Clay/Raised beds
- To: Iris talk <iris-talk@onelist.com>
- Subject: Clay/Raised beds
- From: J* Y*
- Date: Sun, 27 Jun 1999 11:45:04 -0400
From: Janet Yang <jyang1@home.com>
My soil is clay--almost pure clay in some spots. Plus,
our property has water problems: rain runs directly to us
from the uphill neighbors, and the water table is high. As
you can imagine, that in combination with zone 6 winters has
done in a lot of my perennials: Been there; killed that*.
HUGE amendments to the clay soil haven't helped; it just
wastes good compost, which breaks my heart! Besides, the
amended areas are still surrounded by waterproof soil, so
the water doesn't drain away. Time for raised beds.
My next-door neighbor recently bought a plant nursery
and is always hinting that he would like my business.
(Naturally; I spend a lot of money replacing drowned
plants!) I told him that I was planning to build raised beds
and asked if he sold top soil in bulk. He said, "You should
use Pro-Mix. That's what I use," but then, he doesn't carry
top soil so he has to recommend something he does sell.
Is he correct? Plants are a new field for him (he used
to own a car dealership). When would you use top soil, and
when would you use potting mix? I know that potting mix (a)
is usually soilless, (b) is lighter than soil in both weight
and texture, (c) has wetting agents to retain moisture, and
(d) is more expensive than top soil. Because of its lighter
weight and wetting agents, I would use potting mix in window
boxes, containers that need to be movable, and, well, pots
in general. But what about in raised beds?
Janet
*It took me YEARS to find Iris pallida 'Argentea Variegata',
and this spring it succumbed to bacterial soft rot. :(
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