Save Big By Filling Your Raised Beds with These Cheap Materials

Filling raised garden beds can be shockingly expensive. Many home gardeners shell out big bucks for bag after bag of potting mix from the garden center. But there's good news - you don't have to spend a fortune to fill your raised beds! With a bit of effort and creativity, you can source local and free materials to create fertile, productive raised beds on the cheap.

The Benefits of Raised Beds Make Them Worth the Investment

Before we get into money-saving fill methods, let's look at why raised beds are so popular in the first place. Although more expensive upfront than planting directly in the ground, raised beds offer many advantages:

• Better drainage and warmer soils allow for earlier planting.
• Keep crops up and away from pests and contaminated soils.
• Convenient for gardeners with mobility issues.
• Maximize yield in small spaces.
• Full control over the soil quality.

In short, raised beds allow you to grow more food in less space. And filling them cheaply saves you big bucks down the road.

The Problem With Purchased Potting Mixes and Topsoil

So why is filling raised beds traditionally so pricey? Pre-mixed potting soils and bagged topsoil from the garden center promise an instant raised bed fill solution. But this route has some drawbacks:

• Potting mixes and soils are expensive, sometimes $10-20 per bag!
• For larger raised beds, you may need 10 bags or more.
• Repeatedly buying bagged mix is wasteful and unsustainable.
• Bagged soils lack the organic benefits of homemade mixes.

Luckily, we can easily find or make our own raised bed fill materials for free.

Cheap and Creative Alternatives for Raised Bed Fill

Use Free Materials Already Around Your Home

Take stock of resources in your own yard first when sourcing cheap raised bed fill:

• Leaves - Shredded leaves add organic matter and drain well.
• Grass clippings - Fresh clippings pack nutrients and decompose quickly.
• Prunings and yard waste - Chopped branches and trimmings create air pockets for drainage.
• Straw and hay - Use weed-free straw or hay as an organic filler; watch for unwanted seeds.
• Sawdust and woodchips - These carbon-rich amendments will break down over time.
• Livestock manure - If properly composted, manure boosts nutrients.
• Kitchen scraps - Bury fruit/veg scraps to compost in place.

Scavenge Free Materials

Look beyond your own yard for additional free raised bed fill:

• Check Craigslist for free compost , mulch , or woodchips from tree services.
• Reuse pallets as framing material and filler.
• Collect leaves , pine needles , and brush from neighbors.
• Ask coffee shops for used coffee grounds .
• Gather fallen logs and sticks from nearby woods.

Grow Your Own Soil With Cover Crops

Cover crops like clover, rye, and legumes enrich soil when grown and tilled under. To grow free raised bed fill:

1. Select nitrogen-fixing crops like clover, peas, and vetch.
2. Plant seeds 1-2 months before cold weather.
3. Cut down crops once flowering.
4. Till plants into soil to compost.

Layering Method for Optimal Raised Bed Fill

Filling raised beds using a layered approach results in excellent drainage and nutrition:

1. Line the bottom with sticks, logs, or gravel for drainage.
2. Fill lower half of bed with high-carbon materials like leaves.
3. Add nitrogen-rich green materials like grass clippings.
4. Top dress with quality compost and native soil.

Layering materials creates the perfect environment as they break down into rich, homemade soil.

Maintaining Your Homemade Raised Bed Over Time

A properly layered raised bed should supply nutrients for several years. But you can enrich it seasonally by:

• Composting kitchen scraps and spreading over beds.
• Top dressing with homemade compost each spring.
• Testing soil nutrients and amending as needed.
• Adding more carbon materials as initial layers break down.

As you can see, filling raised garden beds doesn't have to cost a fortune. With a bit of creativity and resourcefulness, you can create incredibly fertile raised bed soil using local, free, and homemade materials. Your wallet and the planet will thank you.

Implement these money-saving tips, and you'll soon have thriving raised beds filled with fruits, veggies, and flowers grown using your own homemade soil blend. Let us know your best tips for filling raised beds cheaply in the comments!