November 21, 2024

VIDEO: How much drainage & fill soil to use when making a raised garden bed


I often get asked how much drainage and how much soil should I put in my raised garden bed for growing vegetables when first starting out? This video briefly explains my ratio of soil to drainage in a large raised garden bed. Blog: http://www.selfsufficientme.com/

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Please watch: “5 Fruit Tree & Veggie Patch Questions”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50HgG0yBX80
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18 thoughts on “VIDEO: How much drainage & fill soil to use when making a raised garden bed

  1. Great video mate – it's rare that you get to see inside a bed when the edge is stripped away. 
    And LOL. Yeah – very cool kids play area.  What? You thought we wouldn't notice?!

  2. I am wanting to establish my own pineapple patch after watching one of your videos but I rent my house and I'm not prepared to make or pay for a raised garden bed. I have made mounds elsewhere in my garden and I'm growing chilli's, tomatoes, ginger, sweet potatoes and lady finger bananas. I am curious about whether the type of sand used will make a big difference. Should I use a course sand like propagation sand or just regular river sand or beach sand? Do I need to employ the same principle of a layer of sand at the bottom for the style of raised bed that I use? What difference, if any would it make if I were to mix the sand with the soil as you would a potting mix?

  3. Mark, have you ever considered hugelkultur? You spend so much time and effort watering and working on your garden, it seems like making hugelkulturs instead of traditional raised beds would save you a ton of work and water. I'm starting one myself, since our summers are so hot we have to water every day. That's a pain and it gets expensive. What do you think?

  4. Mark, on a previous video – on how to build your galvanized raised garden – you used sticks, tree pieces & etc. to start your interior bed – is this video an older one ??.

  5. Bravo! I have seen numerous video's on how to make a raised beds, and Boy are there a lot!! haha, But you are the 1st that as discussed, what is going in that raised bed, and most importantly(to me anyway) is drainage! As you mentioned if people go and fill 2 ft of potting soil and then wonder why stuff isn't growing or other issues that happen from not having a place for the water to go to. HAHa, Good on ya! unfortunately, most thee vid's were of people from US and making us look sooooooo Smart! HAA thanks take care

  6. Is there a need to drill holes for excess water seep out or would simply using water retaining components in the soil mix be adequate? I’ve made a raised bed on concrete slab with bricks and cement so am not sure on how to address the drainage issue here.

  7. That black layer is showing where water would sit IMO, an anaerobic layer. Water forms surface tension at the bottom of the soil, holding the water there for a period before it starts to flow through the granite.

    Much like once upon a time they would recommend putting a layer of rock in the bottom of pot plants but now they’ve found that this doesn’t work the way they supposed it would. It’s more important to use a well-draining media all the way to the bottom of the container.

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