I've built the frame and have been looking for suitable soil mixtures to fill it with only to discover that packaged vegetable garden mixtures are going to cost me a fortune for the 24 cubic feet I need.
So as a last resort, I went to English Gardens and bought 8 bags of black top soil which only cost me $22 but I need to purchase the same amount or a little more to completely fill the box.
So here is my question, I intend to plant it with tomatoes and maybe some green onions. Will I be okay with just the inexpensive top soil or do I need to purchase the expensive stuff in order to successfully grow the tomatoes?
Any help you folks can offer will be appreciated.......thanks.
Keep in mind that this is my first attempt at vegetable growing and my finances are limited.........
Add a few bags of Peat and a few bags of Compost to the top soil you already have. That top soil is going to hold moisture like crazy-mad, and will get hard as cement if it completely dries out, so you need to make it less dense. You might want to add a few bags of Perlite to enhance drainage. Mix it in really well, then start your planting.
Peat - 2 bags
Compost - 4 bags
Perlite - 2 bags
...or whatever combo of the above is needed to fill the rest of your bed. You will NOT have good success strictly growing in top soil...unless you just want to grow grass and weeds. ;)