them on top of the weeds and grass, then layered with the contents of my husband's paper recycling bin (junk mail, cereal boxes, etc.), cardboard, newspaper, then a 3 inch or so layer of brown leaves, then a 5 or 6 inch layer(filling them to the top) with a mixer of mushroom compost, black fine compost, with a little sand mixed in. I sprinkled blood meal on each layer and lightly watered it in. I think that's supposed to help the breakdown of all the organics. I'll have to add more each year due to the settling. The beds drain nicely but I wonder if they need a little something else to help hold in some of the moisture. Peat moss or coir? Any thoughts or opinions are welcome! So far I've only put out broccolli, kale and cabbage.

[Gwendolyn]

and by the way, our pick up holds 2 cy of the mushroom compost and sand mixture, one big ole scoop for the heavy equipment. I've done 7 beds about 2.5' by 8' by 12". There's still probably 2 wheelbarrows left in the truck. Of course I started with the paper and leaves, sort of the lasagna style garden.

[Gwendolyn]

Worth, here's your first whip... never put top soil in a vegetable garden. It has too many unknowns(weeds) that may very well take the fun out of gardening your garden! Loves!g

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Gwendolyn

Worth, here's your first whip... never put top soil in a vegetable garden. It has too many unknowns(weeds) that may very well take the fun out of gardening your garden! Loves!g

Every year I have (known) weeds in the beds.
Most of them are thousands of cedar elm sprouts from the trees.
Then there is the dandelions.
A good mulching with the many cedar elm leaves normally does the trick.

Worth

[EBCIII]

Originally Posted by Gwendolyn

I am using mostly raised beds this year, bottom lined with 1/2 inch hardware cloth, due to the moles and gophers. I place them on top of the weeds and grass, then layered with the contents of my husband's paper recycling bin (junk mail, cereal boxes, etc.), cardboard, newspaper, then a 3 inch or so layer of brown leaves, then a 5 or 6 inch layer(filling them to the top) with a mixer of mushroom compost, black fine compost, with a little sand mixed in. I sprinkled blood meal on each layer and lightly watered it in. I think that's supposed to help the breakdown of all the organics. I'll have to add more each year due to the settling. The beds drain nicely but I wonder if they need a little something else to help hold in some of the moisture. Peat moss or coir? Any thoughts or opinions are welcome! So far I've only put out broccolli, kale and cabbage.

WOW!! That really sounds like some good Dirt! You mus live somewhere that you can get "Mushroom" compost? or do you make your own. For me the Biggest city is 17 miles it has maybe 7000 people in it.

I am curious though. how deep are your raised beds? Beale.

[Father'sDaughter]

Yes, if you go with 100% compost it will shrink down quite a bit over time, but should get you through this growing season. Then you'll have plenty of time before next year to figure out what to add to the beds to build them back up. For example, my 100% finished compost filled 12" deep beds took two years to get to the point where I really needed to top them up.

[Rairdog]

A 50/50 mix of compost/topsoil is what my organic supplier recommends for raised beds also. It is leaf compost that is 2 years old and heat checked to 140f. They sell a lot of it for raised beds. It would not be good business to take the time to make compost and add crappy, seedy topsoil with it. No one would come back and word would spread. Bagged unknown top soil is another ballgame.

[Redbaron]

You can use soil, or if you go soilless, add rock dust/green sand/sharp sand or something along those lines.

Benefits and drawbacks to both methods.

In my case when I make compost I add soil. So the compost I make can be used alone without adding anything.

[Gwendolyn]

Originally Posted by EBCIII

WOW!! That really sounds like some good Dirt! You mus live somewhere that you can get "Mushroom" compost? or do you make your own. For me the Biggest city is 17 miles it has maybe 7000 people in it.

I am curious though. how deep are your raised beds? Beale.

Yes, I can get truckloads of the mushroom compost, which is what's left after they grow mushrooms I'm told, right here in our small town! IT's very convenient and not expensive.