Most raised bed soil doesn’t fail right away. It fails later.
Everything can look fine above ground.
But below the surface, the soil structure may already be breaking down.
In this video, I show you what causes raised bed soil to turn into junk — and what keeps it productive long term.
This video is for you if:
• Your raised beds don’t produce like they used to
• Your soil dries out faster than before
• Your plants struggle even when you water and fertilize
• You’re filling new raised beds and want long-term success
• You want soil that stays productive for years, not months
This video explains why raised bed soil fails, how raised bed soil structure breaks down over time, and how to build raised bed soil for long-term success in raised bed gardening.
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⏱ CHAPTERS
00:00 Why Raised Bed Soil Fails
00:40 I Reuse This Soil
01:01 Why I Built This Bed 3 Feet Tall
01:15 How to Fill Raised Beds for Less
01:46 Proof It Still Works
02:06 Why Most Bagged Soil Turns Into Junk
02:44 What Makes Quality Soil Different
06:34 Soil That Doesn’t Turn Into Junk
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24 Comments
Raised bed soil doesn’t fail right away. It slowly turns into junk. Have you seen it happen in your garden?
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Kim, What hose wand with the rain spray head do you use?
The only reason your raised bed soil turns to junk is because you never add the proper nutrients to the bed during the year
That soil you claim has a season on it is false , pure falsehood
Can't get that soil in my area in east TN and too expensive to order/ship. Suggested option???
Great show ❤
Great videos!
I need Bumper Crop! Those bags Costco sells of M.G. "Organics Choice" potting soil "with compost" are junk out of the bag. Clumpy muddy & fungas gnat laden. I shall refresh this spring with Bumper Crop Soil Amendments!
I amend my raised garden with peat moss, cow manure, and perlite.
Thank you Cali Kim ❤
Wish I could get the Bumper Crop Raised BedMix here in Hawaii. I agree that other mixes break down and the soil becomes compacted, even mixes I have made myself due to the expense of shipping any soil mix here. This year I am making my own mix with pumice, coco coir, old potting soil and my own compost and worm castings. I am hoping the pumice will help keep the soil structure loose. A few worms always make it into the soil from my worm castings. I find I need to be careful about not getting them in containers, though. They devour things like coco coir and aged wood pieces so quickly the soil in the container “shrinks” and gets compacted quickly. I imagine that can happen in raised beds as well. I have found good ole earthworms are best for raised beds and I ground gardens.
Kim, I switched to Bumper Crop last year on YOUR RECOMENDATION. I am so glad I did. It is what I now will be using to top off my beds from now on. A little pricey but well worth it! Thanks 😊
Your gleaming, compassionate eyes sad over junk soil is enough to have us amend 😂❤️❤️❤🙇🏻♀️💐
NEW ZEALANDERS in da house!!! We are keen learners❤🙇🏻♀️🎓
I’ll look out for bumper crop soil. Thanks kim
What do you save your soil between planting season?
I had such high hopes that this would be informative to help me amend my soil and instead it's a long advert for one soil. No soil is "junk". Soil is a living ecosystem of biodiversity that thrives in some conditions and not others. It is not something that lasts forever and then becomes junk. No farm is out there building raised beds they fill and refill. You need to nurture it with amendments and crop rotations and using scientific knowledge.
Wow, crabby people out there, YIKES.
Most bagged products are really bad, glad you could pass along a product that has worked well for you.
Bought a "raised bed soil" from a landscape company years ago (not cheap either), worked fine for a few years, then negative returns. Looked at the "soil" under my microscope, nothing but spent organic material, no soil aggregates whatsoever, kinda what jumping worms do to a good soil. The following spring, I had a yard of "topsoil" delivered that turned out to be mostly clay and pebbles, lol. Bed is charging right along now.
OBTW, Dr. Elaine Ingham past away last Monday. Dr. Ingham was the mother of the "soil food web" a renegade in the agricultural community (mostly men). Dr. Ingham completely changed the way I garden, God bless her.
Stay Well !!!
I would think that maybe a foot foot and half bed would be sufficient. That looks like alot of wasted soil that could have filled a different bed. Just my observation. Im no pro
They do not PULL Nitrogen OUT OF THE PLANTS.
Some people may not be able to afford the cost of the expensive soil mixes. The local landfill may be a more affordable option for many gardeners as a soil filler. If possible, the other option may be hugelculkur method of gardening.
Thus was a great video Kim thanks! I use Fox Farm's Happy Frog and wonder how many times I can used it. I grew tomatoes in in last spring and now I have kale in it. Should I throw it out for my spring plants? Or can I add more worm castings and bone meal and reuse it?
I have had good success with my raised beds by planting a cover crop in the winter, usually clover, chopping and tilling it into the soil a month before the planting season.
I am sure the no till aficionados may take opposition, but the cover crop has time to degrade and revitalize the bed before planting season and the tilling stops the compaction of the soil.
I have heard this method isn't preferred for the in-ground gardener.
But I think it works wonders for the raised bed gardener.
Has anyone else tried this?
Here the sellers use language to fool new gardeners and people who English is a second language.
Include low price with "certain words" set people up for failure.
Great mix here states exact what is in it and cost more.
You will be able to touch and smell it.