If you have raised beds in your garden or you’re planning to start using them, then you must choose the best soil for growing healthy vegetables and getting a maximum harvest.
One of the benefits of using raised beds is that you can place them wherever is suitable for your plants.
They go above ground, so you can be sure your plants are protected from rodents and you won’t have any issues with stubborn grass.
Moreover, choosing the soil will come in handy if you live on a property where the soil quality is low and the soil is hard-packed, full of roots, and dangerous pollutants.
There are different types of soil for raised bed gardens sold online.
To make things easier for you, we’ve composed a detailed list of the best soil for raised garden beds, which you might find useful when choosing the right one.
Read on below to get all the info you’ll need.
Top Pick
Our top pick is definitely the Ocean Forest Soil Mix by Fox Farm.
One of the best things about this mix is that it’s ready to be used right out of the bag and its adjusted pH will create a healthy growing environment for your plants.
The packaging includes protective gloves, so you can start your planting as soon as this product is delivered to you.
Budget Pick
If you’re looking for a more affordable option, then the Michigen Peat Baccto soil is a great choice. It’s a lightweight mixture of sphagnum peat and other quality materials.
Moreover, it comes with a fertilizer package with starter and slow-release fertilizers, so you can be sure you’re getting your money’s worth with this purchase.
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How much Soil is Needed for a Raised Bed Garden?
Raised bed gardens will give you an instant advantage because you can choose the quality of the soil you want to use.
This comes especially handy when the soil in your yard isn’t good. It’s essential to have quality soil for a fertile garden.
Soil rich in nutrients will allow your roots to grow freely and you can be certain that they’ll receive the needed amount of water.
The quantity of soil you’ll need really depends on the size and depth of your raised bed garden.
You can also reuse your planting soil and if the soil levels in your garden start lowering, you can just top it up.
Moreover, the best raised bed soil recipe will help you plan the amount of soil you’ll need.
For instance, if you plan to create a 4×8 foot garden bed, you’ll need approximately 20 cubic feet of soil mixture.
What’s the Best Soil Mixture?
As we mentioned a few times in the article, it’s essential to use quality soil in order to get the best results and grow a healthy garden.
When creating a soil mixture for your raised garden beds, make sure you avoid using the top layer of the soil from your yard.
By doing this, you’ll avoid grass and weed contamination.
Further, you can mix your top soil with equal parts of screened compost.
The most important thing is to provide your plants with the necessary nutrients.
So make sure the soil includes nitrogen, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and sulfur.
Don’t just rush into planting with whatever you find on hand.
Take your time and be smart when creating your raised bed garden so all your efforts won’t go in vain.
How to Prepare the Soil?
As soon as you decide on what to plant in your raised garden, it’s time to prepare the land.
Furthermore, you must know that no soil is immediately ready for planting and they all require preparation.
Even if you use garden beds and create a separate area for your plants, you must be aware that your plants are able to reach the soil under the raised bed.
This means you’ll have to prepare this soil and good advice is to dig at least 2 feet deep in order to remove any grass.
Additionally, you can add fertilizer and remove any leftover rocks or roots. Once you have your raised garden bed ready, add the needed soil and fertilizers.
Soil for Raised Garden Beds Review
1. FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Soil Mix
Highlighted Features
- Ready to use immediately
- Lightweight & aerated
- Adjusted pH
- Good for indoor and outdoor plants
- Protective gloves are included
You’ll be amazed of the quality of this organic soil mix. No preparation is needed since the soil can be used right away and you can be certain that your plants will get the perfect environment for optimal growth.
Moreover, the soil mix is well-aerated and formulated for the needs of your plants. Also, this mix combines all the good things from the earth and the sea and you’ll get everything in just one package.
One of the greatest things about it is that the pH is adjusted at 6.3 to 6.8, which in turn allows for the soil to soak up the needed amount of fertilizer.
This will create a perfect environment for your strong and vital plants.
Satisfied users confirm it’s super soil, filled with micronutrients and other good stuff that are healthy for your garden.
It’s 100% organic and it will help you grow your plants better than any other option you’ve used.
2. Miracle-Gro Expand ‘n Gro Planting Mix
Highlighted Features
- Can be used in containers or in-ground
- Grows up to 3x bigger plants
- Holds up to 50% more water
- Lightweight
- Great shipping options
This is a great concentrated planting mix which is a good substitute for potting mix or garden soil. What’s more, it can be used both in-ground and raised bed planting.
Once you add water in the mix, the soil will expand up to 3 times and it’ll feed your plants for up to 6 months.
Since it’s able to hold up to 50% more water than ordinary soil, the roots of your plants will receive 90% more air and the necessary space for optimal growth.
The soil contains coir fibers which’ll make the roots even happier.
If you struggle with dying plants, rest assured that this soil mix will revive it in no time as soon as you repot it.
The super-light packaging makes it extremely easy to use, move around your garden and it won’t cause too much strain on your back.
Just follow the instructions on the bag and never worry about your garden’s health anymore.
3. Black Gold All Organic Potting Soil
Highlighted Features
- Perfect for all container-grown plants
- Enriched with organic fertilizer
- Listed as organic by OMRI
- Can be used in pots and raised beds
- 16-quart bag
All enthusiastic gardeners are aware of how hard it’s to buy good soil these days.
Nevertheless, we can confirm that Black Gold offers a real deal with this product.
It’s an amazing soil mix that can grow almost anything. Whether you’d need to plant your vegetables or flowers, you’ve found the right purchase.
The package doesn’t contain any insect eggs or bugs, so you can be certain your plants won’t be harmed in any way.
You’ll absolutely love working with this mix since it’s fluffy, light and the fact that it’s organic gives even more to its value.
Further, the soil doesn’t have any issues with mold or gnats, it drains well and it keeps the ideal amount of water which makes a great difference for your plants.
Moreover, happy customers who have been using the soil for years confirm that its quality has been consistently better when compared to similar products on the market.
4. Organic Plant Magic Garden & Plants Soil
Highlighted Features
- Organic & Biodegradable
- Fast hydration
- Expands up to 7 times when mixed with water
- 100% natural ground coconut coir
- Perfect for raised beds
Organic Plant Magic sells this amazing lightweight compressed potting soil which expands up to 7 times once you add water.
Furthermore, this small bag will give you a big value since you’ll be using it for months to come.
Because it’s small, it won’t take up too much storage space and it requires less watering than other regular soils due to the fact that it holds up to 50% more water.
Regardless of whether you’re an experienced gardener or an amateur, this soil is easy to use and you’ll get around really quickly.
It consists of 100% natural ground coconut coir and creates an environment of nourishment and oxygen essential for healthy root growth.
You can use it on its own or mix it with regular garden dirt.
Lastly, it works great for any type of vegetables, flowers, or plants and it’s perfect for either raised beds, containers or pots.
You can be certain you’ll be getting your money’s worth with this amazing product.
5. Peat Soil Pellets by Jiffy
Highlighted Features
- Allows free root development
- Easy to use
- Low volume good for storage
- High quality
- Lightweight
If you’re looking to create a good environment for your new seeds, these soil pellets are the ideal purchase. They’re compact and small and you can store them away really easy.
As soon as you add water, you’ll see how they expand in nicely sized starters.
A piece of advice from experienced users is to remove the exterior mesh netting before putting them in the raised bed or pot since this might entrap the roots of your new plants.
The soil pod will keep its shape even after you remove the mesh, so this won’t cause any issues.
Furthermore, you can use them with different varieties of vegetables, flowers and herbs and your tomato garden will flourish like never before.
According to enthusiastic gardeners, these pellets offer great value.
One of the best things about them is that you can start the plants from seeds.
Once they start sprouting, you can easily remove them without worrying about transplant shock.
6. Espoma Organic Soil
Highlighted Features
- Organic and natural
- Premium quality blend
- Enhanced with Myco-tone
- Contains sphagnum peat moss and humus
- Good value for money
As soon as you start using the Espoma organic soil, you’ll notice the difference in your plants when compared with the ones where you used other soil.
According to content gardeners, it’s an awesome product.
What’s more, unlike other soils which are mixed with too much mulch, this one is real dirt!
If you have some dying plants in your garden and want to revitalize them, this is the right product for you.
Since it contains myco-tone and sphagnum peat moss and peat humus, your plants will get enough nutrients and you’ll start seeing the difference in no time.
It’s perfect for raised growing beds and is suitable for growth in areas that don’t receive too much sunshine.
It might not be the cheapest option you can find, but it’s definitely worth the investment if you want to see your raised bed garden thriving in no time.
If you’re looking for the real deal- you’ve found the right one.
7. Michigan Peat Baccto Lite Premium Potting Soil
Highlighted Features
- Premium potting soil
- Lightweight packaging
- Includes a fertilizer package
- Can be used immediately
- Ideal for outdoor plants
The lightweight package of Michigan Peat’s Bacctosoil contains a pre-moistened sphagnum mulch as well as other quality materials.
Moreover, it comes with a fertilizer package that contains starter and slow-release fertilizers.
The great thing about it is that it doesn’t require any preparation and can be used right out of the bag.
If you’re a green thumb enthusiast, you’ll enjoy watching your plants flourish with the help of this soil. It’s perfect for both indoor and outdoor raised bed plants, vegetables or flowers.
Further, your garden deserves the best care and nourishment and you can be certain this soil will give you all of that.
The greatest thing about this product is the fact that it comes at a really affordable price and it’s a great investment for your beautiful garden.
8. Miracle-Gro Raised Bed Soil
Highlighted Features
- Improves plant growth
- 100% organic mix
- Suitable for fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers
- Improves drainage in raised bed gardening
- Soil and mulch certified
This specially blended soil is ideal for raised garden beds and it doesn’t require mixing before use.
If you’re set on creating your beautiful garden, then you’ve found the right product to do this.
With the help of this soil mix, you’ll be able to grow more bountiful and bigger plants.
Moreover, this soil is ideal for use in raised bed gardens and it’ll be the perfect foundation your plants need to thrive.
The soil is really easy to use. Just add it to your raised bed garden and watch your vegetables, flowers and herbs grow with the helpful nutrients from the soil.
According to users, this soil increases the growth rate of the seedlings and creates healthy, robust vegetables which are ready to harvest weeks before schedule.
When compared to expensive store-bought soil, this one gives much more value. Plus, the sizing of the bags is 1.5 cubic feet of soil.
9. Wonder Soil Premium Expanding Soil Sheets
Highlighted Features
- Filled with nutrients
- Good for indoor and outdoor
- Good water retention and drainage
- Easy to use
- Fast germination
What an amazing product by Wonder Soil! It’s perfect for your entire garden and for your raised garden beds.
The soil provides fast draining and promotes aeration which in turn improves the healthy growth of your roots.
Moreover, it’s user-friendly even if you’re not an experienced gardener. All you need to do is add water.
The wonder soil is a 100% compressed coco coir mix and it’ll expand up to 7 times once you add water.
Furthermore, you’ll never have to worry if your plants are getting enough nutrients. This soil contains worm casting, mycorrhizae, kelp and other ingredients which improve your plant growth.
It has a neutral pH, low salts levels, it’s entirely sterile and free of bacteria and fungus which might damage your plants.
Last but not least, this is not only good soil, but it’s also easy, fun and interesting to use.
10. Dr. Earth All Purpose Compost
Highlighted Features
- Appropriate for different plants
- Rich in nutrients
- 100 % organic
- Hand crafted blend
- Good for improving soil texture
If you’ve started building your raised bed garden, then Dr. Earth’s natural compost mix is just what you need.
It’ll create the perfect soil conditions to improve plant health and promote optimum growth.
Additionally, it can be used for different garden projects such as planting trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables.
Due to the organic nutrients, it contains such as green-fed earthworm castings, alfalfa meal fertilizer and others, this compost is the ideal environment to make your plants flourish.
Although this product has a higher price, you can be sure it’s worth it.
Some of the cheaper options sold online can’t compare to Dr. Earth’s value which can be seen immediately from its dark, rich and fluffy compost.
Your garden will flourish in no time and you’ll make this your regular purchase.
Final Thoughts
In the end, we’d like to point out that choosing the right soil for your plants is essential, especially if you’re creating a raised bed garden.
Regardless of whether you’re an experienced gardener or an amateur who’s just starting to learn, you must be aware of the soil you use in order to get healthy plants and maximum growth.
If you have a difficult time choosing which soil to use, we’re happy to help.
If you want to invest in your raised bed garden, we’d definitely recommend our top pick Ocean Forest Soil Mix by Fox Farm.
It has the ideal pH level and will provide your plants with the needed nutrients.
On the other hand, if you’re looking into a more affordable option, the Baccto Lite Premium Soil by Michigan Peat is ideal for you.
It’s lightweight and it comes with a fertilizer package, rest assured you’re getting your money’s worth and providing quality soil for healthy plants.
Happy gardening!