Last year I planted some lantana and was impressed with how many butterflies it attracted.
I have a large side yard that hasn't been much in the past so I am now going all in and building a large garden.
I want the flowers to be closer to eye height so I decided to do raised beds built with cinder blocks. I have them laid out and now need soil. In the past I have used green bros earth works "flower mix" but wondering if anyone has any suggestions for garden soil in bulk for filling these beds. I am looking for something with a bit more compost than the green bros – it felt a little too sandy.
I know this is all looking a little rough but I am going with "first make it exist, then make it better" approach.
by DanielZimmermanArt
10 Comments
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If you have not already, look into hugelkultur. I think that method would work well for these beds. You can often get the wood for free from arborists.
Call up a local company that delivers mulch, etc. they will likely deliver multiple types of soil and compost, measured in yards.
Also in Atlanta, Cummin Landscape is one that ive seen be frequently recommended on other subreddits. They have compost blends. I havent tried them yet, but ive heard lots of good things.
You also can get free compost from Dekalb County, but ive heard mixed reviews (I’ve been meaning to test it out myself).
Also, for plants, look at Cottage Garden Natives in Lithonia! They’re a great small local supplier who’s very knowledgeable.
For seed mixes, Prarie moon nursery sells lots of native seed mixes you could consider.
Please make sure you evaluate every seed in a “seed mix” as most of them have plants from multiple continents many of those mixes have invasive plants.
I strongly suggest you purchase a seed mix of plants native to your area. Check out Prairie Moon Nursery for options or see if there are nearby native nurseries.
**Bonus**: native plants thrive in native soil (I know, right?). You don’t need fancy soil, just cheap fill soil. They are also incredibly easy to maintain.
Theres a place called Green Brothers Earth Works that sells organic soil/compost that worked well in my garden. Price was reasonable, but that was some years ago.
Those blocks are going to eventually topple out and/or become very uneven if they’re not reinforced. I would just scrap the block idea and plant on ground level with native wildflowers and shrubs and a few native specimen trees, but you do you.
The cheapest and most efficient way is to have quality bulk topsoil brought in and fill the beds, but if you’re doing this by the wheelbarrow, RIP.
If you’re absolutely set on a raised bed, just build a small “hill” to plant on instead of the beds. Then you could also put paths and such to access the middle. This looks like a massive amount of work and at the end of the day, masonry blocks kinda look like ass.
Don’t forget to make it with kitchen scraps ❤️
Make abundantly certain that whoever you buy from in GAisnt using erthfood for their compost mixes it’s literally top skimming from thwzter treatment plants mixed with peanut shells and composed for 60 days it reeks like an ou house and will burn all sorts of shit, but it’s often worked into compost blends for site one affiliates and the like. Georgia is only one of a dozen or so states that even allow human waste products to be used on edible crops, granted this is a butterfly garden but even so
OP contact your state wildlife service/fish and game. They ofter offer seeds and seedlings of native species for exactly what you’re doing. Sometimes there is a small fee. If you’re looking to plant native plants. chances are you do not need any sort of special soil. There are also several companies and foundations that offer help in developing habitat for native butterflies and plants.