Landscaping for Love and Laughter: Designs and Ideas

Raised bed gardening is fast becoming a popular and efficient way to grow a variety of plants, from vegetables and herbs to flowers and shrubs. If you want to see success with your new raised garden beds, one of the keys to keep in mind is proper soil preparation.

Whether you're a beginner gardener or an experienced green thumb pivoting to raised beds for the first time, these three tips will help you create the perfect soil environment for your plants to thrive.

1. Choose the Right Soil Mix 

Raised bed gardening requires a well-draining mix of soil that can support both the weight of the plants and the weight of the bed itself. As such, it's important to make sure you choose a balanced mix designed with structure in mind as well as nutrients.

If you're not sure where to start when choosing a soil mix, start with a good base of the topsoil. This will provide a strong foundation for your plants' roots, with enough aeration to allow for good drainage and oxygen flow. Ideally, go for a loamy, premium-grade topsoil. Then, add in a slightly lower quantity of compost, which will provide plenty of moisture and nutrients to keep your plants healthy.

You may also be able to find a pre-mixed soil blend specifically designed for raised beds at your local gardening store.

2. Add organic matter

Incorporating organic matter into your soil mix will bring a number of benefits to your raised bed garden. Organic matter is generally made up of decomposed organisms and by-products, including leaves, grass clippings, and manure.

Adding organic matter helps improve nutrient availability, water retention, and soil structure. It can also help improve soil structure and increase the population of beneficial microorganisms in your raised beds, which is helpful when you don't have an entire plot of surrounding soil to help support your plants.

3. Test your soil regularly

Once you've set up your raised beds, the best way to ensure your soil is providing the best environment for your plants is to test it on a regular basis. Depending on the type of plants you're growing, you may need to test for a variety of factors, including pH, nutrient levels, and soil fertility

Different plants have different needs, so testing your soil is an important step to ensure your plants are growing in an environment that's well suited to them. If you feel confident, you can test your soil at home using a consumer testing kit. If you're not sure how to read the results or you'd like a more accurate understanding of your soil, you can also send samples to your local plant laboratory.

Find soil supplies near you today.