Flower Gardens

» Cottage_Garden - raised bed soil building

Hi Chuck! Congratulations on getting the raised bed done. Filling a raised bed is always a challenge. It takes a LOT of stuff to fill even a moderately sized planting bed.
I hope you had a chance to take a look at Soil to Fill a Raised Planting Bed. to get an idea of some of the options.
Generally speaking, bagged material will be the most expensive. If you have to purchase material, buying by bulk such as by the cubic yard is always cheaper. Home made compost and top soil taken from elsewhere on your property will be free for the shoveling so to speak.
If you have access to a pick up truck, you might be able to get free stable manure and bedding from a horse owner, for example. You would probably need to age it and compost it before planting in it -- unless they have a very old manure pile you could take it from -- but that might be a possibility.
Another possible source would be a community composting facility or a community leaf dump. In some areas the municipal powers that be run composting and/or leaf collection facilities that will then sell the material back to gardeners.
Another possibility might be a landscape supply yard that had leftover bark mulch that has composted before it could be sold. They might sell this at a discount.
Depending on where you live and what is typically available locally you might find other types of organic matter that could be purchased at lower cost. Spoiled straw for instance can be added and might be free to you, if you live in a farming area. In a city, well, it might be a little more difficult.
Be sure to save your own lawn clippings (herbicide free of course) and autumn leaves to add to the beds in the fall as you will need to constantly replenish the beds.
I am not sure what red soil would be (I take it you do not think too much of it) but it might be wise to mix some of the native soil into your imported material(s). Your local county extension should be aware of the properties of the local soil and thus be able to help you determine a good proportion of native soil to mix with whatever selection of other materials you plan on using. You might also need ot add a bit of coarse builders type sand (not fine grained beach sand) or grit to the mix to assure good drainage, for example.
Last but not least, do test your mix before planting just to check on the pH and the fertility levels. Use the test results to know if you need to add lime to lower the pH for example, or if there is any particular nutrient in excess or in deficiency. Then adjust your plant feeding program or fertilization accordingly.
Let me know how this works out and any good finds you come across. In the meantime, I hope this helps with your $64 question as the old saying goes!

-- posted by Cottage_Garden