Comments on: The Ideal Soil Mix for a Raised Bed https://gardenbetty.com/soil-mix-raised-bed/ Gardening made easy, life made simpler. Sat, 29 Mar 2025 22:41:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Dan Hemenway https://gardenbetty.com/soil-mix-raised-bed/comment-page-1/#comment-75080 Sat, 29 Mar 2025 22:41:00 +0000 https://gardenbetty.com/?p=60395#comment-75080 FYI, We lived in North Central Florida for several decades, and I found that mostly decayed sable palm trunks run though a shredder such as Troy Bilt produce a far better soil amendment than peat moss. The palm log material seems to have some growth-promoting factor. Seeds that fall on a still sound (unshreddable) log germinate and while they remain stunted, they don’t develop the yellowing of the leaves typical of nitrogen deficiency. I experimneted with chinampas there, and used logs not yet suitable to shred to hold side walls. They are perfect because plant roots penetrate them and hold the chinampa walls in place without need to plant the traditional willows at the edge. (My chinampas were only about 25 feet wide and willow roots would almost certainly invade from both sides. This would not be a problem in the Valley of Mexico where chinampas were developed by pre-Aztec civilizations, because the were much wider and were so productive that flowers were grown as well as food for the people of what is now Mexico City. Most plants grown principally for their flowers perform best with minimal fertility, a condition created by willow competition.)

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By: Linda Ly https://gardenbetty.com/soil-mix-raised-bed/comment-page-1/#comment-75057 Sun, 09 Mar 2025 21:40:54 +0000 https://gardenbetty.com/?p=60395#comment-75057 In reply to Rula Sinara.

I empathize with you, as I have quackgrass in my own yard and it’s just as tenacious and frustrating! If the bermudagrass is growing in a sunny area, you can try soil solarization to control it: https://gardenbetty.com/soil-solarization-in-raised-beds/

You can also try covering an area of your yard with a heavy-duty tarp and then placing your compost over that. It’s how I accidentally eradicated quackgrass in my yard one year, as I had a huge pile of leaves sitting on a tarp on the ground for several months in spring/summer, and when I finally moved the leaves and tarp, the ground beneath became bare dirt and nothing ever grew back.

I really don’t recommend using topsoil from your own yard if you have a bermudagrass issue.

Good luck!

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By: Rula Sinara https://gardenbetty.com/soil-mix-raised-bed/comment-page-1/#comment-75038 Thu, 27 Feb 2025 15:24:15 +0000 https://gardenbetty.com/?p=60395#comment-75038 Hi Linda! I live in northern VA zone 7a on a few acres with a backyard flock. I’ve always composted, including setting aside piles of their old bedding to age it before using it on my vegetable plants. But in the past few years we’ve been invaded by very aggressive Bermuda grass. It invaded one huge compost pile last year and I was afraid to use any of it for fear of spreading stolons. I even resorted to building 3ft deep garden beds on a smothering cardboard base, but the Bermuda squeezed through a crack and worked its way up 3 ft of soil! I’m even afraid to dig and use my own topsoil because of it. I garden organically and would love to save money and use my own compost and topsoil to fill my raised veggie beds. Any tips to keeping Bermuda grass out of my compost apart from raised bins or putting my pile on concrete? Or using my topsoil without filling my new beds with weeds and stolons? Thank you!

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By: Linda Ly https://gardenbetty.com/soil-mix-raised-bed/comment-page-1/#comment-75017 Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:32:19 +0000 https://gardenbetty.com/?p=60395#comment-75017 In reply to Barb West.

Thanks so much for this sweet comment Barb!

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By: Linda Ly https://gardenbetty.com/soil-mix-raised-bed/comment-page-1/#comment-75016 Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:31:59 +0000 https://gardenbetty.com/?p=60395#comment-75016 In reply to Mary.

I remember the bio-sludge/biosolids controversy from many years back; I’m not sure if that’s still a concern, at least in the more reputable bagged brands. A lot of them these days are made from “forest products” and various types of animal manure. But definitely always read the labels before you buy a bagged product!

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