Appreciation post: My raised bed soil mix turned to concrete after a heavy rain in April

I used a cheap bagged topsoil with too much clay, and it took a pickaxe to break it up. Anyone have a better soil recipe for wet climates?

3 comments

3 Comments

mia_stone9d ago

Ugh, been there lol. Did you try adding a ton of compost? I had to mix in like half a bag of the cheap stuff to get it to drain.

robin_lee9d ago

Half a bag of compost sounds like a lot. I've actually found that adding too much compost can make the drainage worse over time.

andrewr654d ago

Yeah, that's the tricky part with just adding more compost. You might fix the clay problem but end up with a dense, soggy mat. Have you tried mixing in some coarse sand or even small wood chips to keep things loose?