advice needed

This year I am going to try using half barrels instead of a tilled area for my disabled gardeners. This will provide a raised bed and much lower maintance. But my question is "what type of soil or medium so I use that won't cost us a fortune?" Budget is VERY limited. And will drilled holes in the bottom be sufficient for drainage? Any and all advice would be appreciated.

Tina

Buying pre-mixed potting soil is the easiest way to fill your container. Bagged potting mixes comes in several sizes. Garden centers and most hardware stores sell potting mixes--which is usually a multi-purpose soil or compost. If you have good growing soil in your garden, you can use it: add half garden soil and half multipurpose compost or sphagnum peat moss to make your own mix. (Soil from the garden alone is almost always too dense for container plant growing.)

Place a layer of peat or sterilized bark at the bottom of the container over the drainage hole or holes -- you may need three to five if the barrels are large -- to keep your potting mix from washing away. Next add a layer of compost and then the potting mix. Place large containers--such as tubs and half barrels--in their final position before filling them with soil. If you plan to move large containers during the year set them on wheels or rollers. Fill the container to within 1 inch (2.5 cm) of the top.

Check out the 3-part series on container gardening that ran in December at HarvestToTable.com. They have how-to and many varieties listed for container growing.
http://www.harvestwizard.com/2008/12/growing_vegetables_in_containe.html

If you're on a tight budget, use good garden soil on top of several inches of rocks in the bottom of the barrel. Dirt in containers like that sure does want to cake, so if you can, mix in organic material as you fill the barrels - leaves, sawdust, horse pooh, whatever is available. Add a little nitrogen to compensate for that used by the decomposing organic material. Best to let it "cure" for four to six weeks before planting.

Frank

Tina,
I'd explain to a local garden center what you need and see if they would give you a break on price to help the disabled. If you need a decent quantity they should be willing to help you out. The idea of collecting any compostable material like leaves should help as well. Are strawbales very expensive in your area? Check out the Strawbale forum. You can put new, partially decomposed or totally decomposed straw in the half barrels as well to plant in. Just add potting mix on top to plant in. Good luck with your project. How wonderfully worthwhile!

Thanks everyone.

You should also read the stickies in the "Container Gardening" forum (tapla's). This is very important for long term success. Please consider adding fine pine bark and some non-compacting aerating silica as discussed in the stickies. I use expanded silica such as offered in auto parts stores under brand names like OilSsorb, etc. Check the back of the bag to see if it qualifies as a soil amendment. It is avaialbe in 40 lb bags for about $5.00 and would be mixed with the soil. A wick extending out the bottom of the container a few inches would also be helpful and inexpensive.

The stickies discuss how to create appropriate mixes for containers.