These are my three 3 x 6 cedar garden beds I added this year. I ordered enough garden mix from a local soil and mulch place and I have already filled them with their garden mix which is a 50-50 combination of topsoil and compost. Do I need to add anything else to the garden beds before I start planting? From what I’ve seen, some have said that it might be good to add perlite? I’m a novice gardener, but love to do it! And I want to have as much success as possible.
by darling1n178
7 Comments
I’d just like to say they’re very handsome.
No need, perlite is just a fancy addition for potting soil, def dont need that in here!
Add perlite and vermiculite to “fluff up” the soil. Topsoil can be heavy and not drain very well. Also add a lot of organic stuff, like shredded leaves.
Definitely if you can find the giant bags! Around me they are 4 cubic feet for like $20-25. Depending on the height of the beds and what I’m planting I usually use anywhere from 10/20% – 50% perlite. Mostly only use 50% perlite in containers with certain plants though.
On the one hand, you can plant certain things in a sidewalk crack and they’ll grow, so who truly knows. But I will tell you some things based on my experience with similar planters.
What you have looks great! Excellent start. You might try planting and going with it to see how it goes.
My suggestions for you to get the absolute best results (only you can decide if any of them are worth it):
I recommend taking the soil back out, turning the beds over, and stapling 1/4″ hardware cloth over the bottom of the beds. It will stabilize the whole thing, and also will prevent mice, certain snakes, chipmunks, rats, moles, voles, rats, groundhogs, etc from digging into your garden beds right when your crops are at peak ripeness.
While the beds are being stapled, it’s a good opportunity to dig down into the ground and fill in firewood or large branches to get a hugelkultur effect. Buried wood helps regulate moisture to buffer against flooding and drought. It promotes mycorrhizal symbiosis and adds a slow release compost that will serve you for years. CALL BEFORE YOU DIG so you don’t hit buried utility lines.
I suggest adding a non-wooden support towards the top because that wooden beam at the bottom will rot. It might be before the beds themselves, might not… a steel support gives you some extra life.
You might consider a hardware cloth canopy to keep squirrels/cats/foxes/raccoons out.
Get a soil test. 50% compost is pretty “hot” chemically speaking and I suspect the pH will be acidic. That’s great for blueberries and such. Not so much for almost everything else. It might take 2 years for what you have to stabilize to a neutral pH. or, it might be fine right now. Only a soil test will tell you.
You might consider a liner to extend the life of the beds. I use powder coated aluminum roof flashing which is cheap and sturdy.
You asked about perlite. You might consider mixing up “mel’s mix” for square foot gardening. That would largely eliminate any pH concerns and provide an ideal soil structure.
I highly recommend timed drip irrigation. It would be easy to set up with what you have, and will buffer you immensely against all sorts of issues such as underwatering, overwatering, blossom end rot, fungal growth, etc.
I know it looks like most people are saying add perlite or similar and the main reason for this is to do with drainage. But my experience would suggest that it is not needed – assuming the quality of the topsoil and the compost is good. Of course overtime, the organic matter does rot down and therefore the soil does settling lower. But you do need to add more and more organic matter as time goes on – quite a bit of it and ongoing.
I have never used perlite, but what I have used to improve drainage and add to the inorganic structure of the soil is unwashed course river sand. Being unwashed, it actually contains a lot of nutrients, trace elements etc. But of course, like anything you put in to you veggie garden, you would want to know that the source of the river sand is reasonably clean – I am lucky enough to live in an area where this is easily accessible.
So in short, look at your soil mixture. If it is well draining, don’t add perlite. If it clumps and is not well draining, then sure, add perlite, but there are other options.
Also staple hardware fabric to the bottom to prevent critters from digging up into it.