wrote in message
...
you dont have to fill them this year. each year you can add compost and
mulch with
marsh hay and the beds will gradually raise and the organic matter
increase. good
for annuals, not great for perennials.
they are raised beds. you dont need gravel or sand, they will drain cause
they are
raised.
we dug a pond. had a lot of dirt. needed someplace to put it or we'd
have to haul
it away. we built raised beds. so plan and dig a pond and use that dirt
in the
raised beds. on top of the generally good dirt we put compost and manure.
we didnt
mix it in. I didnt want to mix weed seeds from our dirt and bring them to
the top.
I dug a hole for the plants, mulched heavily. Ingrid

"theakson" wrote:
I can't believe that I have to fill the
whole thing with topsoil
I assume
that I have to have a drainage media such as gravel or sand, a middle
layer
of some material and top level of higher quality soil. Am I correct. If
so
what should the middle layer and drainage area consist of in order to
provide an excellent growth medium for a mix of plants ?


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