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Best Soil Plan for Garden Beds

There can be many types of soil in the garden. This is why we have to fill our garden beds with a specific formula to get the best combination for our vegetable plants. In addition, establishing good soil can ensure a reliable supply of crops year after year.

Most homeowners do not have suitable soil for gardening. This is one of the reasons why garden bed gardening is the best solution for home gardens. The materials you use to provide the best soil for your garden beds are:

Vermiculite - 20%

Compost - 40%

Sphagnum - 30%

Topsoil - 10%

A little soil chemistry!

Remember, as a gardener, your primary goal is to build the best soil possible. Understanding the chemical composition of soil will always accompany you.

Soil pH value is an index to measure the content of acid and alkali in soil. The measured value is rated from 0 to 14, with zero indicating the strongest acidity. The top 14 of the scale indicates the strongest alkalinity. The number seven indicates neutrality. You need to strive to keep the pH between 6.0 and 7.0.

Nitrogen (N) - helps to produce protein, making leaves and stems grow strong and dark green

Phosphorus (P) - promote root system and early plant growth, and flower for fruit development

Potassium (K) - promotes the overall strength, disease resistance and stress resistance of plants

The following is my soil tester for all plants, from inside to outside. Very easy to use. Insert the probe into the soil, select the test you want, and get instant results. The soil tester will tell you which additives are missing from the soil. In addition, it will indicate whether your plant has received enough water and light. Every gardener should have a soil tester.

raised garden bed

Fill your garden beds in the first year

The soil in the garden is like baking a cake. To get the best cake, you need to add some ingredients to the mix. When filling an elevated bed, you need to think of it as a sandwich cake. We do this by filling certain layers of material. The following is the list of ingredients of our elevated bed mixture. Or sandwich cake!

First floor=40%

The first layer of material is unnecessary, such as cardboard, twigs, turf and grass chips. These materials are for filling only. They don't have any important nutrients for your plant. But they will decompose over time and contribute later. Depending on the depth of the elevated bed, how much of this material is required will be determined.

Second floor=25%

The second layer can be brown soil, clay, sand and topsoil. Vegetables have little nutrition, if any. This floor will support the above floor and provide the required height for your garden bed. Over time, this layer will help to increase the total richness of the garden bed soil.

Similarly, how much of these materials will be determined by the depth of the bed. The goal is fertile black soil. In addition, I based my measurements on a 24 inch deep bed. The next layer will be good things.

The third layer=30%

Our raised garden bed gardening soil: what makes the garden grow depends on the third layer. It is a mixture of compost, dung, peat moss, vermiculite and potted soil.

Mix these materials thoroughly as they work together to achieve the correct chemical balance. This layer is where plants get the nutrients they need. 8-12 inches of these materials are located on top of the raised garden bed. Now you have your vegetable plants ready.

The fourth layer=5%

It is important to remember this last layer. The covering consists of decomposed wood products. It helps keep the soil cool, reduce weeds, and make your garden bed look even and attractive. Not covering your plants after they enter can cause problems.

Calculate soil volume (third layer)

There is a very effective and simple method to calculate the third layer. When determining how much soil you need, it doesn't matter whether you have one garden bed or ten garden beds.

Square and rectangular gardens are easiest to calculate when you need to determine the required soil volume. It usually involves three main measurements: length, width, and height.

Note: The height refers to the depth of the garden bed, and the volume is usually calculated as follows:

V=L x W x H

You can easily calculate the soil mix using the following three steps.

Measure length, width and height.

Multiply the three measurements. This number will give you cubic feet.

Divide cubic feet by 27 to get the number of cubic yards you need.

V is the volume of soil required for elevated beds. If we use the third floor of the garden bed, then this will be a volume measurement of the height.

An example of this measurement is as follows:

Suppose your garden bed is 6 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 1.4 feet high (deep). Using our formula V=LxWxH can be calculated in this way.

Length=6 feet

Width=3 feet

Height=1.4 feet

6x3x1.4 feet=25.2 cubic feet

25.2 cubic feet divided by 27=0.9 cubic yards of soil mixture

Let's look at another example using the same formula.

A garden bed four feet long, two feet wide, and two feet high.

Length=4 feet

Width=2 feet

Height=2 feet

4 feet x 2 feet x 2 feet=16 cubic feet

16 cubic feet divided by 27=0.592 cubic yards of soil mixture

raised garden bed

Avoid making these mistakes

Over the years, I have learned a lot about gardening. The most important thing is the mistake I made. Here are some things you need to avoid.

There is not enough soil on the bed: make the garden bed deep enough for the roots to grow. In this case, having and not needing is better than needing and not having.

Wrong soil composition: Don't cut corners. Your vegetables need nutrition to grow well. They will tell you if you cheated them on nutrition. They just won't give you any vegetables.

Improper watering techniques: set a good watering schedule for your plants. If you have time, invest in a drip hose watering system on the timer. You won't regret it.

Insufficient sunlight: Most plants need 6 to 8 hours of full sunlight to grow. Planting in the shade can undermine your gardening goals.

Lack of planning in advance: it is necessary to plan your garden project. Have a good plan A and a better plan B.

Grow the wrong vegetables: learn about the vegetables you want to grow. Knowledge is king. It is very important to know which vegetables grow well next to another vegetable. This is called companion planting.