Soil for a new raised bed.

Good afternoon!

I've finally convinced my husband that I've been good ALL winter long and he's agreed to build me a raised flower bed in the backyard. I'm so excited because I've been trying to plant in the clay for the past 2 years and I'm tired of feeling like a failure! ;-) I want to make sure that we do this the right way so what better place to ask questions!

The new flower bed will be made of cedar and 2 ft high and I plan to plant perennials - although I don't have any specifics in mind.

I understand that for good drainage there should be a few inches of gravel/rock/sand. Is that correct? After that, what should I be filling this bed with to make my future plants happy? Is there some type of pre-packaged/pre-combined mixture that I can pick up at my local garden supply store? Any help would be greatly appreciated! I'm determined to prove to my wonderful husband that my thumb is not brown! Ha!

StressedTek

Are there any topsoil dealers in your area?Look in your yellow pages under TOPSOIL.

Since the quality of topsoil varies a great deal you might consider ordering equal amounts of topsoil and compost and mix the two to get you started off. Any local landscaping supply will be able to deliver them to you or if you have a truck they will load it for you.

Unless the area has deep pooling water during rains and is very slow draining you will not need the gravel. Being raised the bed will drain naturally.

Raised beds are so much easier to play in ;~)

Thanks so much for the information! I've driven by several landscape companies that have the piles of material outside, I'll be sure to check in with them!

stressedtek

When I put in my raised veggie bed last year, I was able to get a 50/50 topsoil/compost mix from a landscaper. Call around - you may be able to save yourself some mixing time.

Something to think about, the direction of the sun in that location. You need to keep in mind the tall plants need to go on the end that will receive the early morning sun, so they don't shade out the shorter plants. :)

Blackbird I appreciate the tip! I wouldn't have thought to ask for something already mixed! Brilliant!

doccat5! Wow! That is something I never would have considered. I never thought deciding what to plant in the new bed would be so complicated but there is so much to consider! Between trying to figure out what I WANT and how to plan it so that there is always something in bloom, and what colors to go well together.... I'm beginning to think you need a PhD to do this! I sure appreciate the information!

StressedTek

Stressed Tek- Thank you sooo much for starting this thread at such a good time for me!

All of you, thanks for the welcome info- I have completed 2 of my 3 raised bed frames and will finish the last when it stops raining. I have already located a nearby landscaper who will deliver mixed compost & topsoil which here is a loamy texture so should be a great start. My frames are lined up about E to W so I will definitely plant my sun flowers at the E end- thank you Dodcat5! I love sunflowers and had to do without for 5 years in the last home due to shade.

Any other suggestions for us starters in frame gardening would also be appreciated by me too.
Paul

Hi Paul! Glad to see I'm not the only one starting out on this adventure!

I have a question and am asking for advice/experience.

I also live in an area where the native soil is clay. I ordered some grow beds from Gardener's Supply and contacted a landscape supply company for delivery of what I hoped would be lovely, loose, fluffy stuff to fill them. They recommended 60% topsoil and 40% compost.

When the BIG pile arrived I hired my nephew to wheelbarrow it into the raised beds. The problem? It's MORE CLAY! There are little clumps of nice brown balls (the compost) surrounded by beige hard material that forms a crust on top of the beds after a rainfall and drying out time. It looks like cement! And there are one inch stones throughout, although the company's Yellow Pages ad states "screened topsoil." They also sell "farm grade" topsoil and maybe they sent that by mistake?

My question is: What is the accepted definition of "topsoil?" Does clay qualify?

This delivery of about 9 cubic yards cost over $300. I don't know what to do. I left a message on their answering machine (after hours because I'm chicken) stating my dissatisfaction and have received no reply.

Meanwhile I am trying to loosen it up with peat moss. But that's going to throw off the pH, I'm afraid. (I plan to grow tomatoes) And it means paying my nephew even more to take some of the soil OUT of the beds and fork in the moss.

Do you think StressedTek should be warned to ask to be shown what she'll get before she orders? She states that her back yard is clay, and therefore clay may be what the local landscaping company has as their "topsoil?"

Denise

Absolutely! It is always worth a short trip to view the material befor you buy it.

But I would be demanding they load that rocky clay up and take it back where they got it and deliver some screened topsoil like you ordered or better yet refund your money so you can shop around for some decent soil.

I totally agree with Zanymuse! You have been ripped off, big time. Don't be chicken to call, your the customer and have invested good money in what is suppose to be quality soil!! Go get em, gurl!!!

And after trying what Zanymuse & Doccat recommend,call the Better Business Bureau.Those people have really ripped you off.GO GET THEM!

Aaaack! Thanks for the warning! I never would have imagined!

Christy

NisiNJ,

Some people feel personal discomfort in telling someone they are dissatisfied, and unfortunately, some businesses count on this. Once or twice I've been pleasantly surprised that a business owner did want the opportunity to correct a bad situation. Call immediately during business hours and tell the owner that the product delivered was not as advertised, and you are certain he wants to make things right. If he/she isn't willing, then tell the owner you will contact the BBB, the local government licensing/permitting authority, and DG Watchdog regarding your dissatisfaction with their product and lack of responsibility.

Stressed, I built my first raised bed last year from railroad ties. Since it was on a slight slope I had to get in there with a tiller beforehand to loosen/level the soil which happened to be heavy clay also. I just put the tilled up clay back in the bed and amended with peat, leftover potting/topsoil from unused planters etc. It worked great for the first year. When fall came I added about 5 scoops (from a neighbor's tractor) of compost/rotting leaves that had been decaying on my hillside for 2-3 years. You would not believe the incredibly rich loamy soil I have there now as warm weather approaches. I can't wait to get in there and dig!!!

Good luck with it.

Doug

Clay once ammended with manure and leaves and/or peat is a fine growing medium. Problem is it takes a couple of years to bring a mess like you mentioned to reasonably good gardening condition.

I side with those advising you to go after a satisfactory correction. Sounds to me like you got a bad deal. Three hundred bucks is not a chincy order. It should have been as advertised. Good luck.

My husband says that by moving the soil into our beds we effectively accepted it, and it's too late to demand anything. I had my nephew move half of it into the various beds in our back yard. DH thinks that the company will want to pick up the dirt, and we can't put it back onto the pile. So I guess we can't demand a refund and keep the dirt, too.

I looked at the invoice, and all it says is "topsoil" with the compost. They must have sent the farmer's grade. Well, I always wanted to be a farmer. I will amend the soil with peat moss and bags of vermiculite and bedding mix as postmandug said.

NisiNJ

Even if you moved it, you can ask for a refund. You can also sue them in small claims court. See if they ask to come and get it back or if they just give you your money back. You can't lose by asking. If they know what they sold you is crap (and they most likely do) they probably won't ask for their dirt back.

It's like poker. The more aggressive person is most likely to win.

katiebear

Right on Katiebear. I scared one bear out of the bushes by telling him I intended to purchase a whole page in his hometown newspaper about his injustices in business. The newspaper told him I had ask for a whole page quote. That did it. My check as requested arrived in short order.

They bank on our passivity. Kick 'em in the whatevers!!

kb

The thing to do is visit them,see what they have in each grade,ask for a price on that grade,then tell them they charged you for a higher grade than they delivered.See if you can get a partial load of better grade delivered.

The stuff you got will work well as filler in the bottom half of those 2 foot tall beds.Then what you add on top will work itself in over the next couple years.Sure worked for me.

when you buy "soil" and i have........ look first and when you find a reputable place with good product it's time to develop a good business relationship. i find i can get the "scoop" on current quality without looking. their sources can change.
also... too much manure and organic can bring in problems...... weeds for one. organic matter is a fungus petri dish.
some clay is good. it holds nutrients and water. i learned the hard way and couldn't keep my low clay bed watered.... but managed to do an excellent job of soaking the lower native clay ........ it smelled "dank" when i dug into it deeply for a test whiff......

keep it a staight forward mix and modify it yourself .... if needed

After having built over 100 over the last 3 years, I've learned my lessons.

Definitely try to examine the mix if you can. It can help prevent surprises later on.

Make sure you read the delivery policies carefully and make sure you are home when it is delivered. I ordered a load of top soil from a vendor and was very satisfied with it's yours. I decided to order a load of their planting blend (topsoil + compost) and it was HORRIBLE. Very heavy and claylike. Just now getting it into shape. Called and complained but their position was once they dump it, it yours. Needless to say I don't use them anymore. But had I been home, I would have rejected it on the spot.

Since you are only building one bed, it probably makes sense to purchase soil. I added about 25 beds over the last year and used a lasagna method using this year and have been very satisfied with the planting base they are giving me. I also added soil from the woods on our property.

BB

Thanks for the information BB! My husband and I are planning to load the dirt into the back of our pick up and haul it ourselves. That should give us the opportunity to take a look at it first.... but here's a quesiton... is there something in particular that I should be looking for? I think I understand that clay while be heavy and dense and that it should be something that's lighter and less dense. What else should be I looking for?

Thanks!
Christy

I always look for a nice dark rich color and soil that is somewhat "fluffy".. My first tip off to the bad batch I got was it was a very light. almost reddish color and had streaks of gray in it. If it is a compost blend I look to see that it is "done" and it doesn't have any overly large stuff in it

bb

Thanks so much! I'll be sure to pay attention!

I'd like to suggest that when you have a bad experience with a dirt deliverer, contact Angies List and report him(her?). Angies List is now used by enough people to hurt a bad apple. Having said that, short of seconding that you actually view the "topsoil" it might be what was on top of HIS clay - I wouldn't expect that topsoil meant light and fluffy. However, mine that I transported myself (see below), can be dug with my hand to plant a peat pot. It will be much nicer after I have made a lot of compost!

I tried to get a guy to deliver mine (I had seen it and it was ok). He was too busy and refunded my deposit. I have a mesh 5' x 7' trailer so I put a big blue tarp in it and had (another) dealer load me with 1/2 cu yard. He said that a cu yard weighed about 2000 lbs and I knew that 1000 lbs was ok for both my car and my trailer. It took me 4 loads to fill my boxes but had the great advantage that I could drive my Honda CR-V with the trailer right up to the garden boxes. It took just a few minutes to shovel out each load!

Paul