18 Comments
Leave a ReplyEnjoying the book! I live in southern Arizona, would especially like information on growing veggies here
Thank you!
NancyReply
Hi Nancy, we’re glad you’re enjoying the Gardening Guide! We love these 2 books about Arizona gardening.
– Month-by-Month Gardening in the Deserts of Arizona, by Mary Irish
– Arizona Master Gardener Manual, published by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.We hope this helps!
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HI, I just calculated how many bags of soil I need for my two raised garden beds and its 40 bags. I like your soil but that’s going to be a lot of money. Do you have coupons for bulk sale by any chance?
thanks!
-michaelReply
Hi Michael, we don’t offer coupons in order to maintain the lowest cost and best value in the garden centers. Some garden centers offer discounts but we don’t know when or if that will happen but you can check with your local retailer. The top 6 – 12″ of soil is where the best soil is needed, you can layer your soil so you have the richest soil at the top. You can add in twigs, sticks, grass clippings, leaves, and inexpensive or native soil at the bottom and nutrient rich soil, compost, worm castings and mulch at the top. We have a blog post about it here https://www.kellogggarden.com/blog/raised-beds/layering-soil-for-an-inexpensive-raised-garden-bed/
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We filled our one foot high raised bed with your raised bed potting mix. Then we planted a mixed collection of lettuce seeds. We also planted beet seeds, carrot seeds and turnip seeds. The only seeds that seemed to thrive were the lettuce seeds; the others either failed to grow or were quite slow and stunted-looking. A major disappointment: My wife harvested the lettuce and complained that it was all too bitter. We still have about an inch to go to get to the top of the bed. should we mix in a finer brand of potting mix? I watered every day but the raised bed potting soil seemed to get dry quickly.
Hi Gary, the raised bed potting mix has a larger particle size that is not optimal for seed starting. Seeds also need to be planted at the right depth, need to stay moist, and the temperature is important. To give seeds the best environment to get started most gardeners like to start seeds in a pot and then transplant the seedlings when they are nice and strong. If you want to start seeds in a raised bed using the raised bed soil it is best to layer some seed starter mix over your seeds. You can either dig a small hole fill it with the seed starter mix and add your seeds in or for just sprinkle the seed starter mix over the seeds. Your seedlings will be able to break through the seed starter mix and the roots will grow into the raised bed mix. This video will walk you through some seed starting techniques. https://youtu.be/5fhJZvcRY_U
As your seedlings grow you also want to make sure you are adding nutrients back into the soil with an organic fertilizer. When transplanting we add a granular slow-release fertilizer in the hole before the plant, then every two weeks or so a liquid fertilizer.
To retain moisture in the soil add mulch to the surface of the soil. https://www.kellogggarden.com/blog/gardening/how-and-when-to-mulch-a-garden/
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I have five gardens on my property but one has terrible soil. I wanted to add raised garden soil to the planting holes as I plant perennials. Is it OK to do that? I wanted something I could plant in right away without having to add extra nutrients. I do have many bags of compost, composted manure, and Espoma Biotone on hand. Should I mix that in too? The plants are small in 3 inch containers (echinacea, bee balm, agastache, and daylilies). The soil is clay and for some reason this one garden hasn’t improved with amendments. It’s as if the soil is lifeless.
Thanks!Reply
Hi Gia, Raised Bed & Potting Mix is a great potting soil that is ready to use right out of the bag. We like to recommend mixing in a granular organic fertilizer when planting to extend the feeding time and again every 4-6 weeks after that to make sure your plants always have enough nutrients. If you would like to help out your native soil, we recommend Amend Garden Soil, https://www.kellogggarden.com/products/kellogg/amend-garden-soil-for-flowers-and-vegetables/ for breaking up hard clay soils. It contains rice hulls and gypsum that help break up clay and create pockets in the soil to allow greater penetration of water and air. We hope this helps, happy gardening!
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How do you stack raw materials in a raised bed? Saw, but can’t find the video that showed me a stacking order, starting with old logs and branches and some more layers. Please help
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Hi Benton, here is the link to the video that explains how to layer different materialsinside of a raised bed:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t5TNZ8NqeM. This blog post also does an excellent job of explaining what can be used in each layer of your raised bed garden: https://www.kellogggarden.com/blog/raised-beds/layering-soil-for-an-inexpensive-raised-garden-bed/. If you have any questions, we’re happy to help!
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Do I need to mix in bagged compost with your raised bed soil for my vegetable raised beds?
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Hi Mary, it is always a great idea to amend your soil with organic materials such as compost. While it isn’t required, it will help cultivate nutrient and mineral-rich soil. What you do need is organic fertilizer, since you are growing in an enclosed environment and your fruits and vegetables will be taking nutrients and minerals from the soil to grow you will need to replenish those nutrients and minerals. It is recommended to intermix a slow-release organic granular fertilizer https://www.kellogggarden.com/products/kellogg/organic-fertilizers/tomato-vegetable-herb-fertilizer/ and a fast-acting organic liquid fertilizer throughout the growing season. https://www.kellogggarden.com/products/kellogg/organic-fertilizers/kellogg-garden-organics-fish-and-kelp-fertilizer/
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WHAT DOES IT NEED TO HAVE IN IT?
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Hi Sandra, in general, great soil is well-draining, nutrient-rich, and filled with lots of organic matter. Individual plants may have slightly different soil requirements that should be considered. To learn more about organic soil, please check out the resources linked below:
– Soil Blog: https://www.kellogggarden.com/blog/soil/
– What Is Organic Soil?: https://www.kellogggarden.com/blog/soil/what-is-organic-soil/
– How to Tell if Soil is Good with 8 Simple Tests: https://www.kellogggarden.com/blog/soil/how-to-tell-if-soil-is-good-with-8-simple-tests/
– Layering Soil in a Raised Garden Bed Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t5TNZ8NqeM
– Best Soil for Container Gardening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ7Ct0HbW3MIf you have any questions, we’re more than happy to help!
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I am not planting in a “POT” or in a “raised garden bed?” (like the boxes on stilts I see in pictures) I had several rectangle, bottomless boxes (2ft wide by 4ft long) built and place through out the yard and filled them with the K-Amends for garden and flowers soil. It is about 10 inches deep. This is what the guy at the store said I could use to plant my flowers in but I am scared to put them in there. It seems so rich. Should I have mixed some regular ol dirt in with it or sand? Since it is already so rich, I don’t want to mix “potting soil” in it.
Should I mix anything or can I just plant the flowers in there. It says AMEND Garden soil for flowers and vegetables on the bag.Reply
Hi, you’re right. The Amend Soil is actually designed to be mixed in with your pre-existing or native soil. Your best option may be to try bringing in soil from other parts of your yard. If this is not an option, we recommend mixing in our Raised Bed Soil to help bring some balance to your beds. Though you have open bottom beds, they are still enclosed; the Raised Bed Soil is cultivated for moisture retention and good drainage, which is important in an enclosed environment. You can also add in horticultural sand and/or perlite to improve drainage. Additionally, you will still mulch your flower beds. You may find this article useful: https://www.kellogggarden.com/blog/soil/how-to-tell-if-soil-is-good-with-8-simple-tests
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any suggestions for a “type II” growing environment? its a 7% grade basically gravel pit run 1foot boulders with some bigger boulders too. al in all it is 70/30 rock, the existing soil isn’t bad, of course it needs amending but, just minimal. one big giant raised bed seems to be my best option, i would surely like some others.
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Hi Michael, dealing with rocky soil can be tricky because edible plants need at least 6 to 12 inches of nutrient-rich soil. One alternative to growing in raised beds is planting on mounds or berms. By mounding up rows of soil and planting on berms, you’re allowing your plants to grow above the rocky soil. The berms should be at least 6 inches deep, but the deeper, the better for larger, deep rooting plants.
Growing in straw bales is another great option because, similar to growing in containers, you have more control over the growing environment. To learn how to get started, check out this article: https://www.kellogggarden.com/blog/gardening/planting-and-growing-in-straw-bales/.
However, raised beds are also a great option because you have complete control over the quality of the soil. If you’re interested in learning more about raised bed gardening, this link contains lots of helpful articles: https://www.kellogggarden.com/blog/raised-beds/.
Over time you may be able to sift out some of the rocks in your garden plot and replace them with soil and amendments. However, this could take years, and you may want to consider alternative or additional planting measures while this process takes place. We also recommend reaching out to your local county extension office. They are experts on your region and may have additional advice.
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