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Soil For Raised Bed Vegetable GardensFebruary 25, 2018 | | Vegetables “What kind of soil should I put in my raised beds?” our customers ask. This is one of the topics that will be covered in our upcoming program for inexperienced vegetable gardeners on March 11th. Raised beds are one method of growing vegetables, and in areas like Cape Cod where the soil is often sandy, it’s a way to quickly provide a layer of loose, organically rich soil that sits on top of the native soil. Here are a few tips for starting out with raised beds:
Posts navigationSubscribe To Our NewsletterSign up for our weekly email about sales and events. Please enter a valid email address. Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again. Vegetable gardening is all about finding the right balance of sun, water, fertilizer, and, perhaps most importantly, soil. Not soil is are created equal, however. Whether acidic or alkaline, the right gardening soil is almost always going to contain a host of nutrients to help bolster the strength of your plants or veggies. In the end, the recipe for the best soil for vegetable gardens is all about understanding the basics behind what works and what does not. Article continues below advertisement When it comes to vegetables, each one seems to have a different soil preference, which makes it difficult to generalize any one type of soil as “the best.” Nevertheless, there are certain soil properties that delineate it as either fallow or arable. According to Gardening Know How, good soil should contain organic matter and a combination of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Source: Getty Images Article continues below advertisement Fertilizer and compostOrganic material provides nutrients for garden vegetables to feed off of and softens the soil so that plant roots can spread more easily. This softening effect also makes the soil more spongelike, making it easier for it to retain water. Most fertilizers will provide this organic matter, but compost is usually your best bet. True compost, that is compost that has been cultivated with the proper amount of nitrogen and carbon-rich ingredients, is a boon to garden vegetable soil. The best part is, making compost at home is easy and eco-friendly. It will also cost you nothing except maybe space and a few extra minutes of time a week. The best compost includes five elements. The first is a selection of browns, or carbon-rich things like dry grass, newspaper, and leaves. The second is greens, such as vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and eggshells. Then some moisture, aeration, and time are required to help the aerobic bacteria grow. Article continues below advertisement Soil pHSoil PH is also important for vegetables. Exact pH requirements vary across the board between alkaline (high pH) and acidic (low pH), but most garden veggies prefer a pH of about 6 or 7, according to Gardening Know How. The best way to know what type of soil you have is to test it. You can do this professionally or get a test kit online. Source: Getty Images Article continues below advertisement The best soil for a raised bed vegetable gardenNot all gardens are created equal and that means that not all soil requirements for those gardens are the same. For instance, raised bed gardens actually do better when you mix specific types of soil. According to Love to Know, this blend should be a 50:50 mix of compost and local topsoil, preferably cultivated from your own yard. Pre-mixed soil blends won’t have enough nutrients. Source: Getty Images Article continues below advertisement The best soil for potted vegetable plantsThose who don’t have space for a backyard or raised vegetable garden might find themselves growing veggies in pots, often indoors. Even in this situation, however, a bag of premade potting mix is still going to be secondary to compost and natural soil. The thing is, you don’t often have access to a lot of local soil. If this is the case, Plantophiles recommends purchasing a potting mix made from compost, peat moss, bark chips, and pine bark. These elements should create a baseline pH for most vegetables to thrive, as well. The other downside of potted soil is that it loses the added aeration and verimular activity of things like earthworms, which help make garden soil that much more nutritious for your veggies. If you lack the compost to start and need a little push to get the soil to the right state, don’t be afraid to look for a commercially-available bag of garden or potting soil. The truth is, whether you’re growing veggies in a pot, a raised bed, or in the ground, you can usually get away with adding an extra bag or two of those store-bought mixes. Just remember to choose ones with the least amount of synthetic elements. What is the best soil mix for a raised vegetable garden?For most situations, we recommend these proportions: 60% topsoil. 30% compost. 10% Potting soil (a soilless growing mix that contains peat moss, perlite and/or vermiculite)
What kind of soil should I put in my raised garden bed?The ideal soil type is sandy loam, which is essentially soil that is loose, well-draining, and rich in organic matter. Oftentimes the native soil in your yard is not suitable for growing plants, as it may have poor drainage or subpar composition.
What should I fill my raised garden bed with?The first option for filling your beds is a simple soil mixture. As you may have guessed, this is the simplest route you can take. Fill your bed with a 1:1 mixture of topsoil and compost mix, then lightly combine with a rake or shovel.
Do you need special soil for raised beds?Raised Bed Soil is the optimal choice for filling your raised garden beds, as it is bolstered with a hardy amount of organic nutrients such as poultry meal, kelp meal and worm castings that will help feed the soil your plants will grow in.
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