Another raised bed question

[bmarable]

I'm planning on building some raised beds for a vegetable garden. I am going to use cinder blocks and because of dimensions, the beds will be 16" tall. I was wondering if a 50/50 mix of compost and topsoil would be a good choice of filler?

[Tony M]

That's a good start, is the topsoil your own or are you having it brought in? Your own would be better and cheaper.
If the budget allows add dry molasses, cornmeal, lava sand, green sand, expanded shale or crushed decomposed limestone. All are benefical even if you can only afford a small amount.
Tony M

[bj taylor]

the only tip i would offer is to lay down a considerable layer of cardboard. i made such a raised bed, & the burmuda liked it just fine. after investing valuable amendments, i dismantled this burmuda bed this year.
best of luck
bj

[bmarable]

thanks for the tip, but I'm going to use a sod cutter to remove the grass and weeds before I start.

[bmarable]

Tony, I will be adding the normal recommended ammendments, I just didn't think that it would be a good idea to fill the whole thing with compost, so I was just wondering if mixing some topsoil with it was a good idea, or if I should use something else. And no, I would be buying the topsoil.

[Tony M]

We started our garden by laying down strips of kraft paper we bought in rolls at home depot. We also used cardboard boxes from big appliances like refrigerators. We wet them down and covered them with about 6-8 inches of compost delivered from the Plano compost facility in Melissa. We amended the compost with various inputs and started to plant. The first year the garden was marginal. Bermuda invaded from the outside and a few sprigs shot up here and there. We were unsuccessful in controlling it. The next winter I hand dug all the bermuda, got tons of leaves on the roadside and tilled it all in to a depth of about 10 inches. I built raised beds (see earlier post on construction method and materials) and scooped the loose soil where I would be walking into the beds. So between every 4 foot bed was a 2-foot aisle that was mostly sub-soil. These aisles were covered with straw about 6”deep.
This is the mixture that is currently in my beds. I add my own compost and starbucks grounds, as they are available. That's how I was able to incorporate some of the native soil into my beds without buying topsoil.
I'm not being critical of you buying topsoil, I'm just telling you how I did it over about a three-year period. Of course, it will never be finished.
Tony M

[jrosto]

This is what I have done for my raised bed veggie garden this year:

1. Used a turf cutter to remove St. Aug. sod.

2. Used decorative brick to build the walls. Two layers of brick, so 8" walls.

3. Filled the bed with my homemade compost, didn't have quite enough so went a bought some more.

3. While filling the bed, mixed in the usual amendments. Green sand, lava sand, organic fertilizer and some dry molasses.

4. Waited a week then planted strawberries, lettuce, onions, tomatos and peppers from transplants. Planted lettuce and carrots from seeds.

So far so good. I kind of expected to have the carrots suffer from damping off since I did not till, but they are doing well. The garden is doing better than I expected for the first year.

I am mixing the green sand and lava sand into my new compost pile as I turn it. I am also adding more yard dirt to the pile than last year. I plan on adding more layers of brick to the veggie garden as I add compost between seasons. The jury is still out on how sucessful this is going to be w/o tilling, but it is looking good so far.