I have a 4ft sq, 2ft high brick raised bed in my garden. It is south facing & in the warmer months gets the sun virtually all day. Any ideas what type of soil i should use to fill this bed?
I am a bit concerned that some soil may dry out in the warmer months!
2006-10-17 23:35:51 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
The best solution is to get a mixture of standard topsoil, and mix in some form of organic compost. You can either use standard garden compost if you have it, or you can check around with your local agricultural extension to see if they have a list of farms that may have composted manure (no, it doesn't stink, at least after it's composted.) Put that in to retain water. Finally, put about 2 inches of mulch down over the top to retain the water. You could also put a layer of landscape fabric (not plastic!) over the soil, cut holes in it to put the plants in, then mulch.
Nonetheless, if the raised bed has a solid bottom (concrete or otherwise) you will have two problems - the plants roots can't grow deep, so dry months will require watering. Worse, though, will be very wet months. More plant die from too much water than too little.
If the bed opens to the ground, you should be OK.
2006-10-18 01:48:45 · answer #1 · answered by jedi_n_dc 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Indeed raised beds dry out quickly during the summer months. To retain moisture I have seen the walls of a raised a bed lined with styrofoam. The plants in raised flower beds need moisture retentive soil. Mix compost with peat moss and some Osmocote ( a timed release fertilizer). There is also a product on the market which keeps the soil of hanging baskets moist.You might consider using that in the soil mix.The correct type of the soil needed is determined by the kind of plants you intend to grow in this bed.Drought tolerant plants are best for such a situation.
2006-10-19 14:43:42 · answer #2 · answered by hildegard r 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can go to a garden centre and buy 3 way mix , or make your own. 1/3 peat moss,1/3top soil, 1/3 compost. if you are not in to making your own,I would buy a couple of bags. In the Fall add more compost, from the garden centre as this will benefit your plants. You might want to consider getting a composter.You can put all your scrape vegetables,coffee grounds, grass clippings and leaves in it. If this is not possible, make sure to add compost every year. Hope this helps.
2006-10-18 09:56:06 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely depends on what you are going to plant in it.
~i.e., acid-loving plants like Azalea's and Rhododendrons, Pieris, Gentians, etc., require an ACID soil. To give you an idea - pure peat is high acid. Acid soil has low fertility, it is moist but poorly drained.
~ Some other plants reqiure ALKALINE soil - which is complete opposite - i.e., Chalky (calcareous). Well drained.
~ Best to get a NEUTRAL soil (middle of the scale) which suits the widest range of plants.
~ORGANIC LOAM - is ideal. Has a balanced mix of particle sizes and combines good drainage and moisture retention with high fertility.
2006-10-18 09:04:22 · answer #4 · answered by Lavender 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Topsoil can be made more nutritious by adding john innes3 to it.. And put a mulch on it. Bark chip is very effective.
On this method i grew a similar bed full of 6 foot sunflowers this year. Last year i didn't have the mulch and the flowers really suffered. This year the last flowers have just finished blooming and they never even noticed there was a hose pipe ban either.
Whatever you do go light on the peat. It is murder to get it wet again after it has dried out.
2006-10-18 06:41:04 · answer #5 · answered by Part Time Cynic 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi your best bet is using a mix of soil based compost eg top soil for water retention and normal compost and some horticultural grit for drainage mix well and make sure there is drainage at the bottom unless you fancy planting bog plants there good luck
2006-10-19 14:14:31 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
use healthy soil. a really nice way to keep it healthy is coffee grounds. if you have a starbucks (dont know any others that do it) nearby you can get their used coffee beans. they work a treat!!! believe me. and they are free. all packaged up in a coffee bag, no leaking on the way home etc. good luck.
you could also buy a mid-sized tree that will provide a little shade in the hotter months. good luck
2006-10-18 06:44:39 · answer #7 · answered by gwendolynpearce 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Use good soil and add water storing crystals. Also mulch the surface heavily to keep the moisture there as long as possible.
2006-10-18 08:32:22 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I love my garden, but i'm not up on all the soils. I always go for B&Q multi purpose and its never done me wrong yet.
2006-10-18 06:39:00 · answer #9 · answered by Roxy. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Top soil from you area is good; start with that, and add soil amendments as necessary.
2006-10-18 06:44:22 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋