Hey everyone! I'm diving into gardening for the first time, and my husband built me a raised garden bed that's about one cubic yard in size. I've already started with a base layer of cardboard and some tree branches and leaves, but now it's time to add soil. I'm feeling a bit lost with all the different options out there! I can't find any local places that will deliver less than 16 yards for around $350, and my budget is capped at about $150. I'm not looking for anything super fancy since I just want to grow some tomatoes and maybe a companion plant this year as a way to learn. Also, we recently had a hurricane, and while the city is offering free mulch, there's no free top soil available. I'm located in South Georgia (zone 9), so any advice on a solid soil/compost plan would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
You can buy garden or raised bed soil bags from dollar stores or local shops; you don’t need anything fancy. Plus, you don't have to fill the bed completely at once. Starting with around 10 inches of soil and topping it off with about 4 inches of compost works well! A deeper bed might require more soil later on for better ease while gardening.
Haha, it's definitely deep! We lost a tree during the hurricane, so the leaves and branches filled a lot of the space for me.
I recommend hitting up your local hardware store for some raised bed soil. It generally costs between $3 to $10 per 1.5 cubic foot bag, depending on the brand. Since it's your first year, keep it simple! You can get into the complexities of compost plans and crop rotation later. Just focus on having fun with it!
I was thinking about getting 7 bags of topsoil and 7 bags of black cow compost. Would a premixed raised bed soil be a better choice instead? Seems easier to find!
Here's a pic of my raised planter box! It’s 20 inches deep, which is great if you want to plant deep-rooted plants.
I grabbed some of my beginner plants from dollar stores when they went on sale last season. What a steal!