I read that instead of using traditional soil or topsoil for the raised beds it is possible to use something similar to what I believe a green house or nursery would use. The soil is comprised of equal parts of
- Something to aerate the soil
- Compost to feed the plants
- Material to keep the soil moist
At the end is my materials list and what it cost me to make this soil for 4 raised beds.
Before going out and buying the materials the volume of each raised bed was calculated.
Width x Length x Height
For me I used the following:
4 ft x 4 ft x .5 ft = 8 cubic feet
In able to fill all 4 beds I needed:
4 beds x 8 cubic feet = 32 cubic feet
I needed roughly 11 cubic feet of each of the materials listed above. When I bought the soil materials I got as close as possible, but I figured I wasn’t baking a cake so I just had to get close to the ratio.
Raw Materials
Everything was mixed on a tarp because it was too expensive to waste any of these materials.
Mixing The Different Types Of Compost
The peat moss is used to help hold moisture in. A compressed bail will almost double in size when you break it apart.
Breaking Apart Peat Moss
I found it hard to completely break the peat apart. I just break apart the little clumps when I run across them when checking the garden.
It was also helpful shifting the soil to one side and back on the tarp to bring up the material on the bottom of the soil heap.
Mixed Soil
Finally, with some assistance from My Helper the raised beds were filled.
Raised Beds With Soil
Here is what I purchased for the soil project:
| Quantity | Desc | Price | Line Total |
| 2 | Vermiculite, medium 3.5cuft | 22.99 | 45.98 |
| 1 | Kellog’s Gromulch 2cuft | 7.99 | 7.99 |
| 1 | Steer Manure Compost 2cuft | 1.99 | 1.99 |
| 2 | Walmart Composted Mulch 1cuft | 1.98 | 3.96 |
| 3 | 2.2 cuft Peat Moss | 9.48 | 28.44 |
| 1 | Vermiculite, medium 3.5cuft | 24.99 | 24.99 |
| 2 | Humus Gro Compost 2cuft | 4.99 | 9.98 |
| Total Before Tax: | 123.33 | ||
| Cost Per Bed: | 30.38 |
Compost Notes
- The Walmart Composted Mulch (1cuft each) was the worst looking compost mix. There was a lot of thick wood fibers in it.
- The Humus Gro Compost (2cuft each) was the best looking mix for the price.
- The steer manure compost (2cuft) was the most affordable, but I had some mushrooms come up. After talking to a more experienced gardener at work, he had a similar experience when using steer manure.
- The ingredients for the Kellog’s Gromulch are similar to the Humus but it also has some fertilizer mixed in.
Why do you have the Vermiculite, medium 3.5cuft listed twice? Line one quantity = 2 for 22.99 per. Line 6 quantity = 1 for 24.99 per? Just wondering. Happened upon this site as I am in the process of building raised beds and have been looking for helpful hints. Trove of information here. Thanks and keep up the good work!!!!
I originally was only going to buy enough vermiculite to do 2-3 beds. When I went back the price had gone up by $2. The purchases were about a month apart. I just wanted to be accurate on listing my purchases. Thanks for the comment.
this post is very usefull thx!
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I’ve recently started a blog, the information you provide on this site has helped me tremendously. Thank you for all of your time & work.
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If I am starting with some ordinary garden soil that is already here, what would be the best thing to mix with it to get a mix that resembles and miracle garden mix. I cannot in good concious waiste the soil. Help
If it were me, I would fall back on what I learned from gardening with my Dad. We used to get the garden ready by renting a rototiller and tilling in compost and manure. If your area is small enough you can do a pretty decent job with a shovel.
Keep in mind, unless the manure compost has been screened you have more of a chance of weeds. Most of the stuff from the garden centers come free of weeds though.