Filling Up Planters || DIY Garden Tips

Scroll down for items we used in the video, and recommended options.

As easy as it sounds, many still get confused as to what to put into a large size planters, commonly called ‘Raised Bed’ or ‘Raised Planters’. Me and Andy are showing you a pretty simple way of filling up a raised planter with premix soil you can buy. In the video, we are using premix soil plus manure, plus cinnamon – I will explain below. BUT, you can simply use JUST the premix soil – it has already aeration, nutrients and perfect soil density for the planters. If you just starting to plant, I suggest doing the later to simplify the set up so you can right away enjoy the fun part of gardening experience – planting and harvesting.
We are using premix soil PLUS manure – because I later will plant a lot of things in it. I want to make sure there is enough nutrients for each plants. Unlike in ground, with container planting nutrients easily washed off the planters as excess water drains out. Even with added manure, I still use fertilizer periodically.
You might say “OMG she used a lot of cinnamon!” Well, that’s because this year, insects have been quite a pest and steer manure seems to attracts more flies and gnats than chicken manure (shortage of chicken manure at the time the video was made). If you are not bothered by these pesky flying thingies, then you can skip the cinnamon. Oh, I should mention that cinnamon is a natural fungicide.
We also use a bit of a mix of mulch and fertilizer for the top (we didn’t have wood chips as mulch at the time. I much prefer it than the ‘Gromulch’ (which is a mix by Kellogs) we used in this video).

Total volume of this planter: 4.5 cu ft
Content: 2 cu ft Raised Bed Soil + 2 cu ft Manure + 0.5 cu ft mulch

Filling up your own planter:
Figure out the total volume of your planter. Do equal part of manure and mix soil, then add mulch to top as needed.

Tips on doing the project:
– Wear gloves. I go as far as wearing mask and eye cover, just because I am sensitive to dust.
– Fill up the planter to the TOP. Even then, the soil will sink about 2-3 inches eventually. At which point, it will be perfect to add mulch.
– For this project we bought premix soil from Home Depot for convenience. If there is a fertilizer store near you, check prices for comparable mix, or if you are comfortable, mix your own soil.
——-
Stuff in the video:
Kellog’s Raised Bed soil mix: https://thd.co/346x9lN

Steer Manure: https://thd.co/2IyEYbE
Kellog’s Gromulch: https://thd.co/3o1WBAX

Option/recommended:
Chicken Manure: https://thd.co/3k96JFz
Mulch: https://whittierfertilizer.com/product/fine-cover-mulch