I'm looking to save some money on soil for my garden beds, so I'm considering using soil from a densely forested area in my yard that hasn't been disturbed for years. My plan is to take the top inch of this soil, sift it, and mix it with peat moss and compost. Do you think this could work?
2 Answers
Absolutely, that can work! I've done this before, but just a heads up: the trees rely on that soil too, so try to only take from small spots instead of big patches. Make sure to leave some areas untouched and return the leaves you rake, as they’re beneficial for the ecosystem. You might find some dormant weed seeds in there, but managing weeds is just part of the gardening adventure.
I've actually used that forest soil in my garden, and it's worked wonders! I filled two raised beds and the soil turned out super dark and rich. I didn’t even need to add anything else, it was perfect as is!