If you have the bright idea to plant your own vegetables in a backyard garden, you’re in good company. Plenty of people with green thumbs have already hopped on this bandwagon. Planting your own vegetables at home is a great way to have fresh food available throughout the year. While it’s true that you can go shopping for produce at any grocery store, planting your own produce is still highly appealing. Recognizing that store-bought vegetables pass through the hands of so many strangers before making it to your kitchen can be slightly alarming.

Some of the produce you see on grocery store shelves isn’t as fresh as you might think, either. Interestingly enough, paying more money for a produce that’s been labeled “organic” isn’t always worthwhile. Veggies aren’t organic by the time you purchase it if they’ve been stored in close contact with pesticide-coated vegetables. To make matters worse, produce that’s coated in wax to create a shinier or more enticing look isn’t very healthy. For these reasons, knowing how to grow your own vegetables is a great idea. This is the best soil for successful raised vegetable garden beds.

The Best Soil For Raised Garden Beds

Based on where you live, you can opt for a high-quality triple soil mix or a 50-50 mix. In a location with colder temperatures like Canada, a triple mix consisting of compost, top soil, and peat moss works well. In the United States, simply blending compost and top soil is just fine. You can order soil to be delivered, but it’s essential to investigate where the soil is actually coming from. This is a must before placing any orders. When land is being developed for new subdivisions, top soil is usually taken to be sold online.

If this is the case, the soil has probably been sitting around for extended periods of time without any attention. Soil that hasn’t received ample attention will often lack the necessary nutrients required to grow healthy vegetables. There’s a chance you already have native top soil surrounding your home or in your neighborhood. If that’s the case, gather some to use for your raised vegetable garden beds when you have a chance. Buying bags of soil from store shelves is another option. The labels on each bag make should a huge difference in your decision-making process, though. At the very least, the labels should mention the word “organic.”

Specific Soil Brands Raised Garden Beds

Compost is just as important as top soil since it brings nutrients and moisture to your vegetables. When looking for compost at the store, bags specifically labeled “organic vegetable compost” should be available for purchase. Composted manure is also easy enough to track down. In terms of specific brands of soil to use for your raised vegetable garden beds, there are a few to take into account. Miracle-Gro Potting Mix, FoxFarm Happy Frog Potting Soil, and Mountain Valley Minute Soil Compressed Coco Coir are some high-quality choices from Bob Vila. Organic Plant Magic Compressed Potting Soil and Michigan Peat Garden Magic Top Soil also made it into their top five.

The Best Vegetables to Grow in Raised Garden Beds

Raised garden beds offer easy drainage, warmed soil in early spring, and tidy backyard appearances. Choosing to go this route makes sense for eager gardeners. Onions are meant to be grown in these conditions since it’s difficult for them to sprout in compacted soil. The loose soil in raised beds provides the ideal environment for onions, among other veggies. Sweet potatoes will also sprout in raised garden beds since they never seem to thrive in rocky or dense soil. The way raised garden bed soil drains so easily gives sweet potatoes the best possible chance of healthy development. Eggplants are another vegetable that will flourish in a raised garden bed.

This is especially true during the summer when temperatures are a bit warmer. Any melon you can think of to satisfy your sweet tooth should be planted in raised garden beds. This includes watermelon and honeydew. Although melons aren’t veggies, these mouthwatering treats are still worth mentioning. Melons need to be planted in places that promote healthy route growth, and that’s exactly what raised garden beds offer. Cucumbers won’t do well if they’re planted in cold soil or forced to fight against cold air. The warmness of a raised garden bed is beyond beneficial to a cucumber as it’s trying to sprout. For this reason, planting cucumbers here is a fabulous idea. Carrots, squash, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and hot peppers are some of the other vegetables that belong in raised garden beds with the right soil.

Source: a-z-animals.com