How to start a raised bed garden? and Garden Cat

How to start a raised bed garden?

I've just started my compost tumbler, so I will have ~80 gallons worth of compost in the next few months. I was wondering what would I have to add into a raised garden bed that has cardboard lining the bottom of it acting as sheet mulch. The bed I plan on building is about 4ft x 4ft x 12in. Can I make the garden from 100% compost from the things i'm composting now or do I have to add more things like top soil/potting soil/plain soil, peat moss, minerals, etc.I'm in a region around south eastern Maryland/ North Virginia near D.C. if that helps tell you the soil type around here. I'm just a beginner.


Garden best answer:

Answer by Steven
First off, 80 gallons is about 10-1/2 cubic feet. A 4'x4'x12" is 16 cubic feet, so you don't have enough to fill it. Plus, unless you're growing carrots for horses, most of the veggies won't really need that depth of soil, so you're wasting it when you could get more beds for your buck.

I heartily recommend Mel Bartholomew's "Square Foot Gardening" Method. It's a raised bed method, and he lays out all the numbers for you. For example, if you were to make up his "Mel's Mix" planting medium, your 80 gallons of compost, plus 80 gallons of peat moss & vermiculite, would produce 240 gallons (32 cubic feet) of final mix, enough for FOUR 4'x4'x6" beds!

I currently have two beds in my garden. Next year, I plan to expand to six - all built to the Square Foot Gardening plan. Out here in CA, we're already harvesting tomatoes, squash, peas and beans, radishes, carrots and scallion. The cabbage and winter squash will take a bit longer.

Good luck, and have fun digging in the dirt!

Garden

Garden Cat


Hemi hiding - not very successfully - in the garden.

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