Hey everyone! I'm completely new to gardening and recently built a 12x3 raised garden bed out of cedar that's about a foot high. I want to make the most of my backyard space and thought I'd start planting some onions or garlic this season. However, I'm unsure about my next steps. How should I layer the garden bed? What type of soil mixture should I buy? Additionally, what kind of budget should I expect for all of this once I gather everything? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
1 Answer
You should aim for about 6 inches of garden soil and top it off with around 4 inches of compost. The cost can vary quite a bit based on where you buy your supplies. For your bed size, you'd need roughly 18 cubic feet of soil and about 12 cubic feet of compost. If you find Miracle-Gro soil in 1.5 cubic feet bags for about $9 each, you'd need 12 bags, totaling around $108. For compost, Black Kow is about $6.50 per cubic foot, which could add up to about $78. So overall, you might spend around $186, but it's definitely worth shopping around for better deals. For garlic, you can actually get away with starting with just 4 inches of soil and 2 of compost since they don’t need to be planted too deep. Then you can always add more next season!
Got it! So should I also put down mulch or straw on top? And what about putting something under the soil? I've heard people mentioning cardboard or wood at the bottom, but I'm not sure if that's necessary or when it should be done. Also, what do I need for a good garden soil mix? I considered ordering a truckload of dirt and mixing it myself—would that be cheaper?