The installation of a raised bed requires precise planning of the individual layers. First comes the basic filling with twigs and other coarse material, then the layer with green compost and finally a high-quality soil in which vegetables or flowers can thrive well. But can normal potting soil be used for this?
Potting soil is the best choice for flowers in raised beds
Which soil goes in the raised bed?
It always depends on which plants are to grow in the raised bed. If flowers are cultivated, potting soil is of course the right choice.
The soil for flowers contains organic and mineral components such as:
- humus
- peat
- sand
- volume
- fibers from wood or coconut
- fertilizer
The soil is loose and ideally has large pores so that air and water can be stored. The structure of the potting soil is designed in such a way that the plants have a good grip and do not fall over.
Vegetables in the raised bed
Growing vegetables in a raised bed is a particularly practical thing, as you can garden standing up, there is no need to bend down and your back is relieved. Early vegetable plants need well-fertilized, loose and nutrient-rich soil. It should store water well and allow enough air into the soil.
Potting soil could contain too few nutrients here, and there is also a lack of sand for some types of vegetables (e.g. for carrots).
However, if you know the needs of your vegetables, you can easily improve the potting soil with some compost.
Potting soil is free from toxins, the vegetables grown in it are tasty and edible.
Growing vegetables from seeds in raised beds
Of course, vegetables can also be grown from seeds. Here, however, the normal raised bed soil or the potting soil will be too heavily fertilized. The special potting soil is much better suited for sowing.
This special soil is finely crumbly and contains almost no fertilizer at all. Once the seeds have sprouted, they need nutrients and water. To get all this, they develop strong roots. This happens better in a nutrient-poor soil than in a fertilized one.
So if you want to sow, put a layer of potting soil in the raised bed and then fertilize as soon as the seedlings develop their second or third leaf. It can also be grown in separate pots and then the young plant transplanted into the raised bed.