How to Fill a Raised Bed (And Save Money) 

Thank you.

I guessed $500! 🤣🤣

I am trying to fill several large beds now. I'm having trouble finding somewhere to purchase soil in bulk, but in fairly smaller sizes if that makes sense. I'm not looking to spend a 1000 dollars for soil. Can you tell me where to look for quality soil in bulk? I'm in TN and dont know where to begin to look for this. Thanks for your help

@@amberemma6136 perhaps if you know someone building a house, you could load up a few trailers of top soil when they're digging the foundations

@@amberemma6136 Look for a landscape supply company or a rock yard for bulk soil.

Good tip. I actually did that for mine but no fish in it yet. Except for the kid spastic one and little fishing rods from their fishing game. :) Though it was cause one I wanted a small pond and two fir the birds and stuff 4o drink as supposedly having this source nearby helps to keep them from digging up your garden and your tomatoes etc looking for moisture. So yeah several possible benefits there , good one. :)

@TheCharleseye too many ignore ponds as a food source… practically care free and renewable.

Thank you for sharing your success story.

You should consider digging out a lot of the clay and throwing it away. I had too do that after trying several years. I started over and did better also adding egg shells, and other good things.

Thank you for this info. We have clay soil here too

I just watched this video a couple days ago. Today I was at my local nursery to discover that the prices for peat moss have doubled since this video. Ridiculous. 😢

Energy costs have gone up due to policy. When you make energy go up, you make everything go up, because every step of the process by which that product is sitting in the store has increased in cost. "Going Green" has a double meaning $$$

Peat moss is effectively a non-renewable resource because it takes many thousands of years to form

That's what they want!! They don't want us growing our own food.. or saving our own seeds everything's genetically modified so you have to buy drink seeds every year so save your seeds plz🙏❤️🌞😁

Omg a bag of good soil is 15 bucks a bag in Canada lol it would cost a fortune to fill that bed hahaha I use grass clippings , leaves , kitchen scraps ect to fill my beds …❤

That's a great idea for coffee grounds... heard they were good, but I only drink instant!

Coffee grounds, egg shells (well rinsed & crushed) & horse manure = happy garden! Marigolds at edges helps repel some insects, too. I would also place a 3" base of smoothed stone for drainage!

@@mdee860 I have been told by several people that it is not even necessary to rinse and crush the egg shells!

@@mdee860 no need to rinse your shells.

@@allenmartin7193 - yes, but best to have lowest level of larger stone, like the polished Goose egg type. If you use all same size & smaller stones, they can compact, then mix with the dirt & rain & that will make for bad drainage & root rot. The larger stones help prevent that.

Exactly why I’m here

cj p 😆😆😆right

Same!

I"ve been planning on doing a raised bed for a couple years and now is a good time to start.

We all better learn. The long term effects of this virus economically and the shutting of businesses (unemployment at an all time high) is going to take out the middle class, drive food and gas prices through the roof.

We are considering that as well. We think we are going to try a raised bed with wicking using course sand as the wicking medium. The soil is from a local guy who is much cheaper than Home Depot or Lowe’s. All the best from north Texas.

I think the plastic will keep the wood sides from breathing and reduce the life of the boards. I find bare pine 2 x lumber lasts about 6 years bare. I have not done the plastic but heard from others who have that it decreases the life of the wood. Not sure either way, but consider it questionable.

Damn thanks you guys for all the knowledge and thank you Gardner Scott... I'm retired and I don't crochet I don't knit I don't sew but I love being outside and love to grow things From seeds that I harvest out of my food❤ I love these raised beds because it's really hard for me to get down on my knees on the ground and stay down there all day moving around so thank you so much for this can you please tell me what those cement things are called in the corners that you said you got for $4? I liked Shared and subscribed🎉😂❤

I’d say get rid of the plastic liner chemicals. Linseed oil the wood and you’ll be fine.

any comments from the host on wood chips. I am 1/2 mile from arborist...and was thinking...maybe age til next year as maybe in ground the wood needs air to decompose. what say you gardener SCOTT ???

Jeff Strong how do you make sure the chips didn’t come from diseased trees? I’ve lost trees from using tree removal company chips

don't have access to a front end loader

How do I know that if I use the same base as you (woodchips and manure) then it will not get heat up? Do you have the ratio?

Must be wonderful to have enough land and heavy equipment to be able to do that. 🙂

Yeah, rabbit manufacture awesome fertilizer, & it doesn't burn the roots if it's too fresh!

He's one channel I enjoy watching. Knows his stuff.

Card board is great idea! I get all these deliveries which I can now recycle them myself

Exactly

What are planters

@@KeiKreatrix It's the pot or box you put your soil in to grow plants...

@@IndigenousIndianLady65 thank you I was over complicating it😂💓

One source of compostables is the yard waste your neighbors put out on the street for collection. I get out before the truck takes them away and put them in the bottom of my bed before adding soil and compost. All free!

Sorry it cost you so much, but glad you helped keep the little guy in business. I’d venture to say that most backyard gardeners don’t have easy access to free branches and twigs, so will have to choose between buying more soil for raised beds or the less desirable gardening at ground level, as I had to do this year.

was thinking the same thing hahaha. I've bought so much soil from the local nursery. but at the end of the day- its better than putting money in Home Depot's pockets! the little guys need the money much more

Wood is a better base anyhow, because it retains water once it starts to break down.

Me too!

Common sense would have stopped me from forking out $400 for what the Creator provided us for free. I'm selling bottles of fresh air if you're interested 😂

How is the vegetable/ medicine garden doing?

If you check with your local city's 'Streets and recycling' department, you may be able to get lots of mulch for very reasonable prices. Madison WI will sell mulch (when available) for $20 for 3 cubic yards, which would be 81 cubic feet, more than enough to half-fill 3 of those raised beds of his.

@@OriginalLictre : Thx 🌺

@@OriginalLictre ~ Thank you!

Thank you.

I got a lot out of it too

@@GardenerScott I think it was very informative as well I didn't feel like it was a waste of my time

@@mr.greenjeans8323 Thanks.

Very informative shining new lights

Beware of herbicide Aminopyralid (manure, straw, hay, even bought compost, everything that could contain grass treated with it). It kills all but grass on the meadows, and damages many plants and veggies even in very small doses. _Neither digestion nor compsting_ breaks it down ! In the UK gardeners *_Charles Dowding_* * do tests with sensitive plants (peas or tomatoes) to see if bought compost or compost they made with free materials from farmers (or they get it from the city for instance, grass) is safe. * highly recommended channel btw, if you like this channel you will be blown away by Dowding. After he rang the alarm bell (he has a following) and The Guardian reported on it, more and more gardeners (in Europe in the U.S. came forward). They had no idea what damaged their crops. But Dowding has a large enough operation to test in severa spots, and he has the authority - so to him it was clear it was not the location, the vatiety, it was the compost, so he started "digging". If the test seeds / seedlings do not germinate or if existing seedling show the typical damage after being planted into the compost, they know they must not spread that batch of compost (they grow a few in soil that they know is safe to compare - so the company DOW Chemicals cannot deny and downplay. Needless to say politicians have not reacted. That blew up in 2019, at least in the scene. If the farmers would handle the manure of these cows and horses responsibly and only compost it themselves and then use the compost only for growing grass and it would be explicitely stated that this compost contains Aminopyralid - then it could work. (I am sceptical however about a substance that can only be broken down by soil bacteria over years, who knows what it does to the animal in the long run and to mild and meat). And now they also use it for wheat, .... It sure beats regenerative methods if one wants maximum short term gain, monocultures and does not care to change the mode of operation. For the farmers it is a short term gain, no weeds and nothing that is harmful for cows (or horses) can grow (because of the big ag methods and maybe climate change some poisonous weeds have become more wide spread, and their answer is the over kill - screw organic farmers / homesteaders. Of course that effect of the herbicide will not last long, I am sure in 10 years the weeds have evolved, then they will either have to increase the dose or use an even more extreme herbicide. A few veggies can tolerate it, but not too many, and not even all flowers. One can grow grasses like rye, barley or corn and I think cabbages etc also tolerate it (at least they have medium yield). But most hobby gardeners or homesteaders want veggies, strawberries etc. Not wheat or rye. It does not break down through digestion or composting - not even hot composting. Only through contact with soil bacteria and only after a few years, in some cases in can last for 10 years. After ruining your garden for years of course if you were unaware of that danger. I think it is only supposed to be used for cows fodder not horses - oh well. And muncipalities also use it to control what grows on their land.

Dude your bed is 22’ tall 😮😮😮 😉

Thank you very much.

Im learning the same thing . Its so cool to watch it all come together.

Amber leigh - you haven’t listened my voice yet Amber...:)

@@bobbyutube1 ;)

LOL!

Best one yet

@@bobbyutube1 You have my profile name....

Your own compost is a great option.

It's a year since you posted your comment, and I'm about to start a large garden (in Texas as well!) starting this Fall and hoping you've had success. I'm planning on using the Hugelkultur method. I need to look on the Internet after posting this to see if all the invasive Texas Mountain Cedar (which is actually Juniper not Cedar) that we've had uprooted will be acceptable to use in the garden.

Start with growing herbs or one pepper plant in pots,that’s what I do,it’s fun. I’m about to venture in the raised bed garden myself.Wish me luck.😉

I just was reading that. I copied and pasted it. Tell me what you think of it. .For no-effort clearing, buy the best quality highest mil large black plastic covering you can find at any hardware superstore; it can be used over and over. Spread it out late summer over the area you want to plant the next spring. Peg the corners down securely with heavy stones. Next spring roll it back a section at a time and drive garden stakes and run string to indicate rows. You will be amazed as you roll the plastic back, because worms have come from everywhere and eaten the dead and rotting vegetation underneath and you will see bare dirt. As you work each section, either till that row or not as you wish. Cover it with saved cardboard and/or layers of newspaper. Then toss grass clippings, leaves or pulled weeds on top to keep the paper from blowing away. I have learned even to keep the planted rows under the paper/weed mulch to eliminate weeding around the plants. I leave only a 2" bare strip down the midrow to insert each seedling in. Try buying space-saver variety seeds, even if you have space, and start the seeds indoors in February. My garden alternates 4' rows with 4' paths, all mulched. Plant everything down the middle of the row, setting and securing a cage (mine are made from sections of 5' or 6' fence wire, rolled into about a 20" diameter cage and secured by bending down the clipped wires over the opposite side) over each plant. Secure from high winds/storms with metal poles driven into the ground and tied to each cage. The cages/poles have lasted over 20 years for me. I leave no space between the cages running down the row. Besides keeping the garden tidy and easy to get to,

In

Beware of herbicide Aminopyralid (manure, straw, hay, even bought compost, it kills all but grass and damages many plants and veggies even in very small doses. In the UK gardeners do tests with sensitive plants (peas or tomatoes) to see if bought compost or compost they made with free materials (or they gett it from the city for instance grass) is safe. If they do not germinate or if existing seedling show the typical damage after being planted into it, they know they must not spread that batch. A few veggies can tolerate it, but not too many, and not even all flowers. One can grow grasses like rye or barley) or corn. But most hobby gardeners or It does not break down through digestion or composting not even hot composting. Only through contact with soil bacteria and only after a few years. After ruining your garden for years of course if you were unaware of that danger. I think it is only supposed to be used for cows fodder not horses - oh well. And muncipalities also use it to control what grows on their land.

Considering that herbicide from hell, and that most people must bring in some material / nutrition from outside (and wood chips even if you grow mushrooms for a while are not enough regarding nitrogen and minnerals ) humanure or the feces of your pets (if the litter is O.K. ) starts sounding good. Of course there are coffee shops, restaurants, snack bars where they sell pressed fruit juice. and Gardener Scott forgot good old brown carton and newspapers.

A

Thanks. That's a good tip.

Thanks, Tom. It sounds like you have it well in hand. I'll be doing a video on square foot gardening next year. I too ask everyone I know for leaves and grass. I've even stopped and knocked on strangers' doors to ask for bags of leaves when I see them on the curb. They are great for the garden.

I loved that show and bought the book; gave it to a person in need at the time; bought the book again!

Just be careful...I do not want leaves from yards that have synthetic chemicals used by the homeowner or a lawn service.

I do the same thing exactly as you do! Works great! Less work as it keeps weed maintenance to a minimum!

Costco has lots of cardboard...

Cool Haga I’m completely new to this. When you use cardboard are you cutting in up into smaller pieces or just laying it flat on the bottom?

@@kimwiser445 I just throw it in there....I find it easier to work with cardboard when its wet...worms will come and take care of the cardboard

Cool Haga thank you!!

with all the Amazon deliveries, we should have plenty of cardboard

Haha! I just bagged a ton of leaves... Oh well. There's alot more. I will use leaves and sticks . 👍

Thank you. I'm glad it was helpful.

Millie Jessop can you please share what four different kind of souls you use? I just finished my raised bed and now it is time to fill it with soil.

That's great! Definitely take advantage of it.

Which town do you live in?

Colorado Springs.

yes many towns cities offer this. if you have a cheap harbor freight trailer and hitch just drive down there and get a load for free. Buy a dozen plastic containers and put them on the bottom of the trailer and they are just as easy to move around as bagged soil.

At least in New York State, each county has a Soil & Water Conservation District. My County's (Monroe: www.monroecoswcd.org/) is pretty active, and they offer a number of classes to the public. They also have free soil and wood chips available.

Good for you, Kathy. 👍

Thanks. You're not the first to say that. I'll have to do a video where I plant happy little trees.

@@GardenerScott PLEASE do!

Where/how do you get free compost?

@@Nicaragua952 I have pigs, but we go up the road to a friends with horses and cows. If you have farms within driving range, then there is manure available.

Came to comments precisely for this, to double check that my evergreen clippings can’t work for the bottom of a new bed, can you confirm that?

I’ve been told pine will actually prevent composting… so yeah, avoid. What others should one avoid?

Alexandria Tucker as a Bob Ross disciple and a Gardener I approve this comment. 👍

Happy little twigs and branches...😂

He kind of looks like John Stewart too!

Better than Bob -- this gent's got oompf!

hahaha, right on!

Thanks.

Thank you!