Need Advice on Soil Mix for New Raised Beds

[gtaus]

Probably depends on your compost, but stability, water retention issues, nutrient balance are all possible problems that crop up if you try to plant in compost only: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/planting-in-pure-compost.htm

Google "Planting in 100 percent compost" for additional articles

Thanks for the link. As I suspected, it says the compost is an amendment to soil, not a substitute for soil, and planting into 100% compost will result in poor plant growth or the plants might even die. I have been searching this topic on YouTube and have watched a number of videos recommending not to plant in 100% compost. Seems to be a consensus.

I'll be checking out my topsoil between the raised beds in the garden tomorrow. I have been throwing wood chips, grass clippings and leaves on top of the soil for a number of years. I think I'll just rake away that top mulch and see what the soil underneath looks like. It might be good for mixing with my chicken run compost. If not, I think I'll get a load of topsoil form the nursery which I know is good.

 

[gtaus]

If you are on a budget, buy cheap bag soil and amend with a good compost.

Well, money always matters. But the big box stores sell the generic no-name topsoil for about $2.00 per 0.75 cubic foot bag. That would come out to about $30 equivalent to a bucket load from a Bobcat at the nursery. I never know the quality of those bagged top soils. I do know that the black Red River Valley soil is worth the $50.00 if I have to buy soil.

Last year I bought some "top soil" from a supplier for $30 for a bucket load. It was really disappointing top soil. I had to sift it to remove lots of rocks and stray material (garbage) that I found in the soil. Even though I did amend it with compost from the chicken run, I am determined not to start off with poor soil like that again. Going cheap on that stuff was a mistake I will not make again.

 

[Tonyroo]

If you have plant materials on top of the soil plow it into the dirt and add some ammonium sulfate, it helps to break down materials and acidify the soil.

Compost and manure are amendments to the soil structure.

Gather all the chicken poop and plow that into the soil. It's a great fertilizer.

I live on a hilly property I just scraped the hill and made my own top soil and sifted it. A lot of work but worth it.

 

[gtaus]

I like to sift the compost to remove the chunks and have a more uniform texture. Improves seed to soil contact. The chunks go in the bottom of the beds

Yes, sifted compost has a very nice uniform texture and works great in pots. Dear Wife loves to work with sifted compost. She just amended the soil in a few planters this past weekend.

Last year, when I sifted my compost, I was throwing the larger chunks of compost that was not sifted into the next pallet composting bin for further composting down. After reading your post, I think maybe I should have an empty raised bed ready to go, so the sifted compost can go where it is needed and the larger chunks and unfinished compost can be thrown into the bottom of the new raised bed. That would accomplish 2 things at the same time and reduce the number of times I need to work with the compost.

 

[gtaus]

Gather all the chicken poop and plow that into the soil. It's a great fertilizer.

I use a deep litter of wood chips in the chicken coop. Twice a year I clean out the coop and throw the old wood chips - with all that poo - into the chicken run. Last fall, I sifted the chicken run compost and added it to my raised beds. I let it sit over winter with the idea that any chicken poo needs time to mature. In the spring, I use my mini tiller to mix it into the raised bed soil. This will be my first summer after using my chicken run compost and I hope to see positive results.

 

[Tonyroo]

Using wood chips aged or not increase the ph of the soil. Everytime you apply wood material into your soil you have to add ammonium sulfate. It keeps the pH level balanced and also adds nitrogen to the soil.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Last year I bought some "top soil" from a supplier for $30 for a bucket load. It was really disappointing top soil. I had to sift it to remove lots of rocks and stray material (garbage) that I found in the soil. Even though I did amend it with compost from the chicken run, I am determined not to start off with poor soil like that again. Going cheap on that stuff was a mistake I will not make again.

When I first set up my garden beds here (before this I lived in sunny So Cal, a much different climate and soil type!) I started with cheap soil and cheap bagged compost... needless to say my initial results were not great and kale was pretty much my main crop, as it tolerates poorer conditions. My Sungold tomato (I grow one every year) was a measly 2' tall.

After 2 years I decided I better learn to compost as well as buy better soil. Didn't buy top of the line soil mix, but pretty close to it, and I bought in bulk as the bagged version of the same was about twice as costly (and the cheap soil I already had + some half rotted wood went on the bottom of the beds as filler). The Sungold tomato that year shot up to around 4' and grew twice as wide as the previous one.

It's now 3 years later. For this year's garden I bought a soil amendment (which contains the same nutrient mix that was in the soil originally) to refresh the soil mix, and added some sifted run "compost" along with my usual homemade compost. It's an endless experiment! So far plants look pretty good, I'm already overrun with lettuce and arugula.

 

[Sally PB]

Vermiculite has the added benefit that it will retain water, whereas perlite will not.

Ah! I knew there was a reason for both. Thank you.

I let it sit over winter with the idea that any chicken poo needs time to mature. In the spring, I use my mini tiller to mix it into the raised bed soil. This will be my first summer after using my chicken run compost and I hope to see positive results.

I hope everyone is keeping some kind of record about this year's garden compared to previous years'. I'd love to compare notes long about September!

Well, gardeners LOVE to talk about their gardens, so I think we'll all have something to say!

 

[gtaus]

Using wood chips aged or not increase the ph of the soil. Everytime you apply wood material into your soil you have to add ammonium sulfate. It keeps the pH level balanced and also adds nitrogen to the soil.

Thank you. I did not know that. The bulk of my chicken run compost is leaves, then grass clippings, and finally wood chips. I thought that after everything had composted down, it was supposed to be a neutral Ph level because of the composting process.

Are you saying that compost will have different Ph levels based on the initial source of the material?

 

[gtaus]

After 2 years I decided I better learn to compost as well as buy better soil.

Yes, I decided to get chickens to make compost. Some people don't quite understand that, but making compost for the garden was one of my main goals with a backyard flock. I tell people that eggs are just a bonus. Maybe they think I am crazy, but at less than $1.00 per dozen for eggs at the store, I thought it was crazy to raise a small backyard flock just for the eggs.

I realized soon after I bought that inexpensive "top soil" last year that it was a mistake, given the poor quality of the product. So, if I must buy any soil, I will be spending a bit extra to get better quality soil the next time. Will be raking back the top mulch on the garden today to see if I can dig up some soil from between my raised beds. I expect my home made soil is probably better than what I bought last year.