So, you’ve built your new raised garden beds. They’re leveled, they’re sturdy, and they’re ready for plants. Now comes the most important decision you’ll make this season: What are you going to fill them with?
A common mistake is digging up dirt from the backyard. Not only is that back-breaking work, but garden soil is often too heavy and can contain weed seeds or pests. At Venetia Landscape Supply, we recommend the “Gold Standard” for raised beds—the 50/50 Custom Blend.
The Perfect Mix: Topsoil meets Mushroom Compost
To give your vegetables and flowers their best start, you need a balance of structure and nutrition. That’s why we suggest a 50/50 mix of our two specialized soil products:
- Screened & Tented Topsoil (3/8″): * Our topsoil is screened down to 3/8 of an inch, meaning it’s free of large rocks, sticks, and clumps.
- Why it matters: It provides the essential “body” and structure your plants need to anchor their roots. Because it’s tented, it stays dry and workable, so you aren’t dealing with a muddy mess on delivery day.
- Mushroom Compost:
- This is a powerhouse blend of 50% leaf compost and 50% mushroom manure.
- Why it matters: This is the “fuel” for your garden. It is incredibly rich in organic matter, which improves soil aeration and water retention while providing a steady stream of nutrients to hungry plants.
Why the 50/50 Blend Wins
When you mix these two together, you create a potting environment that is far superior to standard ground soil.
- Optimal Drainage: The 3/8″ screened topsoil prevents the bed from becoming a “bathtub,” while the compost keeps it from drying out too fast.
- Easy Root Growth: The fine consistency allows delicate roots to spread quickly without fighting through hard clay.
- Natural Fertilizer: The mushroom manure and leaf compost combo means you won’t need to lean as heavily on synthetic fertilizers.
Raised Bed Checklist
- Calculate Your Volume: Raised beds take more soil than you think! (Length x Width x Depth).
- Layering: If your bed is extra deep, you can put a layer of cardboard at the very bottom to kill off any grass underneath before adding your 50/50 mix.
- Don’t Pack It Down: One of the best things about the 50/50 mix is how light and fluffy it is. Avoid stepping in the bed so you don’t compact that perfect growing environment.
Ready to get growing? At Venetia Landscape Supply, we can deliver both components separately for you to mix, or help you figure out exactly how much of each you need to fill your new garden to the brim.