Starting a Raised Garden

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Miracle Grow garden soil

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Which one did you get? If it's the All Purpose "for in ground use", then it's not really soil at all. It's an amendment for existing dirt. It's kind of messed up that they label it as soil when it really isn't.

I used some of the Sta Green garden soil in my herb boxes and it is some good looking stuff. But that may get expensive. I'd go to a local landscape materials or nursery and see what you could get in bulk.

I went with "Mel's Mix" which is compost, peat moss, and vermiculite.

I forget the ratio, but it should pop right up if you google "Mel's Mix".

If you go with this, don't buy your vermiculite at the big box stores. They way, WAY overprice it.

Agreed, you could also sub perlite for vermiculite if easier to find and more cost-effective.

Ratio is 1/3 each, and I recommend making the compost third with at least 3 different composts.

If you do this correctly and don't substitute, you will only need to add compost annually.

Ya 4x* is pretty much the standard size. You should be able to reach to the center of your bed from either side easily.

I have two 4x8s and one 4x4 bed with a two foot walkway between them and it's worked out great.

I also highly recommend setting up a drip irrigation system. Saved my garden multiple times during the summer when we were out of town.

I think I paid about $130 total from Dripworks for my system that waters all three beds and my blueberries, and includes the filter, water pressure regulator, and timed water valve.

Compost: you want a bunch of lively compost. Not the sterilized, bagged stuff from a big box store. Find a composting operation in your area & buy enough to put at least a 4-6" layer in your beds. A non-bagged compost will be full of insects, fungi, other micro organisms that are essential to soil health.

New Orleans Composting Network will sell by the bag or in cubic yards. It is way out on Old Gentilly Rd, near Almonaster. Location is in a waterlogged, trashy stretch of road, but the compost is good stuff. I backfilled all of my landscaping beds and vegetable beds with 6" last year, and everything grew beautifully. I didn't even need to add anything to the soil this year...will probably do another 6" layer next winter. I have abundant worms now, thanks to the compost.

Get a company to bring over a yard of soil. Preferably you want less than 20% sand. I bought top soils with ground up bark. I also added about 100 pounds of manure to each bed as well as worm castings. Plants have done well in my beds.