I began my gardening journey like everyone else does: scouring the internet for the “best” soil recipe. And I stumbled upon Mel’s Mix.

Here’s what Mel’s Mix™ does for you and your garden that amended native soil has no chance of doing:

• It conserves water. You want your plants to have just the amount of water they need — no more, no less. And Mel’s Mix™ does an amazing job at both retaining valuable moisture while allowing for excellent drainage so your plants don’t rot.
• It precisely feeds your plants. The addition of blended compost means that your plants get the nutrition they need without having to mix, measure and add fertilizers.
• It requires no digging or double-digging. Mel’s Mix™ ingredients create an unbelievably loose soil texture that allows plant roots to grow and expand, without the need to bust your ground up and dig, dig, dig. It’s easy from the beginning!
• It takes the cumbersome science out of your gardening experience. Ever heard gardening friends who talk about soil pH and enzymes and such? Do your eyes start to cross and glaze over? We hear you. That’s why Mel’s Mix™ is so easy — the ingredients are perfectly balanced so there’s no need to get an advanced horticulture degree to understand if your growing conditions are right. With Mel’s Mix™, they are.

And let me tell you, this soil is perfectly fluffy and wonderful to work with. However, I have begun to vary the recipe just a bit depending on what I can find, and the expense of filling my Raised Garden Boxes.

So how much does it take to fill my 4′ x 6’x approx 24″ deep boxes? Here’s the math:

Roughly 48 cubic feet total:

• 24 cubic ft of garden soil (flower and vegetable garden soil)

• 8 cubic ft of compost (I mix some general compost and Black Cow Manure)

• 8 cubic ft of peat moss (Magestic Earth)

• 8 cubic ft of course vermiculite/ cotton burr compost

Add bits in at a time and mix until everything is evenly distrubuted! We bought most of our soil components at Lowes. While this soil mixture can be costly, you only need to buy in bulk once and then amend afterwards by season, so I think it’s worth it!

Talk soon,

Lanna