Several people have asked for the written "Recipe" for the super soil, so here goes... 3 cu ft Peat Moss... 24 quarts Perlite... 2 cu ft Black Kow... 5 cu ft Garden Soil... 2 cups Sodium Polyacrylate... 2 cups Pelleted Lime... 3 cups Crushed Oyster Shell... 6 lbs bone meal... 2 cups Epsom Salt... 3 lbs blood meal... 1/2 tsp Boron / Borax... And the total yield is about 12 cu ft of soil... I hope that helps... Also, please see our latest video :) th-cam.com/video/zjjZeZdALZ4/w-d-xo.html
Very informative. Thanks for putting such a wealth of information for potential new gardeners. About to start my own raised garden in back yard. 12x4x10... About four of them. I can already see spending well over $200. Do you think my estimate is close?
@@adnan75300 don't know what material you were thinking of using to create the beds themselves, but my hubby and I decided we wanted something more durable than wood. So several years ago we went to Lowe's and bought quite a few cinder blocks to create our beds. They were the perfect choice for us, and they r still standing strong. W0ishing you all the best!
Great video, thanks. I never amended my soil properly before. Now I can with these measurements. One thing I do is add all my vegetable scraps into the soil in the Spring. I also put the scraps into a 5 gal. bucket during the winter and the next year I add about 1/3 cup of this mixture 3-4" deep and 4-5" away from the plant after I add a new plant to fertilize it. Be sure to hold your breath while this container is open.😝💩 This really stinks but is a great fertilizer, use it carefully. I don't use manure since I try to keep it an organic garden.
Hi, there! I'm I right that you are using this when you first build your beds AND as top dressing each year? Thank you for sharing!! Also, have you had any problems with blackberry vines in your beds, any suggestions???
I have been watching gardening shows for the past 3 months to learn how to and why to mix garden soil. And I can honestly say I have learned more watching you in the last 3 min than all I have seen in 3 months... You explained what I need and in what proportions to use it and why. Thank you
Just wanted to leave a review, I used this soil recipe for my new raised beds I built, and my garden is growing insane! Everything is at max production, my tomato bed is 6,5 foot tall and loaded with tomatoes! Thank you guys for sharing this video. I recommend it to everyone!
Actually, I have been reviewing many gardening channels during the COVID-19 down time. I have found yours to be one of three worth reviewing all your videos. Many hours or enjoyment anticipated. Thanks for producing your videos.
I’ve never gardened before and been thinking for a looooong time to start. I know it’s almost fall (Northern California) and I’m tired of researching and researching just to make sure I do everything right from the start. After all the videos and reading I burn out and get discouraged. I just decided to just do it and learn as I go. I went to home depot yesterday and the guy in the garden center told me that bags that are ripped because of forklifts or transporting are 50% off. I took that as sign of encouragement. That made me happy. Thanks for the inspiration!
Sounds like a great score ! Good luck ! And you look up our friends at "Learn To Grow" who are out your way in the PNW and will be planting and harvesting on your schedule (or close)....
LOL..you caught my attention when you laid the tarps down. Most of these channels teach you by building in a wheel barrel or in the bed. To me, this is more efficient as long as you stay close to the beds. Thanks! Gonna try this and thanks for the recipe!!!
Bumblebee Junction- Thanks for sharing your homework. Back in the the 70s, I instinctively mixed peat moss, sifted loam, rabbit manure, bone meal/blood meal, compost and some sand. I had used vermiculite/perlite for potting mix. I do have that Borax in my laundry room :-) We are in New Hampshire farm country, so I can get some sifted loam delivered. I'm ready to put in raised beds this spring. Thank you for this informative video!
We have used your recipe in two different ways. For topping off raised beds, rather than mixing as Tina did, we used 1/6 of the ingredients to make 2 cubic foot batches and mixed them in the concrete mixer. When each batch was sufficiently mixed, we just dumped it into the wheelbarrow and took it straight to its destination. We had one other bed that had good basic structure but was lacking nutrients. So we calculated how much of the manure, bone meal, perlite, blood meal, epsom salt, borax, lime, and oyster shell calcium it would take for our 60 square feet and 5-6” deep. Spread it all on top, and dug it in 5-6” deep. And for spreading that tiny bit of borax, I dissolved it in 2 gallons of water in the sprinkling can and then distributed the borax bearing water over the whole area. Looking forward to seeing the results!
Great perspective here. Showing that tiny bit of boron along with the rest is perfect. I need to add some to my raised beds. I already add bone meal, blood meal, and Epsom salt to my soils but had no idea the boron was needed to activate everything. Thank you so much.
Heyas Joy ! It is amazing what a difference that little tiny bit of boron makes... I know people can spot positive changes in the plant when adding all the others, but it is not the full effect... With the boron in there, the plants can make full use of the additives, and they you will really see something special... Especially if your soil was boron depleted (which most is)... Thanks so much for watching ! Good luck !
It needs a love button! The information is great but that smile on lovely Tina's face playing in the dirt is worth a million likes. Really brightened my day thank you. I wish the world that kind of joy.
August 2019 I used your recipe in new raised beds this year. The results are spectacular. More food than we know what to do with. Thank you for this video!
Thank you so much for the feedback Ocanada ! We are thrilled it worked out well for you... We tried to present it the best we could... Bless you ! And I hope your wonderful harvests continue !
We just started new boxes the size of yours. For one bed, it has cost a lot but I know it’s worth it. My dad loves to garden, as do I so I’m excited to do it. I have one completely full. Ready to plant.
This is our first year using your super soil recipe and so far so good. Our tomatoes are 8ft tall and full of fruit and blooms. Thank you for your videos.
Those are just the stories we love to hear ! Thank you so much for sharing ! So many people move away from gardening out of frustration, and we were hoping to get people off on the right foot... Then the disappointments that all of us face dont seem so bad... But I am excited for you ! 8ft tall tomatoes, that must be something to see ! GOOD FOR YOU !
Thank u very much, you r a god since, i know now why my garden have not product. Your channel will b the only channel that i will b watching from now on. I live in Miami Florida. I will b taking out all that garbage that's other people have had me put in my raised bed and put in my new raised bed just like u have done. I Thank U an Your Beautiful 4 guiding me in the right direction. May The Universe Bless Your Ground Continues.
Thank you so much .. you guys are amazing I'm so glad I found you .I been trying to garden for about 3 years now and your video is THE BEST this far you are so informative you have taught me so much i am just now finding this video list and i am SOOOO EXCITED!!!!.. THANK YOU SO MUCH
I am so glad we have been able to help... We are getting ready to launch into our gardening season again, so we hope you will follow along... And if you have any questions, just ask in the comments.... Have a great weekend !
I love watching your lovely wife work. She puts all of her concentration in any job she does especially the gardening work cause you can tell she really enjoys it. She’s very shy but she knows her dear husband has limitations due to his illnesses and they both work so well together cause Tina being shy, could never get the words out as you can so this is a work of love with the two of you and i really enjoy the both of you so much.
2021 SUMMER UPDATE - Hello Bumblebee Junction from our farm in New Hampshire! I just watched some of your 2021 harvest coming in. Really nice! We shut down our farm to the public in March 2020 and continue to be open for customers only. We were not much affected. It was farming as usual, except for the gardens. I did not have as much time because it was just us three running the farm. This is the year I am getting ready to amend my woodland raised beds. Your recipe will be the top dressing all the beds receive. Your methods are a real help to configure this new garden, next to the house. Limited space. We hesitate to take down majestic Hemlock and Oak unless we have to. Have a great summer! ~ Diane
Thank you Mark and Tina for your videos i had the best spring garden i ever had, people couldn't believe how big my veg plants were and full of fruit!. Starting my fall garden this week, had to put in more beds because my eggplant, sweet and hot peppers still giving a lot of veggies, Stay safe thanks again, Rick
Thank you so much for the feedback and the kind words ! I am sooooo glad for you, and it lifts my heart to read of anyone out enjoying their garden ! Thank you so much !
Sir, 1st-thank y'all for your service!!!, 2nd-thanks for breaking down the "why" of each component in your mix. For newbie nerds like me, I just want to understand why a certain ingredient is needed. So glad I found your channel!! And I can relate to Tina having fun in the dirt! Mixing soil with your hands is cathartic.
It's still too cold to start gardening here in NH so I've been watching gardening videos while I tend my seedlings in the basement. I found your channel and have watched several of them, including the one on the tips and tricks on tomatoes. Your pvc pipe idea was exactly what I was planning to do this year but it was nice to have confirmation this was a good idea. I hadn't thought about using an elbow or adding a shorter pipe to it. You are very knowledgeable and I've enjoyed watching. Thanks, Sue
Thanks so much for breaking everything down for us I haven't been able to find anyone that does it like u just did & I cant wait to see what else y'all get into
Thank You so much for the details! I felt like I knew quite a bit about raised bed planting but always fought with it every year and never got the crop I expected to get. I have a whole new view and excitement now armed with some great information that has provided clarity to move forward!
Sounds like a plan to me ! And topping those beds year after year will only make that soil richer and richer as you go along... Good plants take good soil, and good soil is not an accident...
My Mom & I made your mix up today and have it spread out into to beds now and are in to eat some Late Lunch. We worked up an appetite, lol! Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
I am so glad to hear this ! I think you will be very happy with the results of your hard work ! // Please be sure to Subscribe if you have not already, we very much appreciate the support !
I can't think of a thing to ask. I consider your knowledge Top Notch and appreciate all of it. I have gotten behind in some watching and need to catch up. Thank you so much! Stay Safe, God Bless
We are in New Orleans Louisiana Zone 9A. We have just discovered y'alls Channel recently and we enjoy watching your videos. We have 17 raised beds, citrus trees, and several 55 gallon drums cut in half. We have been Garden in roughly 18 months and have learned Lots from different people on TH-cam. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and it's helping us a lot. We are looking forward to your future videos
Only discovered this channel this year and it’s now my go to gardening advice n tips channel Living in highlands of Scotland I rely heavily on my greenhouse and covered raised beds but now am going for I proved soil recipe, so many thanks for your advice. And from one old serviceman (Army) .. to another thanks for your service.
So pleased I found your channel. You are so interesting, the way you explain everything you do in clear detail. Your camera work is great, showing how you add each of your ingredients to your soil to make the best mix for your carrots. I haven't had much luck with carrots but after your teaching I'm hoping for a better harvest this year. Shared your channel to facebook. I am watching from N.W. England where our weather is very unpredictable. I am subscribed as from today. Great watching you both at work.
Thank you so much for your kind words, and for your support... You may wish to increase the perlite some for drainage if you live in a wet area (I always think rain when I think of England)... Carrots do not care for wet feet overnight, so morning watering and good drainage are important... The Nantes is a pretty bulletproof carrot to grow.... And they have some Nantes hybrids that are even stronger... You might look into them... And if you run into questions, please feel free to just ask... I try to get to all of our comments...
@@BumbleBeeJunction I saw a vid on carrots. I plan on using your container mix with 3gal pot. Direct sow on a grid fashion carrot seed 1-2 inch apart (depend on variety of carrot). Use template made from 1/2 inch fence material cut round to size. Gives great crop. Any special amendments for carrots?
I have watched this a couple of times before but forgot what all to add. So I watched it again! ❤️❤️❤️ I hate to stop to go to store but I need borax. Gee I need to make a list as you go through process! W arching 1 more time. Lol
Thank you so much for your kind words, your patience, and your understanding ! We will be getting back to regular videos soon ! Please know we appreciate all of you sticking by us while we adapt to these trying times !
Good info on the Black Cow. I always thought it was pure composted cow manure.. I buy that’s yellow bag garden soil also. My Lowe’s has them 5 for $10 so I stocked up for next year. It’s much better than the Kellogg’s brand which doesn’t even absorb water Great video. Thanks for doing it
Thank you so much for watching Marilyn ! We are hoping everyone can glean something from it even with the advanced gardeners in the viewing group... We were a little afraid of launching a video that long, but the devil is in the details, so we took the shot... I am so glad that you enjoyed it ! Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment !
Id watch a 30 minute video of solid information over a 3 minutes rushed video anytime. This video told me more in 30 minutes then I've learned in the last year on TH-cam. I've been all over TH-cam the last two day looking at how to properly fill my new beds and containers this year. Last year I was new and didn't know so I filled my first two bed half with our yard soil and half with the yellow bags of cow manure. And i also had no growth in my containers with what i did in those.. im doing the containers completely over for sure but im not even sure if I should just take everything back out of the old beds and start over with soil since im doing my new beds too, or just add some of this soil mix on top. Thank you so much for this video!
LOL... Feel free to send your TH-cam friends our way, we would love to add them to the conversation ! And I appreciate your kind words ! Thank you for watching and lending your support !
Just spent the last hour plus revisiting this and writing this all down...verbatim!!! I’m making this soil. Annnnd tomorrow I’ll be looking for the carrot mix! YALL ARE THE BESTEST!! You’re really an excellent teacher too Mark! Thank you!
ahahaha... I was actually wondering when you would find your way to those videos... LOL I am glad you found them... They should help... And I appreciate the hour of viewing time ! ahahaha
Good morning I did see another comment where you at told a woman to add it to a watering can, as far as the borax, so that is what I did and watered it in. But I managed to get my super soil mix together and a bed built yesterday before it got dark. And then I transplanted some small things already had growing in just Miracle-Gro garden soil And then last night it rained. Well maybe it's just me but just overnight these little plants look happier and ready to grow than I've ever seen. I've been growing things on and off most of my life and have always had a hard time getting anything to produce any decent fruit. I sure am hoping this does the trick I will keep you posted on my results. Thank you for getting back to me.
Yes, please keep in contact... I am glad to hear these results... So many commercial soils are out of balance or lacking in one area or another, so we built that soil mix based on the known strengths of each part, and made up for the weaknesses with other products strong in those areas... It has worked for us over many seasons, and each year, the beds just get stronger... I am hoping you will be as pleased with your results...
Thanks for the info on the Black Kow. Didn't realize it had sand in it. Most people don't realize sand is an important ingredient when establishing raised bed soil. I'm sure Black Kow will work great for most people. I used sand that I purchased at a local sand plant. Way cheaper than Black Kow. I got 500# for around $6. For my carrot bed I mixed 2 parts native Kansas soil with 2 parts sand and 1 part vermiculite. Last year was my first year growing carrots and they were huge! I didn't add any kind of fertilizer last year but thanks to your video I will add some perlite this year and definitely bone meal and Epsom salt. Now I know why so many gardeners use Black Kow. Thanks for the info....
Thanks for info & written recipe for garden mixture. I didnt copy this info for this yr but will do so for next yrs crop. I've been learning so much from you both. I love all info Tina shares with us. Thanks so much!!!😝😝😝😍😍💕💕💕. From grandma Katie in Oregon
I try to save money-so one thing I do is go to a =horse camp where people with horses get together here--and one thing they have is horse manure bins--wow they dump it in big piles and talk about rich good soil! so I load up and mix that in--works great--thanks for video! PS=get the phone book out or go on web-look for things like this around in your area--some will even deliver to just get rid of this.
That is an awesome suggestion ! I am sure others will find it useful as well ! I appreciate you watching and lending your suggestions to the conversation ! Thank you ! This is how we all learn and grow !
Just make sure it is well composted. Cow and horse manure can have viable grass seeds. That said, I hauled home 2000 lbs of composted horse manure today!
I've got to compliment you on how good your garden looks; it's gorgeous, clean and super organized; which makes it seamless from season to season and multi- planting all year. Also loved the guinea noise in the background. Thank you for all those ideas of grocery stability, which = healthy eating also!. Take care and God bless!
3 cu ft Peat Moss... 24 quarts Perlite... 2 cu ft Black Kow... 5 cu ft Garden Soil... 2 cups Sodium Polyacrylate... 2 cups Pelleted Lime... 3 cups Crushed Oyster Shell... 6 lbs bone meal... 2 cups Epsom Salt... 3 lbs blood meal... 1/2 tsp Boron / Borax... And the total yield is about 12 cu ft of soil...
Great soil! I do raised bed Hugelkulture of sorts, and it uses half the soil. Old branchs, dead and dying tree branches, fallen trees, fallilng apart trees, etc from the surrounding woods will fill up the bottom half of the bed, then top with the soil. Takes half to fill up a tall bed. And it feeds from the bottom!
I am just starting my garden that will have fruit trees, flowers and raised beds for vegetables. I am so thankful that I found your channel. I live in North Florida which is 9b. Thank you for taking the time to help us. Take care.
Thank you so much for watching ! Anything we can do to help, please just ask... We are a little behind on responding, but we try to get to all all the comments !
Wonderful video. So much great information. I have been gardening since the early 70s. I always love seeing and learning new methods. I have to say your techniques and methods make it look much easier with great results. Thank you for sharing. Glad I resubbed. As for organic I believe that soil and nutrients are just that. However I never use chemical pesticides or herbicides on my edibles. I would love to hear your thoughts on that.
I keyed in on three words when reading this - "...on my edibles" so you left me an open door to split hairs and give you an honest answer... Now we've said that we spray occasionally in other videos so that is no secret... However, I use your words (surprised?) in how I make those decisions... Since I am splitting hairs, I am going to choose my words carefully here... While a PLANT is still a plant, I will use the Sevin liquid concentrate if the pests get too bad... Once that PLANT starts to set EDIBLES, and if the pests are still a problem, we will switch to spraying with BT which is considered both garden safe and organic... Now I see you chose the word "never" in your statement, so I will assume you feel strongly about this topic... I hope that you will understand that these are just my decisions, which I am not trying to impress on you or anyone else... We need our gardens to produce... They are our food supply that we eat from throughout the year... So we make decisions we can live with between wishing we could be chemical free, and the need to produce food... So we just do it as safely as we can, within the limits we are comfortable with... I hope that addresses your inquiry... And thank you for watching ! We really do appreciate the support !
Excellent response, thank you. Please understand I did not know you spray for bugs so I was not condemning the use of sprays, that is your choice. I was just stating that I do not use chemical pesticides on my edibles. Do I get holes in my greens, heck yes, does it look bad well it doesnt look store bought. I loose about 60 or more % of my apples to coddling moth and that goes for the Quince too. One of the other reasons I do not spray is my neighbors are close and do not appreciate it. I have tried soap sprays and hot pepper sprays etc but with not much success. BTW I have Sevin, Malathion, and Dursban on hand. They all have a very strong smell till the aromatics dissipate, the Sevin as you know doesnt have much of a smell, thats a bonus. When I was a kid we used Sevin dust on the beans cause we had to, and the dogs too when they got fleas. Thanks for sharing. All the best. V.
I sure took no offense at all... That we spray is no secret... We just try to balance the risk / reward in the safest manner we can... But your comment did not come across as judgmental in any way... I appreciate you furthering the discussion, as others read along as well, and it all helps those looking for more information - so they can make their own decisions too ! Thank you !
Great idea to show what they look like I got bone meal my first yr and it was wet and came out like paste I did use some of it then I seen your video and was able to get my money back and get another bag I did have to go through the company to get my money back but I forgot to come and thank you for that. Thank you❤
Glad you got your money back... That had to smell horrid if it was mush (its bad enough dry)... Thank you for letting us know though... And glad the video was of use !
This is not the soil mix we use for our carrots, but I will be doing a video on that soon. Some similar amendments, different in the proportions and how we apply it to the bed. Thank you so much for watching and lending your support Jody !
Bumble Bee Junction the interest the carrot video is amazing. It's because we can't grow carrots.. sigh...my thumb turns immediately brown when I pick up carrot seeds. Grrr...lol
We are picking up the stuff tonight to make the video tomorrow... Hang tight and we'll have it up tomorrow evening ! Hopefully the elusive carrot will be a little less tricky to deal with after that...
I’m going to give your mix a try here in Central Texas after that winter snow storm devastated all my elevated bed fall crops...I’ve watched this several times already - guess I enjoy seeing Tina dig in the dirt !!
I can't thank you enough for sharing your knowledge! I feel like there's finally hope for our garden this year! Would be willing to offer a little guidance with filling four 264 cubic feet (1056 total) of raised garden bed? The expense of filling something that large with your super soil adds up quickly! The beds are 18" deep right now. Do they need to be deeper? And can you offer any suggestions for a more economical way to fill them? Thank you again for sharing!
The soil only needs to be the top 6" or so... You can fill the rest with anything organic... With that much room, I might suggest whole bales of hay or straw... Or if you can find a tree cutting service to drop you off a pile of wood chips... Or grass clippings if you have a large lawn... Or logs / firewood....
Bumble Bee Junction, hay has a lot of weed seeds, go with straw or wood shavings. We have saw mills near us that sell sawdust for $40 a pickup load, they used to give it away. Look for sawmills near you on line.
Just a bit of information for you and your viewers, what I use in for most of my "filler" in my raised beds is "organic compost" that I get FREE from my county recycle site. They collect leaves and branches from along the street that residents put out as yard waste, then they run it thru a shredder and make piles that they put in lines, and they turn them over and age them for about a year letting them decompose before putting them in a large "compost" pile that is available FREE to any county resident. Check your area for similar programs. You can get broken down aged material as compost, and you can also get just the mulched wood material as Mulch, for the walkways of you raised beds. I love this video and all the material presented...I wrote down you whole recipe to duplicate and try to get all my ingredients balanced out right/ THANK YOU for creating this, I look forward to watching the rest of your videos - and btw - DUTCH set me : )
That sounds like an excellent suggestion for free filling... We used hay when we set our boxes up... Over time, any organic will break down and the box will settle... We use that opportunity to apply the soil mix here to spruce it up for another year, and eventually, it will become most of your fill, but with the cost spread over several years...
I'm filling two new beds (which I bought from Northern Tool, thanks for the tip!). Since these are new beds (8x3x1) I plan on adding a bag of organic compost, shredded leaves and grass clippings to get me to 18 cubic feet. Will this throw off my results? I'm only worried about the organic compost being too much goodness. :) OR I can just add natural soil from my area, which here is in New England so there's a decent amount of clay in it. I could instead add what is now soil/compost from my leaf, grass and brush piles, which I burn every year. What of those should I add for best results and save a few dollars?
Actually, everything sounds good... But I would refrain from putting any clay in the boxes... Its hard to keep it broken up once it clumps (and it will eventually)... Glad you found the Northern Tool ones... I overpaid, badly....
I’ve been gardening in ground for years but need to switch to raised beds due to health issues. I’m so glad I saw this video and have your soil mix recipe now to fill them. Thank you for sharing your recipe and gardening knowledge with everyone who needs it.
I would suggest filling your beds nearly to the top with organic mater (grass clippings, leaves, straw, sticks, etc) and then just topping the beds with about 4" each year... This will help spread the cost of filling them over several years...
They are EarthMark boxes and all of the available sizes / prices are on home depot online... Please also see our latest video to get in on our giveaway...
Bumble Bee Junction what is the size of your raise bed in your garden? With all the soil mixture that you did how many of your raised bed did it filled in? Thank you.
Thanks so much... And not everything we do is cost effective... Sometimes we just have our own reasons for doing what we do... Like knowing exactly where our food came from, how it was grown, and who sneezed on it last... ahahahaha
We figure about 3", but yes... Top Off or Top Out... Just adding a top layer to replace the organics that broke down and sunk the soil level down (usually over the winter)... But that is good... As it allows us to add back in additional nutrients in the soil mix...
@@BumbleBeeJunction do you know if baby diapers are a safe source of perlite like material? I'd love to upcycle what would normally be sent to the landfill. Thanks so much
I tried this mix in my raised beds spring 2020 and planted tomatoes in them. I ran out of cages and before my new cages came in ( 5 days or so) they grew so fast and big that I was unable to get cages around the plants. LOL!!! Holy growth and harvest!!! Happy with results. Trying again this year. The only thing I couldn’t get was the polyacrylate.
Google: Teacher Supply Sodium Polyacrylate - So glad you were happy with the results ! We are so thankful for the feedback ! Hope you have a GREAT gardening season ! Good luck !
Love you both! Mark...we had a silent bond of answering to "doc"..hell we still have that bond...but common man...Tina had a Chicken!!! I love chickens! I have goats (scrumptious milk and cheese.) And would love some chickens!!! Okay...love you both. Carry on in this awesomeness.
I think I would rather use this mix than any other. Sand is recommended for growing radishes, and man is river sand expensive!! If Black Cow has sand in it, I would rather stick with your mixture, it’s a lot more economical. Thanks for sharing guys!!!! 😊
My daughter is going to be growing her first garden, I am going to tell her to come watch ya'll and learn properly. Just so you know you'll be teaching 3 generations. Me, daughter, granddaughter.
I have 4 new raised beds. I have mixed topsoil,peat and black kow in them and I will cover them with heavy weight landscape fabric. I have ordered the admendments that you have suggested. My thoughts are that I will let the “structural” soil over-winter and add the amendments and pearlite in the spring. Oh, will add the oyster shell now. Your soil enabled me to have a wonderful garden this year. My first in Tennessee. Appreciate your thoughts. Love your channel thanks 🙏
First of all thank you both for your service to our country! I have found your channel one of the two or three BEST and most informative (and most enjoyable) and I have learned or many improvements I can make next season. Tank you so much for taking the time produce the videos. One question - do you harvest your seeds for next years planting?
Enjoyed the video! Thank you both for your military service! Can you guys post a picture of what you and Tina looked like when you were in the service? I laid up with stage 4 cancer and I've been thinking of starting 2 garden boxes just to grow a few simple things, your videos are inspiring me and giving me some ideas! Thank you! BE SAFE, GOD BLESS!!
Truly enjoying going back and revisitng your videos making sure I learn all I can before planting our raised bed garden ... And We love you and TIna.. Vincent and I think you 2 are an incredible couple... I wish you did not have to try and justify what you spend to keep your garden how you want it... it is sad people have to judge... We tried in ground gardening here in southern colorado and NOTHING did well.. I did my tomatoes and peppers in pots they did great.. so this year we are INVESTING in ALL raised beds and filling them with your formula.... is it costly yes set up will be but the return will be way worth it... THANK YOU for doing what you 2 do... you are great role models....
That is awesome ! If you run into any trouble please let me know ! We have had others duplicate the soil and stuff with great results so we are confident yo will not regret the investment...
I followed this recipes last fall and my fall/winter Florida garden is doing great. I look forward to seeing how it does in the spring/summer season. Thanks.
Now this is wrather interesting, back in my high school days ( won't tell ya how long ago that was..lol) I was in FFA I got into horticulture...we used a mix very similar. We'd take clippings and put them in an old double sink until they sprouted roots...the seedlings love that mix👍
We have used it as a seed starter base ourselves with pretty good results... Does not word as good with woody starts because it is so rich that it rots them off before they can really take off...
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! I would benefit by seeing your soil 'prescription' in writing so I could print (write) out a list of what I need - to take with me when I go shopping. (I'm 69 years young and find it now necessary to move from in-ground to container based gardening. I'm also new to this electronic stuff and learning how to use this TH-cam info. ;-)
Thank you so much for watching... I am not sure I have it written out anywhere, but when I get a few minutes I will try to type it into the video description or something... Thanks for the input ! Much appreciated ! And glad you enjoyed the video !
Thanks so much for coming over and we hope you enjoy the channel ! Daniel is a really nice guy and has been supportive of our efforts here. Thanks so much for watching ! Happy 4th !
Heard about you from Daniel and Houston on Arms Family Homestead just now. They said you got it going on and need the view times. Just set up a play list to free run while I am cooking supper. Will subscribe and get notifications too. Just like your channel name. Hope your channel continues to grow my friend !
Thank you so much and I super appreciate the help ! Daniel is a great guy, and we just love Houston... LOL I really appreciate you coming over to lend your support ! Thank you again !
I find your recipe for your soil very interesting I'm just starting to do some raised beds. I've done gardening for several years but not in raised beds so I definitely will try your recipe. Thanks
I am very confident you will be happy with the results... We put a lot of work and research into the soil mix before we considered it good enough to help others... Our goal is for people to enjoy their gardens, not have to fight the soil to be successful...
Hello and thank you for for your kind words of support ! We hope that you enjoy the channel ! I am working to return SAP and Tina has been busy tending to our very active an dynamic homestead... We really do appreciate you joining us and showing your support ! Many blessings on you and yours !
thank you so much. i l ;ike the formula and will be using it.. and i'm going to grow me some veggies. god bless you both. i'm like Tina, i love the dirt.
Several people have asked for the written "Recipe" for the super soil, so here goes... 3 cu ft Peat Moss... 24 quarts Perlite... 2 cu ft Black Kow... 5 cu ft Garden Soil... 2 cups Sodium Polyacrylate... 2 cups Pelleted Lime... 3 cups Crushed Oyster Shell... 6 lbs bone meal... 2 cups Epsom Salt... 3 lbs blood meal... 1/2 tsp Boron / Borax... And the total yield is about 12 cu ft of soil... I hope that helps... Also, please see our latest video :) th-cam.com/video/zjjZeZdALZ4/w-d-xo.html
Bumble Bee Junction go go
Very informative. Thanks for putting such a wealth of information for potential new gardeners. About to start my own raised garden in back yard. 12x4x10... About four of them. I can already see spending well over $200. Do you think my estimate is close?
@@adnan75300 don't know what material you were thinking of using to create the beds themselves, but my hubby and I decided we wanted something more durable than wood. So several years ago we went to Lowe's and bought quite a few cinder blocks to create our beds. They were the perfect choice for us, and they r still standing strong. W0ishing you all the best!
Great video, thanks. I never amended my soil properly before. Now I can with these measurements. One thing I do is add all my vegetable scraps into the soil in the Spring. I also put the scraps into a 5 gal. bucket during the winter and the next year I add about 1/3 cup of this mixture 3-4" deep and 4-5" away from the plant after I add a new plant to fertilize it. Be sure to hold your breath while this container is open.😝💩 This really stinks but is a great fertilizer, use it carefully. I don't use manure since I try to keep it an organic garden.
Hi, there! I'm I right that you are using this when you first build your beds AND as top dressing each year? Thank you for sharing!!
Also, have you had any problems with blackberry vines in your beds, any suggestions???
I have been watching gardening shows for the past 3 months to learn how to and why to mix garden soil. And I can honestly say I have learned more watching you in the last 3 min than all I have seen in 3 months... You explained what I need and in what proportions to use it and why. Thank you
Thank you so much for your kind words !
Yes same here . Oh my goodness look at all the videos on their playlists too.. I'm in heaven!!!!
You took the words right out of my mouth, I was thinking the very same thing, he gives you why, and what portions to mix in,
I agree Joyce!
Just wanted to leave a review, I used this soil recipe for my new raised beds I built, and my garden is growing insane! Everything is at max production, my tomato bed is 6,5 foot tall and loaded with tomatoes! Thank you guys for sharing this video. I recommend it to everyone!
Thank you so much for the positive feedback, and we are so glad to hear it is working well for you ! Thank you so much for sharing your kind words !
I followed these instructions this spring and my raised beds gardens are growing and producing vegetables like crazy. Thanks.
That is really awesome ! And thank you for taking the time to come back and share your results ! I am so glad it worked well for you !
Awesome! I just went and got all my supplies. They’re locking us down again, so I want to be sure I have the soil just right come spring.
@@BumbleBeeJunction 'll
Actually, I have been reviewing many gardening channels during the COVID-19 down time. I have found yours to be one of three worth reviewing all your videos. Many hours or enjoyment anticipated. Thanks for producing your videos.
Thank you so much ! If you have any questions, please ask (in separate comments, I dont see replies)... Thank you again for watching !
I’ve never gardened before and been thinking for a looooong time to start. I know it’s almost fall (Northern California) and I’m tired of researching and researching just to make sure I do everything right from the start. After all the videos and reading I burn out and get discouraged. I just decided to just do it and learn as I go. I went to home depot yesterday and the guy in the garden center told me that bags that are ripped because of forklifts or transporting are 50% off. I took that as sign of encouragement. That made me happy. Thanks for the inspiration!
Sounds like a great score ! Good luck ! And you look up our friends at "Learn To Grow" who are out your way in the PNW and will be planting and harvesting on your schedule (or close)....
One of the best explanations of soil I’ve ever heard! I like your approach of trying to be as natural as possible, well done.
LOL..you caught my attention when you laid the tarps down. Most of these channels teach you by building in a wheel barrel or in the bed. To me, this is more efficient as long as you stay close to the beds. Thanks! Gonna try this and thanks for the recipe!!!
Thanks so much ! Please be sure to follow back up with your results !
Bumblebee Junction- Thanks for sharing your homework. Back in the the 70s, I instinctively mixed peat moss, sifted loam, rabbit manure, bone meal/blood meal, compost and some sand. I had used vermiculite/perlite for potting mix. I do have that Borax in my laundry room :-) We are in New Hampshire farm country, so I can get some sifted loam delivered. I'm ready to put in raised beds this spring. Thank you for this informative video!
Thank you so much for watching ! Sounds like your instincts had you headed in the right direction ! Hope you find the video useful !
We have used your recipe in two different ways. For topping off raised beds, rather than mixing as Tina did, we used 1/6 of the ingredients to make 2 cubic foot batches and mixed them in the concrete mixer. When each batch was sufficiently mixed, we just dumped it into the wheelbarrow and took it straight to its destination. We had one other bed that had good basic structure but was lacking nutrients. So we calculated how much of the manure, bone meal, perlite, blood meal, epsom salt, borax, lime, and oyster shell calcium it would take for our 60 square feet and 5-6” deep. Spread it all on top, and dug it in 5-6” deep. And for spreading that tiny bit of borax, I dissolved it in 2 gallons of water in the sprinkling can and then distributed the borax bearing water over the whole area. Looking forward to seeing the results!
Sounds like you went about it a great way, and I think you can expect great results ! Please keep us in the loop... We would love to know how you do !
Great video! I honestly think $80 is nothing compared to having a hobby that you enjoy and grow your own food!
Totally agree!
Great perspective here. Showing that tiny bit of boron along with the rest is perfect. I need to add some to my raised beds. I already add bone meal, blood meal, and Epsom salt to my soils but had no idea the boron was needed to activate everything. Thank you so much.
Heyas Joy ! It is amazing what a difference that little tiny bit of boron makes... I know people can spot positive changes in the plant when adding all the others, but it is not the full effect... With the boron in there, the plants can make full use of the additives, and they you will really see something special... Especially if your soil was boron depleted (which most is)... Thanks so much for watching ! Good luck !
Bumble Bee Junction -Would you say that was about 1/4 teaspoon of Boron?
@@lajohnson1967 he said it was 1/4 tsp.
It needs a love button! The information is great but that smile on lovely Tina's face playing in the dirt is worth a million likes. Really brightened my day thank you. I wish the world that kind of joy.
Wow, thank you!
August 2019 I used your recipe in new raised beds this year. The results are spectacular. More food than we know what to do with. Thank you for this video!
Thank you so much for the feedback Ocanada ! We are thrilled it worked out well for you... We tried to present it the best we could... Bless you ! And I hope your wonderful harvests continue !
We just started new boxes the size of yours. For one bed, it has cost a lot but I know it’s worth it. My dad loves to garden, as do I so I’m excited to do it. I have one completely full. Ready to plant.
Sounds like a plan ! Enjoy them !
This is our first year using your super soil recipe and so far so good. Our tomatoes are 8ft tall and full of fruit and blooms. Thank you for your videos.
Those are just the stories we love to hear ! Thank you so much for sharing ! So many people move away from gardening out of frustration, and we were hoping to get people off on the right foot... Then the disappointments that all of us face dont seem so bad... But I am excited for you ! 8ft tall tomatoes, that must be something to see ! GOOD FOR YOU !
Thank u very much, you r a god since, i know now why my garden have not product. Your channel will b the only channel that i will b watching from now on. I live in Miami Florida. I will b taking out all that garbage that's other people have had me put in my raised bed and put in my new raised bed just like u have done. I Thank U an Your Beautiful 4 guiding me in the right direction. May The Universe Bless Your Ground Continues.
So nice of you ! I am sure you will enjoy growing in the SS mix and PLEASE let us know how things go !
Thank you so much .. you guys are amazing I'm so glad I found you .I been trying to garden for about 3 years now and your video is THE BEST this far you are so informative you have taught me so much i am just now finding this video list and i am SOOOO EXCITED!!!!.. THANK YOU SO MUCH
I am so glad we have been able to help... We are getting ready to launch into our gardening season again, so we hope you will follow along... And if you have any questions, just ask in the comments.... Have a great weekend !
I love watching your lovely wife work. She puts all of her concentration in any job she does especially the gardening work cause you can tell she really enjoys it. She’s very shy but she knows her dear husband has limitations due to his illnesses and they both work so well together cause Tina being shy, could never get the words out as you can so this is a work of love with the two of you and i really enjoy the both of you so much.
Thank you so much for your kind words Audrey ! We really appreciate your support !
Beautiful channel, beautiful people sharing all of this wonderful information.
Thank you so much Truman ! We appreciate your ongoing support !
2021 SUMMER UPDATE - Hello Bumblebee Junction from our farm in New Hampshire! I just watched some of your 2021 harvest coming in. Really nice! We shut down our farm to the public in March 2020 and continue to be open for customers only. We were not much affected. It was farming as usual, except for the gardens. I did not have as much time because it was just us three running the farm.
This is the year I am getting ready to amend my woodland raised beds. Your recipe will be the top dressing all the beds receive. Your methods are a real help to configure this new garden, next to the house. Limited space.
We hesitate to take down majestic Hemlock and Oak unless we have to. Have a great summer! ~ Diane
Sounds like you have been VERY busy ! But everything sounds wonderful ! Thanks for watching ! And thank you for sharing !
Thank you Mark and Tina for your videos i had the best spring garden i ever had, people couldn't believe how big my veg plants were and full of fruit!. Starting my fall garden this week, had to put in more beds because my eggplant, sweet and hot peppers still giving a lot of veggies, Stay safe thanks again, Rick
Thank you so much for the feedback and the kind words ! I am sooooo glad for you, and it lifts my heart to read of anyone out enjoying their garden ! Thank you so much !
Sir, 1st-thank y'all for your service!!!, 2nd-thanks for breaking down the "why" of each component in your mix. For newbie nerds like me, I just want to understand why a certain ingredient is needed. So glad I found your channel!! And I can relate to Tina having fun in the dirt! Mixing soil with your hands is cathartic.
Absolutely ! Thank you so much for watching !
It's still too cold to start gardening here in NH so I've been watching gardening videos while I tend my seedlings in the basement. I found your channel and have watched several of them, including the one on the tips and tricks on tomatoes. Your pvc pipe idea was exactly what I was planning to do this year but it was nice to have confirmation this was a good idea. I hadn't thought about using an elbow or adding a shorter pipe to it. You are very knowledgeable and I've enjoyed watching. Thanks, Sue
Thank you for your kind words ! We appreciate your support !
The real science behind the gardening, thank you Mark!
LOL... I am surprised at how many people think you just plunk in a seed and expect success... It all starts in the soil...
So excited! I found bone meal and blood meal at 75% off today Woohoo!
That is AWESOME ! Excellent score ! I wish we could get that lucky ! LOL
In off season everything is on sale for gardening
Thank you so much showing how you put your soil together
Thanks so much for breaking everything down for us I haven't been able to find anyone that does it like u just did & I cant wait to see what else y'all get into
Thanks so much for your kind words and we hope you enjoy the rest of the channel !
You have just made up living beautiful soil. Beds look so rich ,love the way you work together. Learnt so much .
Thank you so much Delia !
Thank You so much for the details! I felt like I knew quite a bit about raised bed planting but always fought with it every year and never got the crop I expected to get. I have a whole new view and excitement now armed with some great information that has provided clarity to move forward!
Sounds like a plan to me ! And topping those beds year after year will only make that soil richer and richer as you go along... Good plants take good soil, and good soil is not an accident...
My Mom & I made your mix up today and have it spread out into to beds now and are in to eat some Late Lunch. We worked up an appetite, lol! Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
I am so glad to hear this ! I think you will be very happy with the results of your hard work ! // Please be sure to Subscribe if you have not already, we very much appreciate the support !
I can't think of a thing to ask. I consider your knowledge Top Notch and appreciate all of it. I have gotten behind in some watching and need to catch up. Thank you so much! Stay Safe, God Bless
We appreciate you watching when ya can ! We will still be here ! LOL Hope you are having a great weekend !
This is why you teach the best gardening, for days like then and now! I will never forget watching Tina pull up those super carrots!
LOL... She loves pulling carrots... I always break them and stuff... She just pops them right out...
I use a Harbor Freight electric cement mixer for all my outdoor mixing chores.
That would work great for this if you worked in batches ! That is an awesome idea !
We are in New Orleans Louisiana Zone 9A. We have just discovered y'alls Channel recently and we enjoy watching your videos. We have 17 raised beds, citrus trees, and several 55 gallon drums cut in half. We have been Garden in roughly 18 months and have learned Lots from different people on TH-cam. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and it's helping us a lot. We are looking forward to your future videos
Sounds like you have your hands full ! Thank you for watching ! We wish you the best on your adventures as well !
Only discovered this channel this year and it’s now my go to gardening advice n tips channel
Living in highlands of Scotland I rely heavily on my greenhouse and covered raised beds but now am going for I proved soil recipe, so many thanks for your advice.
And from one old serviceman (Army) .. to another thanks for your service.
As you know also, it was our honor to have been allowed to serve ! Best of luck to you ! Please keep us up on your results !
So pleased I found your channel. You are so interesting, the way you explain everything you do in clear detail.
Your camera work is great, showing how you add each of your ingredients to your soil to make the best mix for your carrots.
I haven't had much luck with carrots but after your teaching I'm hoping for a better harvest this year.
Shared your channel to facebook. I am watching from N.W. England where our weather is very unpredictable.
I am subscribed as from today. Great watching you both at work.
Thank you so much for your kind words, and for your support... You may wish to increase the perlite some for drainage if you live in a wet area (I always think rain when I think of England)... Carrots do not care for wet feet overnight, so morning watering and good drainage are important... The Nantes is a pretty bulletproof carrot to grow.... And they have some Nantes hybrids that are even stronger... You might look into them... And if you run into questions, please feel free to just ask... I try to get to all of our comments...
@@BumbleBeeJunction I saw a vid on carrots. I plan on using your container mix with 3gal pot. Direct sow on a grid fashion carrot seed 1-2 inch apart (depend on variety of carrot). Use template made from 1/2 inch fence material cut round to size. Gives great crop. Any special amendments for carrots?
I have watched this a couple of times before but forgot what all to add. So I watched it again! ❤️❤️❤️
I hate to stop to go to store but I need borax. Gee I need to make a list as you go through process! W arching 1 more time. Lol
Thank you so much for your kind words, your patience, and your understanding ! We will be getting back to regular videos soon ! Please know we appreciate all of you sticking by us while we adapt to these trying times !
Good info on the Black Cow. I always thought it was pure composted cow manure.. I buy that’s yellow bag garden soil also. My Lowe’s has them 5 for $10 so I stocked up for next year. It’s much better than the Kellogg’s brand which doesn’t even absorb water Great video. Thanks for doing it
Thank you so much for watching Marilyn ! We are hoping everyone can glean something from it even with the advanced gardeners in the viewing group... We were a little afraid of launching a video that long, but the devil is in the details, so we took the shot... I am so glad that you enjoyed it ! Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment !
Each time we shop we look at the bags for sale, busted bags half price
Id watch a 30 minute video of solid information over a 3 minutes rushed video anytime. This video told me more in 30 minutes then I've learned in the last year on TH-cam. I've been all over TH-cam the last two day looking at how to properly fill my new beds and containers this year. Last year I was new and didn't know so I filled my first two bed half with our yard soil and half with the yellow bags of cow manure. And i also had no growth in my containers with what i did in those.. im doing the containers completely over for sure but im not even sure if I should just take everything back out of the old beds and start over with soil since im doing my new beds too, or just add some of this soil mix on top. Thank you so much for this video!
Looking real nice and healthy mixture there Mr Mark and Ms Tina ! I will do this for sure !
LOL... I laugh with Tina and say that if you cannot grow something in that, you need new seed or a new hobby.... ahhahaha
Dutch and arms family homestead brags on you and Tina . i not got a channel or i be too, God Bless
LOL... Feel free to send your TH-cam friends our way, we would love to add them to the conversation ! And I appreciate your kind words ! Thank you for watching and lending your support !
Just spent the last hour plus revisiting this and writing this all down...verbatim!!! I’m making this soil. Annnnd tomorrow I’ll be looking for the carrot mix! YALL ARE THE BESTEST!! You’re really an excellent teacher too Mark! Thank you!
ahahaha... I was actually wondering when you would find your way to those videos... LOL I am glad you found them... They should help... And I appreciate the hour of viewing time ! ahahaha
Thank you, new gardener here, lol, hope I can get something, something, this summer, lol. Starting small. Thank you for all the great info.
Thank you so much for watching and I hope you find the information useful... Thank you for your support !
Good morning I did see another comment where you at told a woman to add it to a watering can, as far as the borax, so that is what I did and watered it in. But I managed to get my super soil mix together and a bed built yesterday before it got dark. And then I transplanted some small things already had growing in just Miracle-Gro garden soil And then last night it rained. Well maybe it's just me but just overnight these little plants look happier and ready to grow than I've ever seen. I've been growing things on and off most of my life and have always had a hard time getting anything to produce any decent fruit. I sure am hoping this does the trick I will keep you posted on my results. Thank you for getting back to me.
Yes, please keep in contact... I am glad to hear these results... So many commercial soils are out of balance or lacking in one area or another, so we built that soil mix based on the known strengths of each part, and made up for the weaknesses with other products strong in those areas... It has worked for us over many seasons, and each year, the beds just get stronger... I am hoping you will be as pleased with your results...
Loved to have been mixing that dirt too! Such fun! TFS! New subbie.
Thanks so much for Subbing.... And you should know I didnt have to ask Tina twice before she dove in ! ahahaha
Thanks for the info on the Black Kow. Didn't realize it had sand in it. Most people don't realize sand is an important ingredient when establishing raised bed soil. I'm sure Black Kow will work great for most people. I used sand that I purchased at a local sand plant. Way cheaper than Black Kow. I got 500# for around $6. For my carrot bed I mixed 2 parts native Kansas soil with 2 parts sand and 1 part vermiculite. Last year was my first year growing carrots and they were huge! I didn't add any kind of fertilizer last year but thanks to your video I will add some perlite this year and definitely bone meal and Epsom salt. Now I know why so many gardeners use Black Kow. Thanks for the info....
Black Kow is pretty good stuff, so long as you use it for what it is... Otherwise, it can introduce sand where you do not want it as well.....
This is a video that I'm saving to my playlist thank you for all the great info blessings always to you😇
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words ! I hope you enjoy the rest of the channel ! Have a great weekend !
Thanks for info & written recipe for garden mixture. I didnt copy this info for this yr but will do so for next yrs crop. I've been learning so much from you both. I love all info Tina shares with us. Thanks so much!!!😝😝😝😍😍💕💕💕. From grandma Katie in Oregon
We really appreciate the support Katie ! Thank you !
@@BumbleBeeJunction your welcome
I try to save money-so one thing I do is go to a =horse camp where people with horses get together here--and one thing they have is horse manure bins--wow they dump it in big piles and talk about rich good soil! so I load up and mix that in--works great--thanks for video! PS=get the phone book out or go on web-look for things like this around in your area--some will even deliver to just get rid of this.
That is an awesome suggestion ! I am sure others will find it useful as well ! I appreciate you watching and lending your suggestions to the conversation ! Thank you ! This is how we all learn and grow !
Just make sure it is well composted. Cow and horse manure can have viable grass seeds.
That said, I hauled home 2000 lbs of composted horse manure today!
I've got to compliment you on how good your garden looks; it's gorgeous, clean and super organized; which makes it seamless from season to season and multi- planting all year. Also loved the guinea noise in the background. Thank you for all those ideas of grocery stability, which = healthy eating also!. Take care and God bless!
Thank you so much for watching ! Hope you enjoy the rest of the channel !
Bumble Bee Junction My pleasure, and I enjoy it, it's great. Glad I found it. God bless you and yours.
I find this very helpful! I'm really just learning how everything works. Thank you for all your help ♡
So glad you are enjoying it ! We appreciate the support ! Hope you enjoy the rest of the channel !
I can’t wait to try this soil recipe. Thank you!
Now, I need to watch again, take notes. There's just so much good info.
Heyas ! Thanks for watching ! And be sure to check out our latest ivdeo to get in on our giveaway !
3 cu ft Peat Moss... 24 quarts Perlite... 2 cu ft Black Kow... 5 cu ft Garden Soil... 2 cups Sodium Polyacrylate... 2 cups Pelleted Lime... 3 cups Crushed Oyster Shell... 6 lbs bone meal... 2 cups Epsom Salt... 3 lbs blood meal... 1/2 tsp Boron / Borax... And the total yield is about 12 cu ft of soil...
Doing your recipe this year to my beds & I can't wait.
Awesome ! Please let us know how it goes !
Great soil! I do raised bed Hugelkulture of sorts, and it uses half the soil. Old branchs, dead and dying tree branches, fallen trees, fallilng apart trees, etc from the surrounding woods will fill up the bottom half of the bed, then top with the soil. Takes half to fill up a tall bed. And it feeds from the bottom!
In our raised bed assembly video we cover some of that... Good suggestions though which people should be aware of... Thank you for sharing !
Do you chip this material before putting it on the bottom of the bed?
I am just starting my garden that will have fruit trees, flowers and raised beds for vegetables. I am so thankful that I found your channel. I live in North Florida which is 9b. Thank you for taking the time to help us. Take care.
Thank you so much for watching ! Anything we can do to help, please just ask... We are a little behind on responding, but we try to get to all all the comments !
How's your garden doing in Florida?
Wonderful video. So much great information. I have been gardening since the early 70s. I always love seeing and learning new methods. I have to say your techniques and methods make it look much easier with great results. Thank you for sharing. Glad I resubbed. As for organic I believe that soil and nutrients are just that. However I never use chemical pesticides or herbicides on my edibles. I would love to hear your thoughts on that.
I keyed in on three words when reading this - "...on my edibles" so you left me an open door to split hairs and give you an honest answer... Now we've said that we spray occasionally in other videos so that is no secret... However, I use your words (surprised?) in how I make those decisions... Since I am splitting hairs, I am going to choose my words carefully here... While a PLANT is still a plant, I will use the Sevin liquid concentrate if the pests get too bad... Once that PLANT starts to set EDIBLES, and if the pests are still a problem, we will switch to spraying with BT which is considered both garden safe and organic... Now I see you chose the word "never" in your statement, so I will assume you feel strongly about this topic... I hope that you will understand that these are just my decisions, which I am not trying to impress on you or anyone else... We need our gardens to produce... They are our food supply that we eat from throughout the year... So we make decisions we can live with between wishing we could be chemical free, and the need to produce food... So we just do it as safely as we can, within the limits we are comfortable with... I hope that addresses your inquiry... And thank you for watching ! We really do appreciate the support !
Excellent response, thank you. Please understand I did not know you spray for bugs so I was not condemning the use of sprays, that is your choice. I was just stating that I do not use chemical pesticides on my edibles. Do I get holes in my greens, heck yes, does it look bad well it doesnt look store bought. I loose about 60 or more % of my apples to coddling moth and that goes for the Quince too. One of the other reasons I do not spray is my neighbors are close and do not appreciate it. I have tried soap sprays and hot pepper sprays etc but with not much success. BTW I have Sevin, Malathion, and Dursban on hand. They all have a very strong smell till the aromatics dissipate, the Sevin as you know doesnt have much of a smell, thats a bonus. When I was a kid we used Sevin dust on the beans cause we had to, and the dogs too when they got fleas. Thanks for sharing. All the best. V.
I sure took no offense at all... That we spray is no secret... We just try to balance the risk / reward in the safest manner we can... But your comment did not come across as judgmental in any way... I appreciate you furthering the discussion, as others read along as well, and it all helps those looking for more information - so they can make their own decisions too ! Thank you !
Great idea to show what they look like I got bone meal my first yr and it was wet and came out like paste I did use some of it then I seen your video and was able to get my money back and get another bag I did have to go through the company to get my money back but I forgot to come and thank you for that. Thank you❤
Glad you got your money back... That had to smell horrid if it was mush (its bad enough dry)... Thank you for letting us know though... And glad the video was of use !
@@BumbleBeeJunction yeah it was pretty strong lol
thank you for sharing....now i no why your garden is so nice....did you mention your carrots...thank you for sharing
This is not the soil mix we use for our carrots, but I will be doing a video on that soon. Some similar amendments, different in the proportions and how we apply it to the bed. Thank you so much for watching and lending your support Jody !
Bumble Bee Junction the interest the carrot video is amazing. It's because we can't grow carrots.. sigh...my thumb turns immediately brown when I pick up carrot seeds. Grrr...lol
We are picking up the stuff tonight to make the video tomorrow... Hang tight and we'll have it up tomorrow evening ! Hopefully the elusive carrot will be a little less tricky to deal with after that...
Bumble Bee Junction Yay!!!! So ready. Take your time...I won't die from waiting lol.
I’m going to give your mix a try here in Central Texas after that winter snow storm devastated all my elevated bed fall crops...I’ve watched this several times already - guess I enjoy seeing Tina dig in the dirt !!
Good luck!
I can't thank you enough for sharing your knowledge! I feel like there's finally hope for our garden this year! Would be willing to offer a little guidance with filling four 264 cubic feet (1056 total) of raised garden bed? The expense of filling something that large with your super soil adds up quickly! The beds are 18" deep right now. Do they need to be deeper? And can you offer any suggestions for a more economical way to fill them? Thank you again for sharing!
The soil only needs to be the top 6" or so... You can fill the rest with anything organic... With that much room, I might suggest whole bales of hay or straw... Or if you can find a tree cutting service to drop you off a pile of wood chips... Or grass clippings if you have a large lawn... Or logs / firewood....
Bumble Bee Junction, hay has a lot of weed seeds, go with straw or wood shavings. We have saw mills near us that sell sawdust for $40 a pickup load, they used to give it away. Look for sawmills near you on line.
Just a bit of information for you and your viewers, what I use in for most of my "filler" in my raised beds is "organic compost" that I get FREE from my county recycle site. They collect leaves and branches from along the street that residents put out as yard waste, then they run it thru a shredder and make piles that they put in lines, and they turn them over and age them for about a year letting them decompose before putting them in a large "compost" pile that is available FREE to any county resident. Check your area for similar programs. You can get broken down aged material as compost, and you can also get just the mulched wood material as Mulch, for the walkways of you raised beds. I love this video and all the material presented...I wrote down you whole recipe to duplicate and try to get all my ingredients balanced out right/ THANK YOU for creating this, I look forward to watching the rest of your videos - and btw - DUTCH set me : )
That sounds like an excellent suggestion for free filling... We used hay when we set our boxes up... Over time, any organic will break down and the box will settle... We use that opportunity to apply the soil mix here to spruce it up for another year, and eventually, it will become most of your fill, but with the cost spread over several years...
I'm filling two new beds (which I bought from Northern Tool, thanks for the tip!). Since these are new beds (8x3x1) I plan on adding a bag of organic compost, shredded leaves and grass clippings to get me to 18 cubic feet. Will this throw off my results? I'm only worried about the organic compost being too much goodness. :) OR I can just add natural soil from my area, which here is in New England so there's a decent amount of clay in it. I could instead add what is now soil/compost from my leaf, grass and brush piles, which I burn every year. What of those should I add for best results and save a few dollars?
Actually, everything sounds good... But I would refrain from putting any clay in the boxes... Its hard to keep it broken up once it clumps (and it will eventually)... Glad you found the Northern Tool ones... I overpaid, badly....
I’ve been gardening in ground for years but need to switch to raised beds due to health issues. I’m so glad I saw this video and have your soil mix recipe now to fill them. Thank you for sharing your recipe and gardening knowledge with everyone who needs it.
I would suggest filling your beds nearly to the top with organic mater (grass clippings, leaves, straw, sticks, etc) and then just topping the beds with about 4" each year... This will help spread the cost of filling them over several years...
What’s the size of your boxes.... the very first one you started with and where did you get it from.....please and thank you
They are EarthMark boxes and all of the available sizes / prices are on home depot online... Please also see our latest video to get in on our giveaway...
Bumble Bee Junction what is the size of your raise bed in your garden? With all the soil mixture that you did how many of your raised bed did it filled in? Thank you.
You saved a lot of money with your garden but even if you didn’t what an awesome hobby and it looks beautiful.
Thanks so much... And not everything we do is cost effective... Sometimes we just have our own reasons for doing what we do... Like knowing exactly where our food came from, how it was grown, and who sneezed on it last... ahahahaha
Question: When you say “top out” each raised bed with the mixture, do you mean like an inch deep?
We figure about 3", but yes... Top Off or Top Out... Just adding a top layer to replace the organics that broke down and sunk the soil level down (usually over the winter)... But that is good... As it allows us to add back in additional nutrients in the soil mix...
Thanks for giving the break down of each thing you put into your soil. I will give it a try this year. Have a Great Day, GOD BLESS
Glad it was helpful!
Can we use vermiculite instead of perlite with little negative effect? Theres no perlite in the county.
Absolutely fine to use either one... And be sure to see our latest video to get in on our giveaway !
@@BumbleBeeJunction do you know if baby diapers are a safe source of perlite like material? I'd love to upcycle what would normally be sent to the landfill. Thanks so much
I tried this mix in my raised beds spring 2020 and planted tomatoes in them. I ran out of cages and before my new cages came in ( 5 days or so) they grew so fast and big that I was unable to get cages around the plants. LOL!!! Holy growth and harvest!!! Happy with results. Trying again this year. The only thing I couldn’t get was the polyacrylate.
Google: Teacher Supply Sodium Polyacrylate - So glad you were happy with the results ! We are so thankful for the feedback ! Hope you have a GREAT gardening season ! Good luck !
Thank you for sharing. This is what I been looking for my garden raised bed
Glad it was helpful!
Love you both! Mark...we had a silent bond of answering to "doc"..hell we still have that bond...but common man...Tina had a Chicken!!! I love chickens! I have goats (scrumptious milk and cheese.) And would love some chickens!!! Okay...love you both. Carry on in this awesomeness.
LOL... Thanks so much for the kind words of support ! Much appreciated ! And thank you for your service !
I think I would rather use this mix than any other. Sand is recommended for growing radishes, and man is river sand expensive!! If Black Cow has sand in it, I would rather stick with your mixture, it’s a lot more economical. Thanks for sharing guys!!!! 😊
My daughter is going to be growing her first garden, I am going to tell her to come watch ya'll and learn properly. Just so you know you'll be teaching 3 generations. Me, daughter, granddaughter.
That is awesome ! And I appreciate your confidence ! We strive to make sure we only put out good info...
Beautiful neat and tidy garden…congrats!!
Hi Tina and Mark thank you for sharing your beautiful gardens the proof is in the pudding will use your secret 🤫 mix soon can’t wait 😛 Delia
Sounds great! I hope it is a blessing to you!
I have 4 new raised beds. I have mixed topsoil,peat and black kow in them and I will cover them with heavy weight landscape fabric. I have ordered the admendments that you have suggested. My thoughts are that I will let the “structural” soil over-winter and add the amendments and pearlite in the spring. Oh, will add the oyster shell now. Your soil enabled me to have a wonderful garden this year. My first in Tennessee.
Appreciate your thoughts. Love your channel thanks 🙏
So glad to hear of your success ! And yes, waiting will help prevent the winter freezes and thaws from leaching the nutrients out of the soil...
I have been experimenting with compost making and soil building over the years...find it fascinating.
Thanks for your great videos!
So nice of you !
Beautiful gardens, excellent production. Soil mix is excellent.
Thank you!
First of all thank you both for your service to our country! I have found your channel one of the two or three BEST and most informative (and most enjoyable) and I have learned or many improvements I can make next season. Tank you so much for taking the time produce the videos. One question - do you harvest your seeds for next years planting?
We do on some things, but we grow a lot of hybrids that are not really good to save seeds from...
I LOVE THIS VIDEO!!!
Thanks so much !
You guys are one of my absolute favorite you tube gardeners.
Thank you so much for your kind words ! We really appreciate you watching !
Enjoyed the video! Thank you both for your military service! Can you guys post a picture of what you and Tina looked like when you were in the service? I laid up with stage 4 cancer and I've been thinking of starting 2 garden boxes just to grow a few simple things, your videos are inspiring me and giving me some ideas! Thank you! BE SAFE, GOD BLESS!!
Not sure if I could work them into a video, but you can send me a message through our Facebook page and maybe we could do something... LOL
I really like the boxes that you made for your garden and the layout of your garden it's beautiful
Thank you so much ! I very much appreciate your kind words ! Thank you again for watching and commenting !
Truly enjoying going back and revisitng your videos making sure I learn all I can before planting our raised bed garden ... And We love you and TIna.. Vincent and I think you 2 are an incredible couple... I wish you did not have to try and justify what you spend to keep your garden how you want it... it is sad people have to judge... We tried in ground gardening here in southern colorado and NOTHING did well.. I did my tomatoes and peppers in pots they did great.. so this year we are INVESTING in ALL raised beds and filling them with your formula.... is it costly yes set up will be but the return will be way worth it... THANK YOU for doing what you 2 do... you are great role models....
That is awesome ! If you run into any trouble please let me know ! We have had others duplicate the soil and stuff with great results so we are confident yo will not regret the investment...
Please do tell where does TIna get the adorable lippers.. I just saw her sharks...lol I have daughters that would flip for them...
Good to see another Dirt Momma! I must have been a badger in my previous life…almost love messing with the dirt more than the actual flowers I grow!
I followed this recipes last fall and my fall/winter Florida garden is doing great. I look forward to seeing how it does in the spring/summer season. Thanks.
Sounds great! I am so glad to hear of your success!
Now this is wrather interesting, back in my high school days ( won't tell ya how long ago that was..lol) I was in FFA I got into horticulture...we used a mix very similar.
We'd take clippings and put them in an old double sink until they sprouted roots...the seedlings love that mix👍
We have used it as a seed starter base ourselves with pretty good results... Does not word as good with woody starts because it is so rich that it rots them off before they can really take off...
The beds are beautiful!!
Thank you so muc ! Please be sure to see our latest video to get in on our giveaway !
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! I would benefit by seeing your soil 'prescription' in writing so I could print (write) out a list of what I need - to take with me when I go shopping. (I'm 69 years young and find it now necessary to move from in-ground to container based gardening. I'm also new to this electronic stuff and learning how to use this TH-cam info. ;-)
Thank you so much for watching... I am not sure I have it written out anywhere, but when I get a few minutes I will try to type it into the video description or something... Thanks for the input ! Much appreciated ! And glad you enjoyed the video !
Thanks for sharing. Appreciate your expertise. Y'all are the greatest!!!
Daniel Arms sent me over. I checked out a couple of your videos and I subscribed. Good stuff. Keep doing it.
Thanks so much for coming over and we hope you enjoy the channel ! Daniel is a really nice guy and has been supportive of our efforts here. Thanks so much for watching ! Happy 4th !
Thank you for your service had no idea you were veterans new to your channel love you guys
LOL... Yes, for several generations... Thank you so much for your lind words ! Blessings !
Heard about you from Daniel and Houston on Arms Family Homestead just now. They said you got it going on and need the view times. Just set up a play list to free run while I am cooking supper. Will subscribe and get notifications too. Just like your channel name. Hope your channel continues to grow my friend !
Thank you so much and I super appreciate the help ! Daniel is a great guy, and we just love Houston... LOL I really appreciate you coming over to lend your support ! Thank you again !
I find your recipe for your soil very interesting I'm just starting to do some raised beds. I've done gardening for several years but not in raised beds so I definitely will try your recipe. Thanks
I am very confident you will be happy with the results... We put a lot of work and research into the soil mix before we considered it good enough to help others... Our goal is for people to enjoy their gardens, not have to fight the soil to be successful...
Where can I find the type of raised beds that you're using
Get well Mark 🤗
Hello and thank you for for your kind words of support ! We hope that you enjoy the channel ! I am working to return SAP and Tina has been busy tending to our very active an dynamic homestead... We really do appreciate you joining us and showing your support ! Many blessings on you and yours !
Good job I learned a lot I'm just now in the situation where I'm having to use raised beds.
Good, I will mix some this and put in some raised beds.
Sounds great!
Bumble Bee Junction .... Loving all your gardening videos! ❤️
Thanks so much ! We had fun making that one, and we were glad so many have found it helpful ! Thank you for watching !
thank you so much. i l ;ike the formula and will be using it.. and i'm going to grow me some veggies. god bless you both. i'm like Tina, i love the dirt.