Owl's Nest

My 1st Garden: Dirt

Posted by Marissa Hyatt on April 20, 2011 · Leave a Comment 

I walked you guys through a step by step process on how to build raised garden beds in my previous post.

Now that you’ve got that down, its time to fill them!

With what? Dirt!

I filled mine with a mix of dirt.

For a 4′ x 4′ x 12″ bed, I used: 3 bags garden soil (1 cubic foot bag) , 2 bags mushroom compost (1 cu ft bag) , and 2 bags top soil (40 lb bag);

1/2 bag of Worn Castings (1 1/2 cu ft);

and a 6 lb. bag of Miracle-Gro Organic Choice All Purpose Organic Plant Food (for in-ground flowers and vegetables).

To this, I added a bit of dirt from the ground, cardboard boxes, and newspaper.

How to Fill Your Raised Beds:

Step #1: Start by loosening the ground dirt (and weeds) with a shovel. Then add a layer of cardboard and water. 

It is incredibly important to add water to your cardboard so it will compost! The purpose of the cardboard is to suffocate any weeds or grass that are still left under the bed.

Step #2: Add all bags of garden soil, mushroom compost, and the half bag of worm castings. Mix well and level.

Step #3: Add a bit of Miracle Grow Organic Plant Food to dirt and mix well. Level.

Step #4: Add a layer of newspaper on top of the mixed soil. Water.

Again, this is to prevent weeds from growing.

Step #5: Add all bags of top soil on top of the news paper. Level. Water.

You may need to level again after the bed has been watered.

And there ya go! Next up, plotting and planting!

How to Fill Your Raised Bed Garden (for 4 x 4 bed):

Supplies:

• 3 bags garden soil (1 cubic foot bag)
• 2 bags mushroom compost (1 cu ft bag)
• 2 bags top soil (40 lb bag).
• 1/2 bag of Worn Castings (1 1/2 cu ft)
• 1 6lb. bag of MiracleGrow Organic Plant Food (For in-ground flowers and vegetables)
• shovel
• cardboard
• newspaper