Raised Beds and Potting Soil. The Recipe is the Magic that makes for Beautiful Plants!
A good potting soil recipe and a good bed building recipe are interchangeable. A good potting soil recipe is an absolute must.
You can’t fool around and get a potting soil recipe wrong. I poor potting soil recipe will stall, if not completely kill the plants that you are attempting to grow in it.
Poor Soil is Poor Soil.
Plants growing in a raised bed are more forgiving, but still, poor soil is poor soil and plants always suffer in poor soil.
Now, if you have soil in your yard that is well-drained, meaning that when watered heavily the water drains right through the soil in just a few hours, you really don’t have to build raised beds.
Sand and Gravel Soils are a Blessing to have in Your Yard.
What’s so special about sand and gravel? Drainage baby! Drainage is the key to gardening success, especially when it comes to ornamental plants in a landscape.
That’s why you see so many nurseries here in Madison and Perry, Ohio. We are right on the south shore of Lake Erie and a few million years ago the glaciers left us with some awesome soil for growing nursery stock.
Not all of Perry and Madison have fantastic soil. These are really two very small communities and even then the soil near the lake is very different than the soil just a few miles south.
That’s why we have so many nurseries adjacent to one another. If the soil is good, you find nursery plants growing by the tens of thousands around here.
Amending Sand and Gravel Soils to make Your Plants thrive.
But First, Mike Comes Clean.
Before I babble off about amending sand and gravel soil I have to come clean and tell you that I don’t think I’ve ever done it myself. When Pam and I lived over on Middle Ridge here in Perry our soil was pure sand and gravel. Mostly gravel.
Not even close to being nice and dark like good organic soil is. When I landscaped the house I bought some soil to raise the beds from a friend of mine who had a big pile of, you guessed it, more sand and gravel.
When I dug out the beds for my Backyard Nursery I rented a tractor and just made big piles of soil (sand and gravel) then later I took my little rototiller and groomed the top of the piles to make them rounded mounds instead of just big piles of sand and gravel. Then I landscaped them.
Stick with Me. This is Educational.
That’s right, I planted beautiful trees and shrubs, numerous Japanese maples, Junipers, you name it, in soil that most consider too poor to grow a thing.
Same thing around the house. The soil I put in those beds was nothing but sand and gravel.
Mike’s Big Confession!
Not only did I plant all of that stuff in sand and gravel, but I never fertilized them! Not one time. I never fertilize the plants in my landscape.
Except for maybe roses. I just don’t believe in it. Take a Look at these Photos and Tell Me Whether or Not these Plants are Suffering in that Poor Soil.
When Growing Plants for any Purpose, Drainage is Everything.
If you are landscaping your house or building a raised bed in the middle of the yard for a landscape planting, the soil doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should at least drain well.
Good topsoil is great for raised beds, but not pots. Definitely, don’t use topsoil in a container. More about that in a bit.
The Big Topsoil Rip Off!
When you buy topsoil it’s important that you buy good topsoil. Today there are too many soil dealers that are taking really heavy, sticky clay soil, running it through a soil shredder and selling as good topsoil.
And it’s not good topsoil. It looks great in the pile, but the minute it gets wet it turns to soup, then mud then packs hard as concrete. Good topsoil doesn’t need to be shredded.
Good topsoil when you squeeze it in your hand will not stick together like a softball. I made a really short movie about topsoil. Have a watch.
Man oh man did I get off track. Get me talking about dirt and I get all giddy like a school girl!
Back to Amending Soil.
If you have sand and gravel soil and would like to amend it, that’s easy to do. Just work in some kind or many kinds of organic matter and till the bed mixing the organic matter with the soil that you have.
Leaf compost works great, just about any compost works great, peat moss is okay. Peat moss holds moisture so it’s okay in sand and gravel soils, but not in sticky soil.
But peat moss contains no nutritional value whatsoever so most of the time I consider it a waste of money.
The Best Thing to Do for Your Soil?
Just plant in the soil that you have and then apply about two inches of good bark mulch after you are done planting.
The bark mulch does a great job of controlling weeds and eventually breaks down and actually improves the soil.
Around here we have shredded hardwood bark mulch readily available, some areas have pine bark mulch, out west they have fir and hemlock bark mulch.
What’s the Magic Word?
Bark! Trees are made up of two things. Bark and wood. Wood is good for building houses and roasting weenies and marshmallows. The bark is good for growing plants.
The bark is not good for building houses that’s why they remove it from the logs before they cut them into boards. Wood is not good for growing plants. Not all good for growing plants!
What’s the Big Deception in the Mulch Business?
Grind up wood (pallets) dye it a pretty color, usually brown, red or black and sell it as mulch. As a mulch, to keep down weeds, etc. this ground-up pallet wood isn’t a terrible thing, but it’s not my thing. I like bark mulch.
For growing plants, mixing in beds or in potting soil, you have to use bark mulch! You cannot use wood mulch for growing plants. No, no, no! Do not put wood mulch in your potting mix! Guess what? I made a movie about mulch, it’s informative. Take a peek.
Mike McGroarty’s Secret Potting Soil Recipe.
There are only two things that I know how to make that are worth talking about. Dirt Farmer Fudge and potting soil. My fudge is awesome, but my potting soil is better. My potting soil rocks!
My potting soil recipe is actually pretty simple. I start with a pile of bark mulch. You can use hardwood bark mulch, hemlock or fir bark mulch, pine bark mulch and probably even rice hulls, but I don’t have personal experience with rice hulls.
Based on what you’ve learned so far on this page the magic to a good potting soil recipe is this. It must drain really well and it has to be light and fluffy. Here is a video I made to show you how I do it!
Plants Breath through Their Roots!
Plants absolutely, positively must be able to transfer oxygen through the soil too and from their root system. That won’t happen if they are planted in wet ground, or in a potting soil that does not drain well.
That’s why the potting soil must be light and fluffy, it has to be porous enough that the oxygen can pass through the potting soil. I know it sounds crazy because if roots are exposed to air they die, but still, the soil has to be able to breathe. That’s easily accomplished if you use a potting soil that is 85 to 90 percent bark mulch.
Bark Mulch! Not Pretend Wood (ground up pallet) Mulch.
Not Wood Chips from a Tree Service!
I know, I know I know. It’s tempting to use those free wood chips from the tree companies. Can’t beat free! Except when growing plants in nursery containers.
If you let those wood chips rot for a really long time, three to five years, they might work. Might work! They’ll be good for something in the yard, but I don’t know that I’d ever put them in my potting soil mix unless they were completely rooted down to pure compost.
But keep in mind, pure compost is usually too fine and often too sticky to use as a potting mix. Compost adds nutrition to bark mulch for a potting mix, but I wouldn’t use more than 10 or 15 percent of compost in my potting mix.
What I do is stockpile hardwood bark mulch so I always have some that is decomposing. The more decomposed bark mulch is, the more nutritious it is. But you have to be careful because the more decomposed it is the more likely it is to hold too much moisture for a potting mix.
Right now at the end of March, I have a big pile of bark mulch that I’ve been collecting and adding to for about two years now.
In about a week I’ll order in another 15 yards of fresh bark mulch and have it dumped right next to the pile of older material that I have.
I’ll mix some of the fresh mulch with the mulch that I’ve had for a year or two. I want about 10% of the fresh mulch in the mix to make sure I have good aeration in the mix.
Do Not Add Sand to Your Potting Soil Mix!
This is contrary to what others will tell you and it’s probably contrary to what I might have told you a couple of years ago.
I’ve never used a lot of sand in my mix, but at one time I did add some sand to my potting soil.
About two years ago I was talking to a very experienced, very knowledgeable grower that I’ve known for about 40 years and he told me that he no longer uses any sand in his potting soil.
As he explained it, and it made perfect sense when I heard it, is that the sand works it’s way into the pours of the potting soil and pretty much eliminates the veins needed for the transfer of oxygen.
The sand actually impedes drainage and the flow of oxygen to the roots of the plants.
Should You Add Small Stones to Your Potting Soil Mix?
You can. If your soil is not draining well enough you can add pea gravel or silica stone to your mix. The stones should be tiny, less than 1/4″ in size and they should be neutral to the soil.
In other words, don’t add something that will break down and alter the ph of your potting soil. At this time my plan is to not use any stone in my potting mix unless I run into a drainage problem.
Testing Your Potting Soil for Drainage.
The easiest way to see how well your potting soil drains is to fill a nursery container with potting soil and lots of water and watch to see if the water runs out or stands on top of the potting soil.
Don’t fill the container all the way to the top with potting soil, leave about an inch or so so you can see how fast the soil drains.
If you have plants potted up you can check them as well. Water them really well, wait about four hours, then go out and take a container, plant and all and turn it upside down and slip the pot off.
How wet is the soil in the bottom of the container? It should be moist but not soggy, soaking wet. Check your plants right before you are to water again.
In most cases, you only need to water once a day so if you check right before you water it’s been about 24 hours since you last watered. The root zone of the plants should be cool and moist but not wet.
My Potting Soil Recipe in a Nutshell?
Bark mulch. Both really decomposed and fresh bark mulch. When I say fresh bark mulch I don’t mean that mulch that just came off the tree.
Most of the bark mulch that you buy has been piled up in the sawmill for some time so by the time we buy it’s not really fresh. It’s just fresher than what I have in my existing pile.
Do Plants Really Do Well in Potting Mix of Just Bark Mulch?
They do, but they need supplemental fertilizers. A good potting mix contains some nutrition, but it won’t last long.
We apply a slow release fertilizer as soon as we pot up our plants. I go into detail about this inside The Backyard Grower’s University.
Can You Use Topsoil in a Potting Mix?
No, no, no!!!! Container grown plants are always grown in a “soil-less” potting mix.
Topsoil will never drain good enough to be used in a potting mix. Putting potting soil in your potting mix is a huge mistake and your plants will hate you for it!
Okay, that’s it. Gotta run! I have a hot date with two donkeys. If you have questions or comments post them below and I’ll chat you up.
Hi Mike. Can cypress mulch be used in place of pine bark? I’m in central west Ohio and cannot find any pine bark fines (only mini nuggets), but I can find plenty of cypress mulch.
Thanks!!
Brian,
I’m not sure but probably.
Okay, let me see if I can make the important points.
My most recent video on potting soil, this one is about pine fines or pine bark mulch; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2018/03/potting-soil-can-use-make-potting-soil/
Just in! This mix is actually pretty good, https://www.amleo.com/berger-bark-growing-mix-3-cu-ft/p/BM7/. If nothing else gives you an idea of what a good mix should be.
1. First of all, it is confusing because there are so many options that make for a good mix. A lot of it has to do with what is available to you in your area.
2. Pea gravel. I used to add pea gravel to my well rotted hardwood bark mulch but I’ve learned that adding pine bark is really a better option. In small quantities pine bark is often sold by the bag and called soil conditioner in the box stores.
3. Rotted hardwood bark mulch is still a good option, I used it for years with great success. It only failed me when I tried to really stock up (50 yards worth) then it rotted too much and didn’t drain well. That’s when I started mixing in large amounts of pine bark.
4. Growers actually use pine bark fresh because even as it ages it really doesn’t change a lot.
5. So right now my ideal mix is very heavy in pine bark and to that I add either commercial compost or well rotted hardwood bark mulch.
6. But what I really do is buy a load (90 yards) of pine bark then I start working that into the potting mix that we are current using. I think it’s important for me to stay ahead of the wave by adding more pine bark before I am out of soil. Right now I have a large pile of pine bark that’s been sitting here since ???? early summer I think. And there is a part of my potting soil pile that is far too aged and compacted so on my to do list is to blend these two piles together before spring.
7. Yes, I now have a front end loader that makes this easy. But at this place, https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2016/03/mikes-first-backyard-nursery/, I used a shovel, a wheelbarrow and a rototiller. I usually kept about 10 yards on hand and always replenished my pile before it ran out using the old to mix with the new.
8. But back then I never turned the entire pile. That would have been crazy. I’m too lazy to turn compost! Or as I like to think of it, I value my time more than that.
9. Instead when I added fresh material, bark mulch, commercial compost or pea gravel to my pile, I simply put it on top. I’d use a two by twelve as a ramp to get the wheelbarrow up on top of the pile. I built the pile like a “Dagwood Sandwich”, you might have to Google that. Layers of materials. Then when I needed soil I would simply rototill one corner and get an awesome mix that I’d shovel on to the bench by hand.
10. And that’s where the legless potting bench came in. I’d rest one end on the pile so it would be nice and close for shoveling, then the other end on blocks or a saw horse. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/01/homemade-mobile-potting-bench-it-has-removable-wheels/
11. So yeah, today I do things very differently, but I started exactly where all of you are today.
No matter what you use, it doesn’t have to be my mix, just pick a potting soil that somebody else here is using with great success. Bagged soil? Sure if that’s what you want to do. I have no idea how much it costs to fill a one gallon with a bagged mix but I am curious about that if anybody wants to share than number with us.
Here are some tips on getting good potting soil;
Looking online for mulch is probably not the best place to look because many of the dealers who sell mulch really have little to no web presence at all. I’m sure there has to be some hardwood bark available in New Jersey.
I’d pick up the phone and start calling around. Garden Centers, landscapers and excavators will know who sells bulk hardwood bark mulch. These dealers are often hidden away on some side street.
I’d take a full day and visit as many garden centers and nurseries in your area that you can. Browse, ask some casual questions.
1. Do you know of anybody in the area that sells bulk mulch.
2. Do you know of anybody in the area that sells bulk potting soil.
3. What do most growers around here use as a potting mix.
Bulk potting soil is available, usually around $55 a yard, but worth it. But it’s not readily available in all areas and in most cases you need to send a truck to get it.
But it won’t cost anything to ask these questions. You’ll either get really good, answers, might get the brush off, or you might find somebody who loves to talk about growing plants and will bury you in valuable information.
Good info here about potting soil, https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/12/mike-mcgroartys-secret-bed-building-and-potting-soil-recipe/
and here;
https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/10/how-to-make-your-own-awesome-potting-soil/
Thanks Mike for all of this great information you give us! I wanted to comment about the Dirt Famer Fudge. I HAD to check that link out and was really surprised that it’s the type of fudge that my Dad used to make when we were kids. Only a few of my family members including myself have been able to make this fudge. The only difference is adding peanut butter. I’ve often thought about adding peanut butter but never tried it. I will definitely have to try it now. I’ve taught my daughter how to make this fudge and she has been successful. Funny story here. My daughter decided that she didn’t like the cold water method of testing the fudge because she couldn’t get it right. So, she wanted to try a candy thermometer. I assisted with that and we screwed it up so bad that the fudge hardened like a rock before getting it out of the pan! The older tried and true method of dropping it in cold water is the ONLY method for this type of fudge and I will never deviate from it again! Neither does my daughter. My own grandfather made this fudge and now it is being passed down to his great-granddaughter. Everyone loves this fudge without the peanut butter but I’m definitely going to try it with it for a variation. Thanks so much for sharing!
Louise,
You are welcome. I too once tried a candy thermometer with the same disastrous results.
Bio-solids: Mike I want to share an experience with so-called “potting soil” I bought in a bag from one of the two big-box lumber-hardware stores. My new garden being 100 % silt sand, I wanted to give my plants a bit of good soil for a head start. Strangely the plants I put in the “potting soil” wilted and died. I blamed the harsh dry climate and even myself for making some mistake. The mistake was the “potting soil”. After wasted effort and wasted plants, I happened to smell some of the expensive “potting soil”I had left over. The smell was unmistakable. We are all familiar with the smell of human waste. Biosolids, the label said. That category of “stuff” is broad enough to include all sorts of unpleasant matter. The “biosolids” were apparently not even properly decomposed or composted and so hot it killed anything planted in it. I warn your readers, don’t necessarily trust “soil” bought in a bag. Maybe avoid it altogether. If you do use such stuff, trust your nose. Like everything else, it probably is what it smells like.
What do you think about adding bio solids to the garden? Our water treatment plant gives away compost and they say it’s safe. What’s your take on this?
Thanks!
Audrey,
I’m not sure bio solids from a waste plant should ever be used on a vegetable garden. I’d be leery.
Hi Mike,
Spruce bark is easily available for me, but it has a pH of 4.5-5.5. Isn’t that too acidic to use in a potting mix? Maybe it’ll mellow with age – or could I mix a bit of lime into it?
Thnks,
John
John,
I’d mix just a little bit of dolomite lime into the mix.
You don’t mention peat, which has long been a cherished ingredient of mine. I used to use sand, but haven’t done so in a while. I throw together peat moss, some manure, and potting soil (I see I must change my ways). I usually use fish emulsion for fertilizer. How do you feel about peat?
Here’s a whole ‘ other thread, probably, but one of my biggest frustrations is making up different batches of soil depending on the ph requirement of the plants… any thoughts on streamlining that?
Julie,
Peat is really only good for holding moisture and the compost that I use does that well enough. Keep in mind, potting soil needs to drain really well. And all of my plants get the same potting soil, never do any plants get treated to a different soil.
I have a large flower bed across the front of our house. On one end, plants and Japanese Maple grow well. On the other end, there is so much clay. Azaleas and plants seem to struggle, and eventually die. Is there something I can do without digging out all of the clay soil? And if I did do that, do I add back top soil?
Terri,
Do not remove the clay, just work in some organic matter. Compost, rotted cow manure, good topsoil if you can find it but so much topsoil being sold is really pulverized clay.
Mike:
I’ve read just about everything you’ve written about composting but haven’t seen my concern mentioned: PINE NEEDLES IN COMPOST
I add grass clippings and leaves to my compost piles along with ground up egg shells and non meat kitchen scraps including coffee grounds and orange and banana peels. My bride’s former (deceased) husband covered every patch of dirt with weed blocking fabric (which I hate but don’t have the energy to remove). We have a row of mature pine trees along one side of our corner lot. The accumulation of pine needles is prodigious every year, completely covering the mulch we paid to have placed under the trees. However, I’ve discovered the years of accumulated pine needles and mulch have produced what appears to be a bonanza of lush dark soil. My question:
Are pine needles a viable material to add to my compost? They don’t seem to do any harm to the weeds that pop up on top of the weed retardant fabric, but will they kill any flowers or vegetables?
Mike, we’re almost 89 and not able to embark on a back yard business, but I do love to work in the yard and do a bit of landscaping. My bride had a stroke a couple of years ago and I’m her sole caregiver, so I don’t have a great deal of time to enjoy my yard activities. I read everything you publish and am very grateful for your advice. I do try to share your hard earned wisdom with a few neighbors.
As I tell my dwindling number of high school classmates, Keep on keeping on!
HI Rick, I don’t think I would use too much pine needles in compost. Pine trees are acidic and most plants do not like acidic soil, however, some plants love acidic soil like azaleas and gardenias. I would imagine you would have to add a good bit a lime to a pine needle compost.
Here is an article about using pine needles in your compost that I think might be informative. https://budgeting.thenest.com/pine-needle-composting-31362.html
Mike,
I live in western PA right across the border from Ohio. The soil is very heavy yellowish clay. Two yrs ago we had a fuel tank removed and the hole filled. Of course the soil sunk and now the is a g0od sized depression. What should be used to fill the depression right next to the house foundation. i am afraid the landscaper will fill with more clay.
Thanks Mike.
Alice,
As crazy as this is going to sound clay near the foundation wouldn’t be a bad thing. It would help to shed the water away from the walls. Then topsoil in a raised bed over the clay for planting.
Thank you, Mike! I had my shopping cart ready to check out. I just threw out the topsoil, sphagnum moss, and sand. I am left with organic potting soil, perlite, vermiculite, pine bark mulch, Black Kow composted manure, and pea pebbles. This is for container plants – to transplant a young lemon tree (about 3′ tall shipped from a nursery), and several lemon trees and loquat trees I started from seeds – between 5″ and 12″ tall. All that to ask this: Is the following a good ratio?
2 parts potting soil, 2 parts pine bark mulch,, 1 part compost cow manure, and 1 part combined vermiculite /perlite (maybe heavier on the perlite). I am so happy I found your site. Loved the potting soil video. Thank you so much. I still don’t know what I’m doing, but I know a lot more than I did. Have been reading / searching all day and then found you.
Dona,
That sounds pretty good.
Quite a large article, but no actual recipe. So you grow in just bark mulch? Is there a recipe hidden in here that I missed?
Karen,
At the time I was growing in decomposed bark mulch, maybe a little pea gravel for drainage. But today . . .
Okay, let me see if I can make the important points.
Just in! This mix is actually pretty good, https://www.amleo.com/berger-bark-growing-mix-3-cu-ft/p/BM7/. If nothing else gives you an idea of what a good mix should be.
1. First of all, it is confusing because there are so many options that make for a good mix. A lot of it has to do with what is available to you in your area.
2. Pea gravel. I used to add pea gravel to my well rotted hardwood bark mulch but I’ve learned that adding pine bark is really a better option. In small quantities pine bark is often sold by the bag and called soil conditioner in the box stores.
3. Rotted hardwood bark mulch is still a good option, I used it for years with great success. It only failed me when I tried to really stock up (50 yards worth) then it rotted too much and didn’t drain well. That’s when I started mixing in large amounts of pine bark.
4. Growers actually use pine bark fresh because even as it ages it really doesn’t change a lot.
5. So right now my ideal mix is very heavy in pine bark and to that I add either commercial compost or well rotted hardwood bark mulch.
6. But what I really do is buy a load (90 yards) of pine bark then I start working that into the potting mix that we are current using. I think it’s important for me to stay ahead of the wave by adding more pine bark before I am out of soil. Right now I have a large pile of pine bark that’s been sitting here since ???? early summer I think. And there is a part of my potting soil pile that is far too aged and compacted so on my to do list is to blend these two piles together before spring.
7. Yes, I now have a front end loader that makes this easy. But at this place, https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2016/03/mikes-first-backyard-nursery/, I used a shovel, a wheelbarrow and a rototiller. I usually kept about 10 yards on hand and always replenished my pile before it ran out using the old to mix with the new.
8. But back then I never turned the entire pile. That would have been crazy. I’m too lazy to turn compost! Or as I like to think of it, I value my time more than that.
9. Instead when I added fresh material, bark mulch, commercial compost or pea gravel to my pile, I simply put it on top. I’d use a two by twelve as a ramp to get the wheelbarrow up on top of the pile. I built the pile like a “Dagwood Sandwich”, you might have to Google that. Layers of materials. Then when I needed soil I would simply rototill one corner and get an awesome mix that I’d shovel on to the bench by hand.
10. And that’s where the legless potting bench came in. I’d rest one end on the pile so it would be nice and close for shoveling, then the other end on blocks or a saw horse. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/01/homemade-mobile-potting-bench-it-has-removable-wheels/
11. So yeah, today I do things very differently, but I started exactly where all of you are today.
No matter what you use, it doesn’t have to be my mix, just pick a potting soil that somebody else here is using with great success. Bagged soil? Sure if that’s what you want to do. I have no idea how much it costs to fill a one gallon with a bagged mix but I am curious about that if anybody wants to share than number with us.
Here are some tips on getting good potting soil;
Looking online for mulch is probably not the best place to look because many of the dealers who sell mulch really have little to no web presence at all. I’m sure there has to be some hardwood bark available in New Jersey.
I’d pick up the phone and start calling around. Garden Centers, landscapers and excavators will know who sells bulk hardwood bark mulch. These dealers are often hidden away on some side street.
I’d take a full day and visit as many garden centers and nurseries in your area that you can. Browse, ask some casual questions.
1. Do you know of anybody in the area that sells bulk mulch.
2. Do you know of anybody in the area that sells bulk potting soil.
3. What do most growers around here use as a potting mix.
Bulk potting soil is available, usually around $55 a yard, but worth it. But it’s not readily available in all areas and in most cases you need to send a truck to get it.
But it won’t cost anything to ask these questions. You’ll either get really good, answers, might get the brush off, or you might find somebody who loves to talk about growing plants and will bury you in valuable information.
Good info here about potting soil, https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/12/mike-mcgroartys-secret-bed-building-and-potting-soil-recipe/
and here;
https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/10/how-to-make-your-own-awesome-potting-soil/
Could you repost your plans for the potting table Please
Judith,
Here they are http://www.freeplants.com/free-potting-bench-plans.htm
Hi Mike:
I have voles. What would be the best flowers to grow to avoid the bulbs being eaten?
Thanks, Maxine
Maxine,
We had essentially the same problem with Broad Beans – we soaked them in paraffin for a day before planting. It worked.
To lighten your frustration try Youtube – Jasper Carrot, The Mole.
I’ve been reading your material for over 10 years now and have gotten great advice from you, thank you so much! I do have a question about my chicken manure that I hope you can help me with. We clean out the coop and yard every year and have been adding it to my vegetable garden. I live in North Al which is mostly clay soil and my garden is on a slight slope. Over the years I’ve added sand, peat, compost material and chicken poop that is mixed with their straw and the dark rotted material and soil that’s been piled up over the year. Then we till it all in the garden along with all the leaves, last years crop roots and dead plants and pruned material from last fall that we burn. My question is, is it good to be adding all of the 3-4″ of the really dark wet AND smelly soil, poop, straw matter tilled into my garden and then plant a new crop within weeks? Also I used grocery store paper bags cut open to lay in between my Roma tomato plants with the mulch on top to keep weeds and slugs down. It also makes a nice clean walk way in between the plants,, is this a good/bad idea? Thanks so much Mike!
Linda,
If you’ve been adding the manure to the garden in the spring with no problem then I wouldn’t be concerned. Given the option I think it would be best to at least get the manure spread in the fall to give it a chance to cool off. But as long as you are tilling it in, along with all of those other materials, I think you’re fine either way. As long as your plants don’t burn up as soon as planted, you know you’re fine.
Have a plume tree in a pot get the flowers but no fruit all so how do I graft a mango tree if I do will the tree die
I had a big tree stump ground out in my front yard, The wood chips are taking years to break down. I have sprinkled coffee grounds in there to add nitrogen, and it seems to speed things up. We live in an area that was once mud flats for San Francisco Bay. All the topsoil from the Santa Cruz Mountains has washed down over the centuries and filled in the marsh leaving a sticky fine textured soil When you add texture with compost, anything grows. I tried adding sand, but the grains are heavier than the native soil and sink down eventually.
I am 82 and still love gardening!
Great spiel, but you omitted one important part of soil. CLAY! Here in the western U.S., drainage is rarely a problem. Our biggest challenge is water retention.
Sure, organic matter stored moisture, but it gives up water quickly. Clay adsorbs water around each individual grain in layers. Water in the inner layers is tightly bound to clay particles. Outer layers of water are easily utilized by plant roots.
I have found that soil’s best clay content is around 20-30% by volume. Most of the rest should be sand and organic matter. Silt does not accomplish much as far as storing water or improving drainage.
Regarding potting soil, most bags of potting soil are pure organic matter with almost not sand, silt, or clay. Organic matter decomposes over time and leaves you with nothing. Raised beds I worked with that had orange trees growing in pure potting soil suffered because the soil decomposed away, leaving exposed roots. I added some garden soil and solved the problem. Potting soil should be mixed with equal parts garden soil for best results in containers.
Mike, what about using horse manure and not using any kind of mulch at all. We’re trying to cut down on gardening expenses and the idea of purchasing mulch every year is wearing us out. I heard horse manure is excellent for the flower garden and we have a horse farm nearby that gives it away for free. Any thoughts? …and we’re not growing edibles.
Paula,
Mulch is usually applied in an effort to control weeds. It works well for at least a year or so because it blocks sunlight from reaching weed seeds or the soil. Horse manure would be great for the soil but it contains a great deal of weed seed and the weeds can and will grow right in the manure. If you want to save money get free tree trimming mulch from a tree service. It’s coarse, but it’s free and it’s okay as a mulch around mature landscape plants. It’s no good for a potting soil mix, but it is a great free mulch.
Hi mike, OK so I work at a sawmill and they have a big pile of good dirt, at least I think it is. It’s loose, it has a lot of chucks of bark in it. Do you think that is good dirt? I wish I had a better example of what I’m talking about. Anyways, would you use that for potting and gardens?
David,
Depending on how decomposed it is, it might work for potting. Does the pile have a lot of weeds growing on it? If no weeds, it’s not ready for potting yet. A good potting soil pile will grow weeds unless you keep it turned to keep the weeds out.
Rock on Mike!!!!!!
Mike – I really like your site and your blog and your e-mails. and I am going to get your “free” booklet on rooting plants. But Mike – I really hate the fluff. I don’t have time to read through dozens of paragraphs. I turn out and turn-off early. I’d rather be weeding than reading. Also, Mike. I’d rather pay you the cost of the book(s) or item(s) than get something for “free” but with a steep handling and shipping cost. And finally, Mike, I’d really rather get electronic copies of your books and booklets than have you send me paper copies. Please charge me for the material, not for the postage, and please save some trees and don’t print them. Just send people PDFs. Charge for them – you deserve it and we should be willing to pay for good information. But please, no fluff (except maybe in the potting soil….)
Wow. LB, nothing else on your list of wants or dislikes?
I pay a quick visit day-to-day some sites and information sites to read articles,
however this website gives feature based articles.
Mike, I garden in good black heavy soil here in central Illinois. My question is on behalf of my in laws who garden on a hillside in south central Missouri who have a clay/stones soil. They have access to decades old sawdust that is black. I’m trying to discourage them from tilling it into their soil–just build their soil up on top of the clay and continue to add organic matter. Should they till the rotted sawdust in? Thanks, Larry
Larry,
Tilling organic matter into clay soil over a fairly large area is really a good idea, good for the soil. The problems start when you excavate clay out of an area then fill with nice loose organic matter. That creates a bathtub effect and the bed stays too wet. For general landscaping beds I just build on top of the clay because it’s the fastest, easiest and works just fine. But if your goal is to truly improve the soil that is there, tilling in organic matter isn’t a terrible thing to do.
But it will allow moisture to soak in. As long as the water has a means of escaping it should be fine.
Mike, I’ve got access to as many vine maple seedlings as I could possibly want free, is there market for them if I grow them for a couple of years, or more? Thanks. Chuck
Chuck,
You can always sell some maple seedlings, but you really to know exactly what kind of maple they are and you have to be certain of that before any wholesale buyer would be interested.
Mike- can I use polystyrene balls to help my soil drainage ( the kind of tiny balls that are used in stuffing bean bags)? I live in johannusberg south Africa. My soil is claylike and during the rain season the plants suffocate but in the dry season – the soil is hard and just too too dry! I have lost of homemade compost and a huge bag of these polystyrene beads. What are your thoughts on this idea? Has anyone used them in their garden or on their pot plants?
Thanks for all the info!!
Some people use Styrofoam in a rooting mix, but in some areas in the U.S. it’s against the law I think because they get into streams etc. I really think your best bet is to just keep working in as much compost and other organic material as you can. I think eventually the Styrofoam will break down and not be effective at all.
Have a question-ok, I am new at this and really want it to work for me. Can I plant directly into my planned plot? Then dig up when a buyer comes to our farm? I do plan to take some of my plants to a local Farmer’s Market (get my name out there), advertise in local papers and our yearly Color Drive (a big deal in Pike County, Il). Thanks
Terry,
The problem with planting in the ground is
1. You have to dig the plants out, that is a bit of work.
2. You can only dig most plants in the late fall, through the winter, and very early spring.
That’s why most growers grow in containers. It’s just easier. We do put some things in beds, but don’t intend to sell them for at least a year, then we dig and pot.
How fine dies the pine or other bark need to be for this potting mix? I’ve got a bag of pine bark but the bark is in large chunks. I have been breaking them down by hand but they are still large chunks.
Dennis,
You have to break it down to pieces no bigger than 1/2″. some run it through a shredder.
We have several places where we had locust posts stacked for about 12 years. A lot of rotted dirt has accumulated there plus pine needles from near-by trees. Is this worth the hard work to gather it and use it for potting soil?
Violet,
The bark from the locust posts is probably great soil by now. The pine needles? I don’t think they do any harm but don’t really add much other than a little acid. They are slow to break down. The time and hard work issue only you can answer.
Why don’t you mix hardwood bark mulch in your grow beds or just fill your grow beds with hardwood bark mulch?
Carla,
You can and I have. In time it would make awesome soil for growing in. Topsoil is less expensive and it is “good enough” for a bed. But I once made a raised bed out of compost and my potting mix and that was awesome soil!
Help, my yard, about an acre and a half is over run with fire ants. I can’t afford those those little bags of fire ants repellants because I’d have to buy a hundred or more of them. You can’t step one foot in any direction without getting into fire ants. What can I do? I have a five year old autistic grandson who like to run and doesn’t look where he’s running. Every time I go to work in the yard I end up with fire ants up my jeans. Please tell me some way that is cost effective and that works to run those buggers off.
thanks,
Sheila
Sheila,
You don’t say where you live but if you google fire ants fact sheet and include the county in which you live, you can probably find information from your local county extension service. I’d start with them.
Shiela, I had fire ants, also (probably not as many as you) but I just put some regular oatmeal around the “hill”, the ants carry it back in the hill, it gets moist and expands and wow, end of ants.
Once, I left a small bottle of LANNATE liquid insecticide leaned up against my house. Some of it had spilled on the side of the bottle and a week later, there were hundreds of dead fire ants piled up against it. I took it to a new level and looked for a bunch of ants and poured some Lannate on them.They immediately died and others ant seem to come up to them and eat/meddle with them. In short order,i had rid my 1/8 acre of fire ants. not to mention huge piles of dead fire ants all over the place..they do smell bad too afterwards…some ingredient in that Lannate attracted them like crazy…..p.s. Happy gardening from Antigua..West Indies!!!!
and from the West Indies I love and appreciate your story of fire ant control! Thanks for sharing.
I have truck loads of leaves off in the fall. I usually compost these but it takes time. I was wondering if I could use these in a potting soil mix with some compost.. wondering what your thoughts were. thanks.. happy gardening..
Marty,
Once well composted leaf compost is a great organic material to use in any growing process. But by itself it’s usually sticky so I’d still mix in shredded bark mulch. If you grind the leaves before composting they will break down much quicker.
Mike,
I live in an area along the James River in Virginia that is mostly Loblooy pines and clay soil. I plan on making raised beds and not tilling up the soil but putting topsoil in the vegetable/flower beds. Since it’s so much clay in the soil, would you put drainage pipes with holes in them at the bottom of the raised beds that drain out the water from each bed?
Also, when the builder had 1 acre cleared for the house, I asked him to leave me the pine wood chips but he said they weren’t good for gardens even if aged for 3-4 years because they aren’t good for the soil. Was he right or just trying to keep the wood chips to sell?
Thanks, Jerry
Jerry,
If you put the topsoil right on top of the clay it should be fine without drainage pipes. Just don’t excavate before adding the soil. The pine chips would have eventually had some organic value and even fresh they make a fair mulch around established plants and are great for making walk ways to dry up mud.
I love reading your tips and tricks. some day ill be set up enough to try your system. My question is How do you amend clay soil. I want to plant raised beds. Kansas City area which is all clay and lime stone. appreciate the advice.
Rc
Richard,
My advice is don’t amend the clay, just build the raised bed right on top of it.
I am from the Nc Sc piedmont region and about all we have here is hard clay to amend and make it workable you add gypsum , even drywall scraps from construction sites and fine pine bark, water and till, definately don’t add sand it turns hard clay into hardpan.. it also helps to heavily top mulch with hardwood leaves and till in before planting then add more mulch after planting .
Mike how do you get your pine bark to the right particle size? All we have locally is nuggets that are too large for poting mixes.
Thanks!
Chris,
Some of my growers run their pine bark through a chipper shredder, others run them over with their lawn mower. But if you check all the garden stores you might find a product called soil conditioner which is really just pine bark but smaller particals.
you mention earlier that you dont use fertilizer ,but at the end you mention that you do add slow release fertilizer ?
Cristobal,
You’re right it does sound conflicting.
I never fertilize the plants in my landscape, they just don’t need it. They grow like crazy with out it.
However, when growing plants in containers, you have to fertilize because you are growing in a soil less mix that contains a very limited amount of nutrients that get leached out quickly. But, but, but you have to be careful what you use or you will kill the plants.
People who are growing in containers are growing for profit and really, really, should purchase my growing system because there are ton of hidden benefits to that program.
I have access to tons of old {2-5 years] hardwood sawdust. I have a heavyclay soil. Is it beneficial to use this material in 4-6 inch depths as a mulch? could I mix the sawdust with pea gravel to make a raised bed that MIGHT raise carrots? We get plenty of compost from the garbage dump but they use a lot of clay in it. they use grass and hay [no limbs] in their mixture. I hope I haven’t screwed up by putting a lot of this compost [tilled] in my garden rows. I religiously put kitchen waste into my leaf pile. When should I incorporate this [compost] into my rows?
Thanks for your help. I have lost my wife of 55 years to your website.
Frankie,
Five year old sawdust is good, two year old sawdust really needs to rot down some more. Here’s the thing, if you make the raised bed with the compost and it’s not quite ready no harm done. Composted materials, including the sawdust will break down faster when spread out in a low flat pile where rain water can keep the materials wet. My clue to any kind of a compost pile is weed growth. If the pile is growing weeds, it’s ready to use. If it’s not growing weeds, then it’s probably not ready for your garden just yet. The pea gravel is an option that you probably don’t need.
Mike, i have enjoyed and appreciated your email newsletter, I think I was among the first to subscribe. On yours about soil — I am moving to Piedmont North Carolina — next to Georgia, it’s the second home of RED clay. How about writing about how to amend that to produce good soil — without having to have better soil hauled in. Thanks, alexis
Alexis,
You’re right, I need to spend some time on amending soil. Sometimes it’s best thing in the world you can do, and other times it actually harm the plants if you don’t get it right. The good news for you is you are moving into the heart of pine bark mulch country. The growers here in Ohio love that pine bark mulch so much for their growing mixes that they pay to have it trucked all the way from North Carolina 90 yards at a time.
Mike, just to let you know…… I read your post from a few weeks ago and followed your tip to mix some sand with the bark mulch for container planting….I just returned from HD with a bag of sand and shredded bark mulch and saw this email and now you suggest not to use sand as it clogs up the air veins to the roots…..this makes sense. Although I may add a little sand in the mix. Anyway thanks for all your great videos and wealth of gardening information over the years!
Marvin Macrides
A happy member.
Marvin,
I hate it when I offer up conflicting information. But in gardening there are always more ways than just one way. I follow the professionals that have gone before me and follow their lead as long as it makes sense and it usually does.
The sand we all thought was a good idea. But as time goes on we learn, learn, learn. And thus the no sand in the potting soil strategy of today.
Hi Mike I would like to know what I can usse instead of “No Damp” used to prevent mold in you seedling starter (it is no longer available). I am ssure many would like to know. Thx Carol
Carol,
When starting seeds you need a mix that is really light and fluffy, lots of perlite in the mix. Then you need a fan near by the seedlings to keep the air moving to keep fungi like damping off from attacking your seedlings. Water, then allow the soil to dry and warm before you water again. For seeds the soil does not have to be soggy all the time.
Since you live in Ohio and I live in Florida will your same recipe for soil work for me
Mary,
Sure it will. You’ll have to improvise a little, find out what organic materials are available in your area. I’ve had a lot of successful growers in Florida over the years so I know it can be done.
Mike,
My property is pretty heavily treed, and therefore the cleared area around and in front of the house can be pretty damp (although it slopes down away from the house, which helps drainage). What do you think about adding pearlite to the soil where I’m planting?
Thanks!
Bill,
I’d much rather see you raise the planting beds with top soil. When you add drainage improving products to soil that doesn’t drain well what you are really doing is giving excessive water a way to get into the planting bed but no way for it to get out.
It’s called the bathtub effect. You are really creating a bathtub for your plants to swim in, which isn’t what they need at all.
That’s why when I was landscaping, and I’ve landscaped a lot of homes, over 500, I never touched the soil that was there, I just put topsoil on top of the soil that was there to raise the beds.
Do you have a good source for bark mulch? Seems a lot of places call it bark mulch but it is just ground up wood.
Pat,
It takes a real detective to track down hardwood bark mulch because many of the people that sell it have no online presence at all and they do little advertising. They can be difficult to find. Call landscapers, garden centers and excavators. They know who the mulch dealers are. Many of these mulch dealers have 5, 6 or 8 different mulches to choose from so you really need to pay them a visit. If you’ve watched the video you know what to look for.
Attwood’s in Checotah, Oklahoma sells both Pine Bark Mulch and Pine Bark Nuggets.
I’ve used the mulch throughout my gardens and inside my greenhouse with great success. I use the nuggets as a topper over the mulch in all flower gardens around the house and along my drives.
Mike is SPOT ON about sandy soil…..I’m in the Old Black Cross Forest right against Lake Eufaula with soil that is naturally 85% sand/15% decomposed leaf and bark material. I just stick hardwood cuttings in the ground wherever I want them, and they grow like CRAZY! All I have to do to give away or sell any is just take them out of the ground and stick them in a pot using that soil, and they’re ready to go!
Works super well with Forsythia, Roses, Scabiosa, Coreopsis, and the 4 varieties of Daffodil that grow wild around here, as well as 3 varieties of Oak, Walnut, Cedar, and Pine trees.
The only other plant I have to really keep under control is Spider Wart. One transplant can wipe out a flower bed within 2 years easily, however the blue star shaped flowers at the tops of the 2.5 to 3 foot stalks enthrall visitors, until I pull up a mature one and show them the root system. Their roots are much like a spider web, totally invading any other plant nearby, and very hard to get rid of.
My wife thought they were so pretty that she dug up several dozen of them and planted them all throughout the flower gardens when we first bought the home 9 years ago. I’ve been working to get rid of them ever since! Leave them alone across the road where they don’t cause problems and have created a beautiful blue and green border.
We also have a natural wild grass that blankets the yards each spring into late winter that seems to do quite well in our sandy soil, but does require a bit more watering than marketed grasses. I’ve overseeded with Dichondra, Rye and Bermuda, and where that’s taken hold we have nice green grass year ’round, even with our below zero winters! Probably is why the northeast and southeast central areas of Oklahoma are called ‘GREEN COUNTRY’!
Larry,
Great input, thank you for sharing your experience with soils and mulches. It’s always great to have experts share their opinions here.
Mike, Once again I appreciate and agree with your advice. I work at Valley Nursery in Ogden, Utah, a more than 70 yr, old family owned and operated, retail nursery. We pot well over 30K bare-root trees, shrubs, roses and small fruits each year in addition to the container stock that comes in. The one thing that I have learned from my bosses is that the natural tannins (tannic acid) that are present in bark mulches, must be leached out before being blended into the potting soil. Sometimes new bark mulch needs more leaching and that is what is happening when you bring in the mulch you use and work fronmthe oldest part of your pile. Thanks again for keeping us inspired, Richard
Thank you Richard it’s always great to hear from somebody with true hands on experience. Potting 30,000 trees a year is experience. It also proves how strong the market is for plants. One garden center in Utah is buying in and potting up 30,000 trees. And people wonder if they can sell the plants that they grow.
Does the ground up palest with color added harm the flower beds? I was told
The red or black color can harm or slow growth .
Thanks Judy Thompson
Judy,
I think the dye itself is harmless. The harm is the wood. As the wood decomposes it robs nitrogen from the soil, but even then it only pulls nitrogen from the top one inch of soil so it really won’t harm established plants.
In a potting mix it will pull nitrogen from anywhere in the container that it can find it.