Compost & Garden Soil Suppliers Don't Want You To Know About This Cheap Way To Fill Your Raised Beds

You can save upwards of 75% on the total cost required to fill your raised bed garden utilizing this technique!

[Leveraction-xruz]

One thing I always caution people about that live in Cities and Towns where the grass clippings, brush and tree trimmings are all collected by their Municipality. Many places take all this "yard waste" to their local dump site and pile it up to decompose. They then allow the citizens to come get that "composted" material at a price per load in their pickup trucks or on trailers.
The key here is what did the previous owners spray or put on their lawns to keep them pretty and green? What was sprayed or applied to their shrubbery, mulched areas to keep down weeds, etc. You want to be very careful as you may be loading up your raised beds or tilling into your garden soil actual Poison, Round-Up, etc. and who knows what else.
Please be careful folks...

[AuntNutmeg]

I'm in the suburbs in a near-treeless group of homes immediately around mine. My husband and I put in a raised bed a couple years ago. We couldn't afford to fill with potting soil, but our soil here is mostly clay. I saved shreds from our paper shredder for months as we installed our bed, digging down to put in vole-discouraging mesh a foot down. Any piece of paper we didn't want I shredded. I also saved all the coffee grounds, and got some free from a local Starbucks. The first year we didn't even try to fill the bed, just add a few inches of material and top with a few bags of soil. The garden didn't do super well, but we also started months too late (early June in IN) due to the time required in building it. Last year I added more coffee grounds, more paper shreds, and more soil. Garden did quite well. I also mulched part of it with paper shreds for weed control once the plants were growing. Lots of worms are very active in that bed! Can't wait to get started this year.

[lindabeebe]

Calm voice, informative, concise. What's not to like?😃. I hit the like and subscribe.

[pinsandneedles]

One year we saved all the leaves from my trees as they fell in the Fall. I mulched every area of my garden and let them stay all winter. they were probably 3 feet high and I have a pretty large garden. After the snow and other dry times through winter they broke down and in spring I tilled the area and let me tell you...That was the best garden I ever had come spring. Everything grew like crazy. Leaves are the best for breaking down my sandy soil here in Connecticut. Don't ever get rid of your leaves. Also mow them into the lawn and you'll have the greenest grass in the neighborhood. I love your idea of doing things cheap or for free. We put a lot of money when we started 18 years ago. Now we get free skids and turn them into raised beds. We even got soap barrels from the car wash for free to use as planters. We cut them in half and make 2 planters out of them. It beats spending 30 bucks on big pots. Those I don't use for food though. I worry about the plastic leaching poison but they are great for a lot of sprawling flowers. There are so many things you can get for free. We get horse manure for free. Wood chips from a guy who cuts trees. I have 1 or 2 deliveries a year and a 20.00 tip for the driver. I love the Ikea bag idea but I worry about the "food grade" issue. Perhaps use them but line it with a cotton or some type of organic material. I do a lot of sewing and can make stuff but the burlap bags might be a good option for a liner. Anyway, love that I found your videos. I'm 70 and still learning. Thanks for all your shared ideas.

[asiasoto]

I did this with our raised veggies beds a few years ago. My husband thought I was crazy but our garden is gorgeous and it's great to see the material breaking up when digging around in the beds.

[calmheart]

I really appreciate the video. I have several pots, buckets, reclaimed nursery containers, etc. that I grow in. I also ‘grow’ soil, by putting kitchen scraps, etc., in some of the containers. I sometimes put a few scraps directly into some pots that already have my plants in them. Another commenter said they grow potatoes in pots. I’m looking forward to trying that this year. I also plant the bottom part of store bought onions and celery. They grow like crazy! And this year, I’m going to designate one or two containers to grow dandelion greens in! Happy gardening everyone!

[farmingfirst]

I started doing raised beds in 2016 using. rice brand, shrubs, coffee shells, rice straws and some branches of trees before adding top soil .This has worked well for me in setting up my vegetable garden to grow pepper and garden eggs on my farm is my village in Segbwema, Sierra Leone

[MyScrapChick]

Such great info. Now I'm looking all around at the clippings, leaves, branches, etc I typically rake up and throw out. It's been years since I've gardened. The info on depths of layers is a game changer for me. Thank you! Most helpful info I've found.

[sandraandersen]

Thanks so much Dan. I'm sitting here in England working out my various ways to grow things without spending too much money. I really appreciate your tips especially on cardboard etc. Much love

[Buddha.]

I’m a follower!
Dan is a teacher with a step by step, process, that is EASY to see, and a delivery that is EASY to understand, in your ‘minds eye’

[janenewley]

I built several raised beds last year using this hugelkultur technique….the lowest levels were large old rotten logs not good enough to use on the stove….and then filled with materials in descending order of size…it worked well and I had good crops…but do remember that as the materials break down the levels sink down so you do need to top up the bed levels in future years.😀😀😀 Jinxy

[droolbunnyxo]

Thanks for this great tip. After all costs were considered, last year's estimated tomatoes cost me $20 per pound to grow, using MGro garden soil + $4-$5 started plants. This year I'm taking a completely different route, start to finish. More work but I don't mind. Gardening is mind-calming. (A touch of sarcasm re costs but not really. 😉)

[margareth]

I do this sort of thing too. Its wonderful. Once I concerned myself about all the volume of garden clippings and stalks and fronds and the fallen tree branches twigs and many leaves. It seemed I would end up with mountains of it. Since then now I know that those overgrown garden plants came from the soil that really desperately needed replenishing again and again year after year to grow more healthy plants So now I see my garden overgrowth and fallen debri as potentially future new rich garden soil about to happen with some gathering, patience and care. It feels good.

[europanzz]

Ive got heaps of rotting logs and branches down the bottom of my property.. what a great idea.. thanks.

[ceepark]

We built raised beds a few years ago and fill them like you suggested with limbs, bark etc. in the bottom and now the soil is quite a bit lower than when we started so this year we will beef them up with more limbs, chips etc. and then put back the soil to raise the level back up. Thanks for great videos.

[altajohnson]

I have been doing pretty much everything you have mentioned for years! A lot of fun and sweat. Love my raised beds and the produce thereof. Thank you for your encouragement, always nice to find a fellow traveler.

[stanlee]

Ive been watching your videos for years now and As always great info Dan. Appreciate you.

[renel]

This is so timely for me. I'm upping my gardening game this year. I've needed to switch to raised beds and containers and find spaces where there is light in this 45 year old yard. We lost a tree and two major scaffolding branches from a Modesto Ash tree. At first I was sad and hauling it all off. Now I have more areas with sunlight, filler for new beds and big containers and open spaces to put new beds. Finding you last week was wonderful especially since I'm also in zone 9B. Thank you for all the great ideas!

[vrobinson]

WOW! I can’t wait to get started thank you so much.

[stevecooper]

I started a compost pile in my small garden using grass clippings mulch leaves coffee grounds egg shells coffee filters. I move the pile every year and spread the compost pile around, where I have had the pile everything in that area grows great.I only use blood meal and bone meal and wood ash for fertilizer .
I don't spray any chemicals and the vegetables are great
The Japanese Beetles are the biggest problem but I use a trap down wind from the garden and it keeps the damage to a minimum.