starting up garden beds for the first time in September.Oct

[willc86]

Hi all so I would like to start my garden beds soon. the local homedepot sells the kellogs raised bed/potting mix soil very cheap, so I will buy bags of that.

heard I can just mix it with fertilizer like a 5 - 5 - 5 and the kellogs soil, some cardboard box in the bottom, and thats all thats really needed.


Anything else I should add to get it ready to ready up for spring? saw dust, maybe more manure? etc.I also might do some cold weather crops like kale, lettuce, leeks etc early in october

[astrohip]

Originally Posted by willc86

some cardboard box in the bottom,

What's the cardboard box for?

[willc86]

Originally Posted by astrohip

What's the cardboard box for?

still asking that till this day. supposedly it blocks the weeds and also becomes compost after 3 - 4 months?
not sure if its necessary.

anyhow anyone?

[azoria]

I would just say that you can eschew Home Depot and all of their products completely.

If I were creating contained planting beds for next spring, I would use compost with a nice big dollop of fish meal. And every so often I would continue to add some more compost and some more fish meal. Plants love this combination of materials, you don't need any of that 5-5-5 or 10-5-80 or 22-99- 12. Most of that numerology is nonsense unless you're running some kind of commercial grow in which you need a guaranteed plant output for profit.

Get a big dump of compost and put it in your beds. Get some 50 lb. sacks of fishmeal. Stir it all up. Your plants will love it and thrive.

Happy healthy plants are productive plants, and will perform well in the long run. Good on you for preparing the soil for spring - now.

[willc86]

Originally Posted by azoria

I would just say that you can eschew Home Depot and all of their products completely.

If I were creating contained planting beds for next spring, I would use compost with a nice big dollop of fish meal. And every so often I would continue to add some more compost and some more fish meal. Plants love this combination of materials, you don't need any of that 5-5-5 or 10-5-80 or 22-99- 12. Most of that numerology is nonsense unless you're running some kind of commercial grow in which you need a guaranteed plant output for profit.

Get a big dump of compost and put it in your beds. Get some 50 lb. sacks of fishmeal. Stir it all up. Your plants will love it and thrive.

Happy healthy plants are productive plants, and will perform well in the long run. Good on you for preparing the soil for spring - now.

I appreciate it!!!

let me see if I can find some fish meal! I know compst is cheap at homedpot so im good ont hat.


would you say then

50% garden soil
50% compost
and fish meal on top?

good combo? not just compost on its own right lol

[azoria]

I don't know your location/situation, but I used to buy big sacks of fish meal at the local feed store. Not everybody lives in a place that has a local feed store.

But I've never seen anything that plants love more than fish meal.

[willc86]

Originally Posted by azoria

I don't know your location/situation, but I used to buy big sacks of fish meal at the local feed store. Not everybody lives in a place that has a local feed store.

But I've never seen anything that plants love more than fish meal.

thank you!! whats your brand that you normally use for fish meal

[azoria]

It's fish bits, ground up fish parts. Stuff smells to high heaven. It just came in big 50 lb. sacks labeled Fish Meal. Dirt cheap.

You can buy little boxes of it in garden centers for stupid amounts of money, or as liquid in quart sprayer thingies. Better to bypass that low quantity high mark-up stuff and just get a big bag of fish meal.

Here's an example, but their price yowza. When did fish bits come to costing 90 bucks?? Maybe go to your local feed store.


https://www.groworganic.com/fish-meal-50-lb.html

[willc86]

thank you!! im going to see if I can go to my local garden shop and see if they have one here locally.


so for raised beds im going to do 50% raised bed/potting soil, 50% compost, fish meal to prep it for spring.

sounds about good? or should I do more of a 50% raisedbed/potting soil 25% peat moss 25% compost and fish meal

[oldgardener]

I wouldn't spend money on bags of potting soil, as you can make your own better and cheaper. Mix up sand, peat moss, manure, and compost. Don't need store-bought fertilizers with that mix.

The cardboard can be used lasagna style if you're planting on top of weeds. Layer cardboard and/or newspapers right on top of the weedy soil, then add your good soil and amendments on top of it, and the cardboard/newspapers will slowly compost while blocking the weeds below. Otherwise, you wouldn't need to use cardboard.