The best soil for a raised garden bed

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 base should I use for a raised garden bed?
How many bags of soil do I need for a 4x8 raised bed?
What do you put on the bottom of an elevated garden bed?
Is topsoil good for raised beds?
How do you fill a raised bed cheaply?
Should I put rocks in the bottom of my raised garden bed?
Should you line a raised bed?
How deep should a raised bed garden be?
How high should I fill my raised garden bed?
Should I line my raised garden bed with plastic?
What do I put on the bottom of a raised garden bed UK?
Can you put cardboard on the bottom of a raised garden bed?

What base should I use for a raised garden bed?

The bottom of a raised garden bed should be a layer of grass clippings, leaves, wood chips, straw, and other organic material. The cardboard should be placed on top of that layer. The organic material will turn into compost, while the cardboard will prevent weeds.

How many bags of soil do I need for a 4x8 raised bed?

How much soil? For a 4x8–foot raised bed with a 10” height, about 1 cubic yard of soil is needed.

What do you put on the bottom of an elevated garden bed?

Other garden waste products can make for a good base layer as well. Grass clippings, dry leaves or leaf mold, trimmings from other plants, and the like can fill in the bottom of your bed. These will break down quickly into the soil, building up the soil's organic content.

Is topsoil good for raised beds?

Topsoil. Topsoil isn't the same as garden soil. As the name suggests, it's the top layer of soil. It's a general-purpose soil that's ideal for filling in garden beds in the landscape or preparing a bare lawn for growth.

How do you fill a raised bed cheaply?

First, dig a trench that's about ten inches deep and two feet down the center of your raised bed. Put down a few layers of cardboard to kill any weeds or grass. Then, fill the core of your raised bed. The best option for this is to use straw bales, but you can also use leaves, grass clippings, or old twigs.

Should I put rocks in the bottom of my raised garden bed?

Building raised beds is well worth the effort. Raised beds allow you to overcome problems such as poor, rocky soil, waterlogged areas and people walking through your gardens. While raised beds drain better than in-ground beds, adding rocks to the bottom of the bed improves drainage even further.

Should you line a raised bed?

So, should you line a raised garden bed? Yes, you should line your raised garden bed, since the pros of doing so outweigh the cons. A liner for your raised garden bed can insulate the soil against extreme temperatures, keep moles and gophers out, and prevent weeds from growing.

How deep should a raised bed garden be?

A raised bed does not have to be very deep to be effective. Eight to 12 inches is usually adequate. If drainage is a problem, or if the plants you are growing prefer drier soil, the bed could be taller and filled with a porous growing medium. Vegetable beds should be 12 to 18 inches deep.

How high should I fill my raised garden bed?

The most popular height for raised beds is 11″. (This is the height of two standard “2 x 6″ boards, which actually measure 1.5″ x 5.5”.) This height provides sufficient drainage for most crops. For best results, there should be another 12″ or more of good soil below the bed.

Should I line my raised garden bed with plastic?

You can line your raised bed to make it more durable and to prevent toxics from leaching into the soil. For lining, use landscape fabric found at garden supply stores or cloth fabric from clothing. Avoid non-porous plastic, as it can retain too much water and discourage beneficial insects and worms.

What do I put on the bottom of a raised garden bed UK?

If you have a site with deep rooted perennial weeds like dock leaves or dandelions you can place a thick layer of newspaper in the base of the bed (at least 2 full issues thick) to prevent them growing through into your vegetable bed.

Can you put cardboard on the bottom of a raised garden bed?

Cardboard is another great material for putting at the bottom of a raised bed if you're on a budget. Like newspaper, it is also very cheap and easy to get your hands on. Cardboard will eventually decompose overtime however, since it is thicker and more durable than newspaper, its decomposition will take much more time.