This guide provides four alternative methods to fill a raised garden bed, including using cardboard to cover grass and weeds, adding drainage if soil is poor, adding a green layer of organic materials, followed by a brown layer, and finally, topping it with a layer of soil, compost, or a mixture. A solid starting point is to use 75 topsoil and 25 compost to fill the raised bed.
The Hugelkultur Method is another method to create a bountiful garden bed by adding organic matter such as rotted hay, plant waste, and compost to the soil. Wood debris decomposes slowly, making it a stable bed. To fill a raised bed completely, mix 70-75 topsoil plus 25-30 compost. Topsoil consists of the top few inches of soil.
Creating a DIY raised bed garden can be a simple task that allows gardeners to make the most of their space and plant a garden anywhere, including yards unsuited for ground-level planting. However, there are several ways to provide plenty of rich, well-draining soil for vegetables, fruit, flowers, or herbs without breaking the bank. The perfect mixture to fill a raised bed is 70-75 topsoil plus 25-30 compost.
Adding other organic materials to shallow beds is usually not recommended, as they can reduce the limited soil space and interfere with plant root growth and water drainage. Small beds don’t need much soil, so they are less expensive to fill. Vegogarden Academy offers money-saving tips for filling raised garden beds, such as filling a good portion of the bed with downed wood, sticks, leaves, etc., then adding soil on top. Slowly, the organic material will breakdown, providing a budget-friendly solution for filling raised beds.
📹 How to Fill Raised Vegetable Garden Beds and SAVE Money
In this video, I show how you can fill a raised vegetable garden bed and save money on soil costs! In this example, I filled my …
How to fill raised beds cheaply in the UK?
To fill raised garden beds in the UK, you can use bulk-bought topsoil, homemade compost, sand, and recycled cardboard. Plant debris like landscape fabric, logs, and plastic can also be used to support plant growth. It’s important to explore your garden and shed to find everyday items that can be used to reduce compost needs. The soil type for raised beds depends on the type of plants you plan to grow, as some plants thrive in acidic soil, while others prefer higher pH soil.
Weather also plays a role, with hot, dry climates requiring moisture-retaining soil, while areas with abundant rainfall may need drainage issues. Raised beds offer the flexibility to create soil types adapted to your specific plants and region’s unique conditions, allowing you to create a bed that suits your specific needs and conditions.
Should I put rocks in the bottom of my raised garden bed?
Line the bottom of raised beds if you’re dealing with pest or weed issues. Galvanized metal beds typically don’t require lining, as their height deters weeds and draining conditions are adequate. Avoid placing rocks at the bottom of your garden bed, as it can increase water saturation levels and allow gravel to mix with the soil, making it difficult to remove later. Instead, use metal raised beds that are tall enough to deter weeds and provide adequate drainage.
Can you fill a raised bed with just soil?
To guarantee optimal plant growth, it is imperative to maintain a balanced soil composition, abstaining from the incorporation of topsoil or compost, contingent upon the prevailing climatic conditions and the presence of heavy feeder plants that necessitate regular fertilization.
Should I put plastic in the bottom of my raised garden bed?
Avoid using plastic liners on raised garden beds to prevent drainage and water overflow. Instead, use metal mesh and fabric or hardware cloth and cardboard to address weed and pest issues. If you need help with raised garden beds, The Grounds Guys offers lawn and bed maintenance services. This allows you to focus on enjoying your garden and lessens the workload. Request a free estimate today to learn more about their services.
What not to fill a raised garden bed with?
Compost is not a suitable option for filling raised garden beds as it lacks essential components for optimal plant growth, such as proper soil structure, drainage, and aeration. A balanced soil blend is best, combining compost and other soil materials. The choice between mixing your own soil or buying pre-made mixes depends on factors like convenience, budget, and specific gardening needs. Mixing your own soil allows for customization but requires time and effort, while pre-made mixes offer convenience and consistency.
Organic matter like compost, well-rotted manure, and aged compost can enrich the soil, improving soil structure, fertility, and moisture retention, promoting healthy plant growth. Adjusting the amount of each amendment depends on soil test results and plant needs.
How to properly fill a planter box?
To plant indoor plants, fill a large planter with potting soil, filling it two inches below the rim to reduce water overflow. Avoid using garden soil or ground-based soil as they may contain weed seeds and lack necessary nutrients. Potting soil is lightweight, balanced with organic material, peat, and perlite, and helps water drain out. Place the plant in the center of the container, press the potting medium around the base, and ensure no roots are visible. Water the plant thoroughly until water begins to drain out of the bottom.
What do you put in the bottom of a raised garden bed on soil?
To enhance the quality of the soil in your garden bed, it is recommended that you incorporate a layer of organic material, such as compost, or woody materials, including logs, dry wood, branches, and leaves, at the bottom of the bed.
What should I fill the bottom of my planter with?
The text provides tips on using various materials for lightweight pot fillers, such as recycling plastics, plastic water/soda bottles, reusing packing materials, and using natural materials like cardboard and newspaper. The author shares their experience of building raised beds in the upper Midwest, where they had to bury their plants in hot water to survive frost and freezes. They used gallon water jugs, emptied them, and filled them with warm water each night, resulting in limp plants.
The author also mentions using foam egg cartons, broken up foam egg cartons, and other foam items to save on soil usage. They also suggest using old screens and scree to lay on top of foamies. The author hopes these tips will be useful for others in their gardening endeavors. The text concludes by expressing gratitude for the helpful tips and suggestions provided.
Should I put fabric on bottom of raised garden bed?
Landscape fabric serves as a raised bed liner to prevent soil erosion and minimize nutrient loss risk. It helps maintain water-soluble nutrients from the soil, preventing water from gushing out too quickly. To make installation easier, you can buy materials separately or use bundles like the landscape fabric and heavy-duty staple bundle, which includes 3″ x 50″ weed barrier landscape fabric with 8 or 11 gauge staples. This makes building a raised bed garden more efficient and cost-effective.
📹 How to FILL a Raised Garden Bed Without Using SOIL!
In this video, I show you how to fill a raised garden bed without using any soil! This method can be easier to do, be good for your …
You know what I like about your articles? It’s the fact that you don’t ramble on about nonsense for 90% of the article, and give the helpful content at the last 10% of the article. You get right into it #👍🏼 and make the entire article pleasant and satisfying to watch, without any unnecessary sciences 🙄. Always my go to guide whenever I need a second opinion “other than my own 🤣”. Good man👍🏼👌🏽. Keep it coming
That slow mo dirt flip made me laugh and almost choke on coffee. These articles really are some of the best ways to learn about gardening, I will definitely be mirroring some of the techniques i’ve seen on your website this year. I want to grow enough food to be self sufficient for a year, but the growing times in The Great State Of Maine are not very optimal. You have helped many more people than just me travel on the path to healthy living, so thank you for making these articles and allowing people like me to learn from your experience.
I called a company that removes trees and asked them if they had wood chips that they were wanting to dispose of. Their shop isn’t that far from my house and they have tons of the stuff and can’t get rid of it so they brought their truck over and dumped it into my back yard. I just filled up the wheelbarrow and filled the beds about 3/4 of the way full and then put topsoil from my yard on top of that. It’s been about 8 years now and the level has gone down a few inches but I’ve replaced that with some other top soil from a landscaping company that removed the sod from a neighbor’s back yard in order to install an irrigation system. The sod came with about an inch of soil under it so I just folded it into a compost pile until it degraded down and then put it on top of my garden. The wood chips soak of the rain and slowly release it into the soil above but it doesn’t rot away because of the low oxygen environment.
I have spent a thousand hours in the last year, reading and perusal tips tricks do’s and dont’s to the point where I thought, djeezz it proves that nature for the most part decides whether or not your crop is gonna grow or not, else there wouldn’t be so many different techniques. However you say it in a way that makes sense. You “are” nature. I totally love your work and explanations. your info feels different. Thanks a lot. I want a t-shirt. Greetings to you my fellow earthperson, Julian
I had a wonderful raised bed some time ago. For irrigation, I used clay pots with the bottom sealed. You “plant” the pots in the ground and fill them with water. The water transmigrates through the clay walls very slowly, but keeps the bed soil moist. It is very efficient in the consumption of water and takes very little time to fill up the pots. You just need to cover the top to avoid evaporation and mosquitos.
Love your website. I live in an apartment with a tiny balcony so a lot of your projects won’t work for me but your tips on filling the base of containers with woody waste, direct sowing seeds, and mulching are all adaptable for balcony gardens and working really well! (Used tea leaves make really good mini-mulch for balcony planters hahaha)
Sir, you are a true gem! Thank you so much for all the incredible information you share. I’ve learned so much just in the last couple of weeks from perusal your website and I know without people like you being so willing to share decades worth of hard earned knowledge, I’d be so lost on how to even start growing my garden. Best of luck to you and your family!
Love this idea! Using the yard resources to fill is genius! For those who don’t my Neighbor friend is building a 3ft tall raised bed and going to add organic straw bales (wire removed) on the bottom layer. There’s a farm nearby where they’re $4 ea. It’ll completely break down by the next season. It saves in cost the first yr so next yr they just add more garden soil and maybe straw mixed in.
Questions 1/3 what is the benefits to add worms in your raised bed? 2- Does cow manure more effective than regular vegetable fertilizer or fruit fertilizer? 3- how about chicken manure? 4- which is better/more efficient in crop/yield when you use cow manure or chicken manure or blood manure? What is the benefit of build up a raise bed than to plant directly to the soil specially raised bed use a lot of compost and more money to put it together? Look forward to hearing from you Thank you in advance I’m would to see this up coming summer more articles
I put another 4X8 raised bed this spring. I wanted to be able to plant some more crops but I don’t always have enough fill available. Then the light bulb went on. I put a partition inside part way up and planted about 1/3 of it. now I can finish filling during the summer and get some fall veggies in. I like when the light bulb goes on. It just doesn’t burn as bright as it used to.
I’m so happy I found your website I recently moved and for the first time I have a little bit of land to work with and make my own food forest. Your website has been such an inspiration I love perusal you and how passionate you are about being self-sufficient. I just wanted to stop binge perusal your website so I could tell you how much I appreciate you and how much you helped so far. 😊
I just ordered several raised beds more my new garden, and an filling the bottom with brush from one of our bins – mostly last year’s blackberry canes and artichoke flower stalks. Next a layer of worm and microbe rich compost, native soil and grass clippings (including fallen dogwood flowers) and Coconut coir. I got a 3 yard bag of raised bed mix from a local garden shop for top dressing the bed. I’m excited to see how it turns out, and to begin planting!
This is a wonderful article. My raised veg garden will be on a smaller scale, but I appreciate learning how to layer it with a variety of materials – some that I already have! I love the care he shows for his worms. It’s true, though – healthy insects are a reflection of how successful a garden bed is. Thank you so much, for making this very helpful article, Mark (from Self-Sufficient Me)!
I love perusal your articles . I was in the garden when I could walk on my own I’m 69 yrs old now, the best part of helping in the garden was eating fresh good tasting stuff, once I told my daughterinlaw that when I was a kid almost all corn on the cob had a worm in it and apples too had worms, she said what did you do, I said we cut them out and ate it . She couldn’t fathom that, but anyhow I know a lot of the stuff u do . But I am open minded and learn from you and other articles . Keep up the good work young man
this is my first year using my raised bed. you sir, have inspired me. I started building it in oct of 2019. i might have to add another 300 lbs or so of soil. I used up tons of compost filling it! I added a article of my garden and raised bed after I built my gourd tunnel! Thank you so much Self Sufficient Me
I filled two 4x16x3 foot beds with soil/compost. An easier way to fill I found is to turn two 5 gallon buckets upside down against the bed and used a piece of plywood as a ramp for the wheel barrow . Easy enough to move around to fill from the sides or ends. Just my 2¢. My next beds I’ll try with logs on the bottom. The height is worth every penny. Not only saves your back but makes everything easier to access and harvest and inspect and weed etc. Shout out from New England, USA 🇺🇸. Love love love your vids!
Mike, your articles are awesome! My grandpa used to till the whole garden every year to plant veggies, and he also kept removing weeds all the time, which if I’m correct resulted in having a soil, which dried out quicker than a garden filled with any type of plants, even weeds and he constantly had to water them. Having raised garden beds seem to be a very good way of separating high quality soil from the rest of the garden and seems to be much easier to maintain. Thanks for all the great and informative articles!
It’s almost like you read my mind! I’ve been struggling for the last few days with trying to fill my garden beds without shelling out hundreds of dollars and by far this has been the most helpful solution. I’ve been perusal many of your articles these past few weeks and have learned so much. Thanks a ton and keep that finger green!
G’day Everyone, you know I love raised bed gardening and now I’m happy to announce that I’ve made a deal with Birdies Raised Garden beds in Australia & New Zealand go to birdiesgardenproducts.com.au/ or birdiesgardenproducts.co.nz/ and use Code SSMEbird for a 5% discount. For USA, go here to get Birdies Raised Garden beds: shop.epicgardening.com/ and use SSME2020 for a 5% discount. Cheers 🙂
I’ve had two raised garden beds sitting there until I had the money to buy enough soil to fill them. After perusal your article I’ve realised I already have everything I need. Organic matter, compost and a mound of dirt from leveling ground to grow grass (eventually will be my second patch). Thank you for enlightening me. I have learnt so much from your articles. Thank you 👍 Just live up the road from you in Gympie 😁 If you don’t already have a article on how to compost animal manure, I’d love to learn how to do that.
Hi Mark. Just discovered your website and really enjoying it. I’m in Brissy so not far from you. My world is very hectic with work and multiple children (that I know of) but thank you for sharing and allowing me a slow down to enjoy your good advice, humour and antics. My dad was an incredible avid gardener and I may have a green tinge in my thumb but wish I had more time. One day soon I Hope. In the words of my dear old man who is no longer with us … you could grow grass on a billiard ball. His ultimate compliment for a gardener such as yourself lol !
Can’t wait to try this out! The soil here is pretty bad and rocky, there’s remnants from where the previous owners of the house tried to do a traditional garden, but it didn’t appear they had much luck with it. Definitely will be looking into some raised beds, and hopefully I can find a good way to keep the deer out.
Thank you for always mentioning how waist-high beds make gardening easier. I’ve convinced my parents to let me build 3′ x 8′ beds out of metal roofing panels next to a 30′ row of pole beans. There’s about a 5’walkway in between above which I’ll install a few cattle panels for an arbor.I cant wait for fresh beans, toms and peppers. Your website is an inspiration mark keep up the good work
Just what I needed to see!! I have a ton of fine brush and clippings from when I took out the wild strip at the back of the lot. I also have a lot of odd wood left over from a huge tree branch that came down in a storm. I am putting in raised beds this year as the back has been complaining and was wondering how I could do it without spending a fortune at the garden center.
Good idea to fill bottom of raised beds with organic materials. I use rotting logs myself and I pick them up off the side of the road and bring home at no cost. I’m not a big fan of super tall raised beds, though. I know people like them because they are easier to work on without stooping. In any climate that freezes, though, tall beds will freeze much faster than the ground. They’ll also dry out quicker. Anything over 1 ft tall is overkill, counterproductive. But, to each his own.
When it comes to filling raised vegetable garden beds, using yard resources is a great way to save money. Start by clearing the area where the bed will be located. If there are grass clippings or leaves, use them as the first layer of the garden bed. This organic matter will break down over time and add nutrients to the soil. Next, use any yard waste, such as branches, sticks, or small logs, as a second layer. This will help with drainage and aeration in the soil.
Thanks so much for all of your informative, simple and fun articles! I have a question about ergonomics. I’ve just started learning about no dig / raised bed / market gardening and I wonder why more people don’t build waist-height raised beds like you do, to avoid having to bend over so often. It seems as though most jobs would be easier, or as easy to do with a waist-high bed VS ground-height bed. With the exception possibly of filling the bed for the first time and amending with compost. I am a total beginner so I feel like I must be missing something. What are your thoughts? Thanks again, cheers from Canada! 😊
Hi mark, your articles are great (growing a ton of… articles I like the most, can’t wait to see them on all sorts of fruit/veg and trees). I was wondering, and I believe many other people are too, what is best to grow in shady places in the garden. Because for most people living in more urban places, there are always parts of the garden which get quite some shade (whether from fences or annoying neighbours trees) and it can get quite difficult finding places with full sun for most of the day. And since you want to maximize growing space, the shady spots need to be filled. Thanks
I’ve watched this vid like 100x over the yrs thinking one day I’ll fill my raised bed Mark’s style, premiuim mix and with the classic shovel and wheelbarrow. Yep 5m3 later, my back and arms have given in. Oh the regret. Pile was delivered 25m away in the front yard too 😭😭. Just realised it’s now 3 yrs since this vid and you’re now using machinery to lift!!! Oh m hope it’s worth it. Can’t wait to grow all the things now.. Just give me a couple of days
gooday Mark. I fill my raised garden beds different to you. I cut pallets to fit on the inside as support for the growing bed. Pallets support a wood and tin bed 12 inches lower than the top of the raised bed structure. Lay a plastic sheet over the bed and fill the rest up with compost/soil. can also be used as a large hydroponic bed to save water. Love your articles. Ron
I really like perusal your articles. Thank you. I live in a very different climate, in the desert of northern California, US, lol, but really your articles are helping me understand how to use what I have and have caused me to do further research for what will work here. Particularly these ideas of growing food from food from the grocery store. For one, we really do not know what we are buying, so that opened my eyes.
I like you use cuttings and best of all banana leaves, trunks and whatever I can find. It didn’t take long to break down. I did it on a much smaller scale. However do not add nut grass as it will regrow even after 100 plus years. I heard an engineer who was checking footings at the bottom of a muti story building in Brisbane. He saw some very good looking soil which he took home only to discover that no matter how long you bury nut grass it will survive to live again.
Excellent vids, one after another! I’ve learned so much, even after gardening for years. Mark makes it seem so easy, although I know that if we put the hard work in, using the tips from Mark, we will harvest so much more! If there’s ONE country that I want to visit, it would be Oz, as the everyday people seem very friendly and chilled, plus they seem to have brilliant ideas on self sufficiency. Shame that their Government, especially in Victoria, are complete RsOles!
Hi Mark, I saw you have footage of a compost pile in this article, yet I can’t find any hot composting articles on your website. I live in a similar climate to you and am also surrounded in Eucaliptus trees. I mainly make my compost from grass clippings and a few Eucaliptus leaves. It gets hot but the Eucaliptus leaves seem to take an eternity to break down. Any tips? Is it best to avoid Eucaliptus leaves in compost as they are more like a thin bark than a leaf?
For Christmas my boyfriend got me raised garden beds and they are sitting on concrete with cardboard underneith. cause he’s a dairy farmer we filled them with purely cow poop cause i didn’t want to buy fill. i did spread a bit of sugar cane mulch that i had leftover throughout it but i havnt actually planted anything yet cause I’m not sure how long should wait for the poop to decompose a bit? they’re only about 2 foot high too.. I’m thinking strawberries..
We are so inspired by your articles that we started a small raised bed garden to grow our own veggies and herbs. I wish I can post some pictures to show you what we can grow in Dallas Texas. We love perusal your articles because we don’t have some of the exotic fruits and veggies here in the states..it’s very interesting.. Keep the inspiration going mate!
Excellent article! I don’t have be raised beds but I alot of what you said applies to what I’m doing too, container gardening. Tell me what you think about this: I needed soil to transplant some spring onions into but I didn’t have much on hand. So, I used leaf mold, some soil from under the leaf mold, peat moss, some bagged inground potting soil (all I had on hand), mature homemade compost, a little Black Kow and a little bulb fertilizer I had on hand. No telling what I’ve ended up with. Lol. Do you think my onions will survive and do well in this conviction? I’m figuring that the rich organic matter is the most important thing. You’re very experienced and I’m still in the beginner phase. Lol. I really appreciate getting to ask advice from someone like you. Great article and you’re very personable and easy to listen to. Thanks for not filling your article with random jabbering. Lol. I’ve subscribed.
Full thumbs up and a firm handshake to you good sir, I am new to the website and I am thoroughly enjoying the content. I am now setup in my new home on a 1500m2 section, all be it far from flat and not the best for planting I am quite keen to get some solid garden beds fired up here. The fresh water supply from the creek that runs through and the rain water capture system built in to the house will help the self sufficiency a lot. Good green times ahead!
Newbie question here: I’ve just moved to a piece of land that is mostly clay, hence raised beds are the answer. You say a bottom gravel layer isn’t necessary unless you put clay in the bed, but what if clay is beneath the raised bed? Can I still skip the gravel? I’d have to buy the gravel. I’m retired and don’t want to spend money. Thank you for your articles, your help, and your time! – Elisabeth
Getting ready to fill a three foot deep by six foot round natural dip in the ground by my greenhouse and turn it into a flower bed. I didn’t want to buy a ton of potting soil and wanted to do it on the cheap so going to try this 🙂 I have a dozen or more mature foxgloves that came up from seed spilled under my shed building and didn’t want them to flower under there so going to transplant them into this new flower bed 🙂 Love your website 🙂
I like that some of Mark’s advice is at odds with the masses. It does add confusion, but hey, if it works… I had some earthworks done and used the clay (with gypsum added) to fill the bottom half of my beds (about 400mm) and put premium vege/herb potting mix on the top. Only just planted out. Set up my worm farm and a Maze Compost Tumbler the same as Mark reviewed in one of his vids. True to form as he is in not always being a ‘conformist’, he put the barrel in back to front from the instructions!! Onya Mark.
Hi there! Been perusal ya! And Just realized I actually Want to Subscribe! This is Bc I’ve been perusal So many articles! Learning learning learning! I’m a Kindergarten Teacher, now living alone w my senior going to college child, who bought a house 🏡 (me) w So much NEED in Establishing front and back yard. And! Wanted a garden! So I am Going for it. Doing Lots of search and articles snd just studying all this and getting started SLOWLY- 3 or 4 months back. Gotta get that journal started this coming week. Heard That’s a great thing to do when growing a garden, and in my case Trying to establish and grow Life in my yards. It was Nothing But rocks dirt Weeeeds and thirsty for water. !! I’ll keep on perusal! Thank you! Sorry had to edit! Had typos.. 😳
Brilliant as always than you for your inspiration although we can play better rugby and cricket, we are sort of in the same line, so what will you recembed for this late part of summer before we move into autom planting veggies in a raised garden bed? We don’t get a lot of frost in Johannesburg, but I was thinking of making a raised bed out of woods I can use PVC pipe with shade netting to keep it warm and also work in a watering system for when I am not here and as one of my girls to get them active 1. So up to 10 veggies you recommend. Will green beans, carrots, pumpkins lettuce, spanish and what else? My be gem squash and things else I can cut up in the freezer. We also have alot of needy people so it wont go for fr a waist Most of what veggies will clash if the questions make sense. AndI would like to plant for floewers next to the bed and maybe inside the be a plaric water or coldrink bottler cut open with herbs that keeps away the nasty bugs. Any ideas? What will help? Sorry the questions got longer, I dony like reading and your articles is awesome I mist just starting to give you more thumps up and share with my friend. I was only messing around with you regarding the cricket and rugby, we don’t really watch sports we want to get into veggies garments as we have found a good coach. Cheers for now and hope to year from you soon. I might have asked alof of questions, if you prefect my email adress of whatsAll kf something eslese you prefer to use to communicate if will be gravelly appreciated as you are a true inspiration for our newbeies.
What a great article. I learned a ton of helpful information from this article. I even subscribed so I can keep learning more and more from him. I had heard from a different YTer that you should put “stuff” in the bottom of the garden, didn’t know exactly what, until perusal this article. Now I am better informed and have a better working knowledge of what kinds of things to put in the bottom, to save from having to have more soil, or spending more money to make my Raised Bed Garden even better. Thanks for Sharing your knowledge and helping those of us who have never had a Raised Bed Garden to do it better than we ever thought possible. Now, if only the snow would melt and allow me to start! Soon I guess, soon. lol
This was so great! I loved this article❣️ My creative juices are really firing up. It’s March 2022 in western Michigan and Spring is right around the corner. I have huge projects needing to be done in the yard and gardens I just don’t know how to do what needs doing with my 69 year old arthritic body. I think I’ll have to proceed slowly and try to ignore the pain. 😂. Yikes!
Thank you for your posts. Am a first time raised bed gardener mainly following pieces of advice available on select YouTube posts MAINLY inspired by your posts. Now as I was about to fill the top soil prior to planting, I think I was overzealous and made a mistake. I found maggots multiplying quickly after four days of adding small amounts of kitchen scraps from a nearby restaurant. Got confused on how to proceed. In particular what to do to kill the maggots asap so that I don’t loose the ongoing rainy season. Kindly advise please. Thanks in advance mate🙏
Hello, I just recently subscribed to your website, and I’d like to thank you for teaching me so much. But I have a Delima, I live in the city in an apartment, and I want to grow some things that you’ve shown. I’m wondering if I purchase 50 gallons plastic storage bins if I could follow the same concept with solar lights or something? Please forgive my naivety trying to figure things out.
Would you ever add sand if you thought the bagged potting soil you bought held too much water? I have never heard you mention sand so far. I wonder if this would be an alternative for those of us who don’t have dirt from a garden to add to bought compost/potting soil and are trying to use these methods in back yard or patio? I had a small pot but it always seems very/too moist.
Love your advice.You have inspired me, so I built 2 new timber beds like in your article but only 440 high. The paddock I built the beds in had grass so I just covered the grass in cardboard and newspaper and then filled with sticks and other compostable matter. I’m a bit worried now about the grass, with beds only 440 high. Should I empty beds and get rid of the grass before I plant it out?
What a useful article! I’ve got a guy coming in ten days to dig up a large patch of weeds and bramble, and he was going to take it away and dispose of it for me, as I’m planning to have raised beds in that area. But now perusal this, I think I should save everything he’s going to dig up for my raised beds. Please can you advise me? Most likely there will be a gap of a few weeks between clearing the weeds and getting raised beds. How should I store them until then? In a large bin bag? Also, may I ask why you didnt put down a weed membrane first before you started to fill the bed? And lastly, why do you top the bed with mulch? Is it absolutely necessary or could I start planting straight away into the soil? Thank you!
I live in South Carolina and when I first moved here in the upstate, there were no worms in the areas where I planted my “garden” (4 acres). I can not put raised beds in, or if I do, they are no higher than 8″, as we get long periods of heat and they dry out very quickly. So I went the “Back to Eden” route, and I now have so many worms that I have a mole problem….lmao
I live in North Florida where we have tons of oak trees. Consequently we also have tons of squirrels and they wreak havoc in the raised beds or potted plants. Have you got any ideas on preventing these critters from digging everything up? Perhaps you don’t have squirrels in Australia but you might have a critter with similar habits.
Hi new to your website and 100% loving it I live in the Atherton tablelands fnq and am getting a paddock ready for my raised beds,been learning g lots from. You will document as much as I can on hear loving the farming life have plastic raised beds at the moment,I’ll use them as my seedling beds whe I have the rest in but thx for shearing your wealth of knowledge great stuff mate chow from tarzelie tom
Hi Mark, love this article. I have two questions: 1. Would you recommend the steel or wooden raised bed? Which would last the longest for value of money? 2. Most raised beds I’ve read in books or seen in articles are not as high as yours. Can you please tell me why you opt for higher beds rather than beds half as tall? Thank you in advance for taking the time to answer my questions. Kelly
Hallo love your article I am living in south Spain .we have a rocky peace of land and want to start with a vegetable garden. I put horse poo on it and we bought a digger to put the soul losses. A lot of stones are there. It’s also very windy so we make a fence with plastic so the plants stay in the soil. Do you have tips for us?
yesterday i got two dumper loads from the guy up the street of topsoil from the front yard. its in my driveway and i have to manually get it moved from there to the backyard…not too far thankfully. but may its a lot of work for an old fat girl like me. but i will have loads of time since we are still in lockdown here in the UK. i cant wait for the spring !!
My husband and I are planning a raised garden and I’m researching how to fill it. We have a lot of leaves from last fall that we never raked, to keep things simple, can we use those leaves for the bottom, then soil which we will be buying in bulk from a landscaping place and a couple of bags of compost for the top. Does that sound about right?
So great, your article on how to do a raised bed! Loved it, man! Oh, I’ve been wanting to ask you about your wife! And then I think she was talking at the end with you, right?! Loved it! Does she do the filming normally or do you do that all yourself? But I’d love your Australian accents! Crickey!!!! Is that how you spell that?!! Oh, by the way, I’m addicted to your articles I think! Just love your smile and your great attitude!!!
Thank you for your fab articles I’ve been perusal you for the last year and learnt loads from you. Can I ask please I had tonnes of woodchip delivered probably too much for mulch. Can that be put at the bottom with the logs and branches? I have a few logs and branches but not enough as we don’t have any trees in our garden. I intend to go looking for more but will still be struggling. I’m trying to build and fill my beds as cheaply as possible using pallets and dug out soil plus some compost as organic manure is hard to get where I am, but as I’m making tall raised beds too for my back they will take a lot of filling. Thanks