Building the beds was the easy part. Filling them nearly broke my budget. I’d priced the lumber carefully but barely thought about what goes inside, and that turned out to be the bigger expense.
Before buying anything I used the raised bed soil calculator on Gardenvoila with my bed length, width, and depth, and the total was higher than I’d assumed. I’m going with a topsoil, compost, and perlite blend, and I plan to top up after the first season since everything settles. Cutting my bed depth from twelve to ten inches saved a surprising amount.
What soil mixes have held up well for you after a few years? I’d also like to know whether anyone fills the bottom with logs or branches to save on soil, and whether that caused trouble later.
