What do you put in the bottom of a raised garden bed on soil?
Filling your raised bed completely with nutrient-rich soil and compost gives plants the full depth to root, ensures healthy growth, and maximizes productivity. Use a weed barrier or cardboard at the bottom to prevent weeds and stop soil from washing out. Filling your raised beds: soil, compost, and other materials. The ideal soil mixture for a raised bed is a mixture of around 2/3 to 1/2 topsoil and 1/2 to 1/3 plant-based compost. If the topsoil contains a lot of clay, you may also add some sand to create a more loamy soil texture.This can include compost, or woody material such as logs, dry wood, branches, and leaves. Organic material is the best option, as it improves drainage as well as enriches the soil as it breaks down, and does not need to be removed from your raised beds later on.
What is the best mixture for a raised garden?
Add a mixture of compost and purchased topsoil in a 1:2 or 1:1 ratio, to the top of the bed. There are vendors who sell topsoil mixed with compost. Alternatively, fill the bed with compost and a soilless growing mix in a 1:1 ratio. The traditional way to establish a garden bed is to remove the existing vegetation, loosen the soil and mix in amendments such as organic matter, limestone and nutrients. This tried and true method has worked well for generations of gardeners.