Preparing your Soil in Raised Beds

Moon and Stars heirloom watermelon.

Preparing your garden beds

Put your money and time into building your soil.  That is the best garden investment you can make.  It will result in greater yields and fewer problems with pests and disease. Organic gardening is based on plant and soil biology. That’s why it works.

A Living Soil

Soil texture deals with the size of particles:  silts, clays, or sand.  Loam is a balance of these particle with 40% sand, 40% silts, and 20% clay which allows for good drainage and air and pore space for roots. 

The other very important element of soil is organic matter.  Soil texture does not determine fertility. That's good news because unless you have predominantly clay soil you can build fertility and a healthy soil biology and structure with the addition of organic matter.

For the most you can use your native soil and amend it with organic matter.  I would NOT, however, use a soil that is predominantly clay.

If your existing soil is clay, do not use.  You will have nothing but problems.  Bulk compost and soil can be purchased or perhaps a neighbor has native soil you can use. Bulk compost can be too high in salts. Ask to see a soil test on the bulk compost you are purchasing.

Caroline raspberries best to grow raspberries in a raised bed.

Preparing a New Raised Bed


If you are starting a new garden bed, rototil the soil and remove rocks and weeds. Build your bed frame and place over the soil.  I do not recommend putting screens on your raised beds. If you have gophers, screens make it impossible to trap the gophers and water will be  funneled down their tunnels.


Fill with a  sandy loam soil and 2"-3" of compost.  Broadcast evenly a dry organic fertilizer.  Using a shovel and incorporate everything into the soil. Water to get the soil to settle.  Remember do not walk on your beds.  

Jubilee sweet corn great for eating fresh, freezing, and canning.

Preparing an Existing Garden Bed

To prepare an existing bed, add 2 inches of compost and a dry organic fertilizer.  You do not need to work this into the soil if you have an established bed.  If you are new to organic gardening, then you will have to work the compost into the soil. Use a shovel to do this. 

Muskmelon or cantaloupe

Compost:  Poster Child of Organic Gardening

Buying compost can be confusing.  I do not use compost with time released chemical fertilizers or a lot of amendments.  

Compost is decomposed animal and plant material. Aged manures can also be used as compost.   

My favorite compost is Nutri-mulch (turkey manure and bedding).  Any compost will do.  Avoid those with time released chemical fertilizers.  That will only ensure you continually kill beneficial microbes in your soil.

In organic gardening, you feed the microbes and the microbes provide the nutrients for the plants.  Plants expend a lot of energy attracting specific bacteria and fungi to their root zones.  They enter into a beneficial relationship, each providing the other with what it needs.  The presence of beneficial microbes prevents the buildup of pathogenic microbes.  Using chemical fertilizers, destroys this relationship, kills microbes, and does not build your soil structure.

Adding compost provides organic matter for microbes , retains moisture, hold nutrients in the soil, builds soil structure, and makes plants healthy and happy.  So invest in compost!  It gets the job done.

My favorite compost and mulch.

Dry Organic Fertilizer:

You can purchase a balanced organic fertilizer which means it has Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). With organic fertilizers you do not need a different one for each plant variety. Just look for one that is for vegetables.  All organic fertilizers have some trace minerals because they are organic compounds.  For example blood meal will have iron, bone meal will have calcium etc.

I usually mix my own dry fertilizers.  You can use any meal or blood meal for nitrogen and bone meal for phosphorus.  I put greensand for potassium and trace mineral.  Azomite is another good product for minerals.  Azomite is a rock dust that is mined exclusively in Utah.  It is the result of a volcanic eruption into a seabed and contains the highest amount of minerals of the rock dusts. It will improve water retention in your soil also.

I put the dry organic fertilizer mix in a 5 gallon bucket and use it on the garden, berries, landscape and fruit trees. Everything also gets a layer or homemade or store bought compost.  I also add dry organic fertilizer to planting holes along with extra compost of heavy feeders. Remember organic fertilizers feed microbes not plants. The microbes then provide nutrients for the plants.

Birdhouse gourds a very aggressive vine fun to grow for kids.

Liquid Organic Fertilizers

Liquid fertilizers are also important especially in early spring when microbe activity is slow.  Liquid fertilizers are mixed with water in a water can and applied to soil around the plant or they can be put in a hand sprayer and used as a foliar spray on the leaves.   

Fish emulsion and liquid kelp are great options.  I feed seedlings when they have 4-6 leaves, again when buds form and flowers set,  and anytime a plant is stressed. 

Azomite can also be mixed with water.  Mix 2.5 tablespoons of azomite per gallon of water for lawns, gardens, trees and shrubs. Greensand is not water soluble and must be mixed incorporated into the soil.

Complete organic fertilizer.

Look what you can grow organically, healthy beautiful grand kids!

This picture is of my grandson "helping" his dad prepare a raspberry bed.  Having a chemical free yard means they can safely help, eat, and play in your yard and garden.