If you’re planning on installing a raised garden bed in your yard, then you might be wondering, “What do I use to fill up my raised garden bed?” Now, you have more than a few options when it comes to type and brand — but for clarity’s sake, let’s go ahead and separate your raised garden bed options into two categories.
Option #1: Pre-made mix
First things first, you can buy a pre-made raised garden bed mix from your local garden center. It should be easy enough to purchase and toss in. But, you still need to figure out how many bags you actually need — which can be tricky. You need to know the measurements of your raised garden bed, determine the volume, and then convert it all into cubic feet to calculate how many bags of pre-made mix you need. (Definitely regretting not paying more attention in geometry class now!)
To find the best type of pre-made mix for your raised garden bed, it’s best to consult your local garden center. They’ll have recommendations based on your needs, the environment, and what’s available locally.
Option #2: Homemade mix
If you prefer things homemade, then you can always start from scratch and put together your very own raised garden bed mix. This would involve a couple different ingredients in various ratios — ingredients like perlite, vermiculite, compost and more.
Granted, a homemade mix can be a bit more confusing than a pre-made mix. This is because you now have different materials to consider in your calculations. You’re not just calculating for how many bags of one item; you’re calculating for how many bags of multiple items and considering all the fractions and ratios of each.
However, many people think homemade mix is a great way to start your raised garden bed. If you’d like to go down this path, here’s an in-depth step-by-step from Joe Gardener. It’s important to keep in mind, though, that all soil is not created equal. Just as you would with a pre-made mix, it’s best to consult your local garden center for personalized recommendations — or, consult Planting Pal, an easy-to-use soil amendment calculator that delivers recommendations based on your local garden center (more on this in a moment).
How much soil do I need in my raised garden bed?
Now that you have a better grasp on answering the question, “What should I use to fill up my raised garden bed?” you’re probably wondering how much mixture you should use. But as we’ve mentioned a few times already, determining how much pre-made or homemade mix you need for your raised garden bed can be a difficult question to answer.
This all depends on the size and shape of your raised garden bed and what type and brand of mix you want to use. Again, you have to know the measurements of your raised garden bed, determine the volume, and then convert it all into cubic feet to calculate how much of each ingredient you need. It can get confusing.
Luckily for you, there’s an easier way to do this. Planting Pal, an easy-to-use soil calculator, is the simplest way to accurately determine how much soil you need to use in your raised garden bed. All you need to do is enter the measurements of your raised garden bed, and Planting Pal will do the rest of the work for you — calculating how much soil you need to properly install a raised garden bed in your yard.
And what’s even better about Planting Pal is that it gives you recommendations based on local garden centers. Simply input your location, and the soil calculator will instantly spit out product recommendations from your nearest garden center.
Final thoughts
At the end of the day, Planting Pal is the easiest way to identify what products to use in your raised garden bed, as well as how much of it to use. As long as you know the measurements of your raised garden bed, Planting Pal can do the rest of the work for you (partnered with your local garden center, of course).
But if you’d like to go a bit more in depth about how much soil to use, check out the article: How much soil do I need in my raised garden bed?
Planting Pal is an amendment calculator that uses the recommendations of local garden centers to get you the right product and quantities you need to successfully plant. Simply input your location and your measurements and Planting Pal will do the rest of the work for you — no math, no guessing, no grey areas.
Gardeners, launch Planting Pal now.
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P.S. Already using Planting Pal and don’t see your favorite Garden Center? No problem! It’s free for them to join. Help them help you by spreading the word about Planting Pal.