To fill a raised bed

[jdick2]

I am building a new raised bed. It is about 44 cubic ft. What would be the best way to fill it? Use topsoil and compost or just use compost. The soil is not native, it was brought in for the construction of new houses and is mostly clay. Hope this makes sense.


Thanks for any and all help.

John

[Tony M]

I would go to the library on the home page, look up bed preparation and start with that. Each year I would add more of your own compost, leaves, free coffee grounds, etc. A bag or two of cotton burr compost would be beneficial.
Some of the commercial compost you will encounter is nothing but mulch. Look for the input sources at the site. Better to make your own.
Tony M

[sandih]

What are you planting in it? Shrubs and flowers or hebs and veggies? It makes a difference.

[CaptainCompostAL]

When I start and design lasagna style gardens or no-till borderless raised beds, all I do is cover my soil first with 1-2" of newspapers or any old white papers. Then I layer up to 12-24" of undone compost or greens and browns on top of it. Then I put about 2-6" of a mixture of a cheap plain potting mix and my best mature compost or humus on top to guarantee good seed germination of my crops or flowers.

Then I plant my crops or flowers.

I regularly irrigate and feed my plants a combination of aerated compost tea recipes, fish emulsion, seaweed tea, dry molasses, etc. , or whatever makes sense for the type of plants I'm growing.

Hope this helps.
Happy Gardening!