Bulk Garden Mix for Three Common Types of Gardens

Selecting a bulk garden mix for many can feel like gambling. We don’t blame them after all; at least to most people, all soil looks the same, so it stands to reason that it should support life. While soil is undoubtedly at the heart of your garden, it is also directly responsible for the quality of what you want to grow. That’s why it is so important to choose the right bulk garden mix. It isn’t uncommon for whole seasons to be lost because of poor soil, and that’s regardless of how much effort you put into the garden. In other words, the success of your garden hinges a lot on the quality of your bulk garden mix.

While you could make your soil mixes, it can be time and labor-intensive. The next best option that does not require much time and effort is to purchase our bulk garden mix. We have bulk garden mixes for ground-level gardens, potted plants, and raised boxes. Each type of garden mix is slightly different.

In this article, we’ll go into how each type of bulk garden mix is different so that you can choose the right one for your garden.

Garden Mix For Ground Level Gardens

One goal with our bulk garden mix, in general, is to keep as much of our product local as possible. That way, we don’t have to import anything other than what is essential.

The garden soil mix is a mixture of natural topsoil or sand that has been blended with organic material. Often materials like compost bark from mill operations, composted cow and chicken manure are common additions to garden soil mixes. The coarse matter helps to improve the soil’s water-holding capacity for sandy soils; it helps loosen the texture of all the heavy clay allowing for better root development in your garden beds.

Garden Mix For Raised Boxed Gardens

Many gardeners reading this would have tried various soil mix recipes, but you will want to not settle for those cheap bags of raised bed soil. The cheapest bags of soil are also of the lowest quality, usually filled with debris, weed seed, and various other contaminants.

A high-quality garden mix, like the type we recommend and sell, is a mixture of topsoil, substrate, and compost. The soil contains the required nutrients to help improve its overall condition. The topsoil is usually needed for everything from raised garden beds to indoor potted plants. While it isn’t rich in nutrients, it is an imperative component that has a degree of organic matter. However, we ensure that our garden mix includes the right amount of topsoil but not too much of it.

Some people may want to add more peat moss to the mix, but we’d not recommend it unless you know what you’re doing since more peat moss can raise the soil’s acidity.

Improve the Soil

A much better and long-term solution is to improve the soil by adding some organic matter to it, then mulch over the top to help prevent the soil from drying. Rotted organic matter also introduces microorganisms to the soil, which breaks down the waxy residue, improving the soil’s biology.

We would, however, caution you against excessive use of pine bark or eucalypt woodchip mulches since they may carry fungi that negatively impact the soil. Many gardeners believe that varying the mulch used between pine bark, mushroom compost, tea tree, sugarcane mulches, and lawn clippings help add a broader range of microbes to aerate and condition the soil.

Bulk Garden Mix For Potted Plants

Potting soil needs to be composed in a way so that it allows water to penetrate through easily. That is why it is a specially formulated mix that’s composed of ground pine bark or vermiculite. The original mixture can be acidic, so limestone is added to help balance the pH. A wetting agent may also be added to prevent the soil from drying out since pine bark, and peat moss are difficult to wet after drying.

The potting mix will also include a small amount of plant food. The addition of plant food helps offer the nutrition needed to grow most plants in a potted environment.

Conclusion for bulk garden mixes and the three most common gardeners:

Bulk garden mix is an excellent place to start for any gardener. The mix can then be further amended based on the type of growing environment. However, specialized mixes can help save you a considerable amount of time and effort.

Are you in need of any bulk garden mix, premium garden mix, or any other soil-related products in or around the Edmonton Area? You can view our inventory by clicking right here.

Stay tuned for next week’s blog where we address more soil-related questions.