10 Best Soils for Raised Garden Beds in 2022: Reviews & Top Picks

vegetable in raised beds garden

There is one thing about increasing your very own foodstuff in a lifted-bed garden that makes it additional specific. But even though it is a entertaining and satisfying process, obtaining the outcomes that you want commences with making use of the correct soil.

The right soil can flip meager yields into excellent types, and the mistaken soil can get rid of off your plants just before you even start.

That’s why we created this record of testimonials of the 10 best options out there. There’s also a thorough buyer’s information that will walk you via every little thing that you need to have to know when you’re selecting out soil for your raised-bed yard!

A Quick Look at Our Favorites in 2022

Rating Image Product Details

Best Overall

Winner

Miracle-Gro Performance Organics Raised Bed Mix
Miracle-Gro Performance Organics Raised Bed Mix
  • Organic product
  • Great mix of price and performance
  • Ready-to-use bag

  • Best Value

    Second place

    Miracle-Gro Potting Mix
    Miracle-Gro Potting Mix
  • Affordable
  • Multiple size options
  • Feeds plants for up to 6 months

  • Premium Choice

    Third place

    Organic Plant Magic Compressed Organic Soil
    Organic Plant Magic Compressed Organic Soil
  • Organic
  • Easy to use
  • Great for small gardens

  • Espoma Company Organic Vegetable and Flower Soil
    Espoma Company Organic Vegetable and Flower Soil
  • Organic option
  • Great value
  • Easy to use and effective

  • FoxFarm FX14047 Potting Soil
    FoxFarm FX14047 Potting Soil
  • Ready-to-use bag
  • Effective formula
  • pH optimized
  • The 10 Best Soils for Raised Garden Beds

    1. Miracle-Gro Performance for Raised Bed Mix — Best Overall

    Miracle-Gro Performance Organics Raised Bed Mix

    Brand: Miracle-Gro
    Size: 1.3 cubic feet
    Primary blend: Compost from forest products, peat, and sphagnum peat moss

    If you’re seeking for the best general soil for elevated backyard garden beds, it’s hard to leading the Miracle-Gro Performance Organics Lifted Mattress Combine. It’s an natural and organic improve from its normal backyard garden soil, and this combination is especially for raised beds.

    Even better, even though it is an upgraded method and a excellent selection, you don’t have to invest significantly money to get it.

    The only criticism is that it only arrives in baggage up to one.three cubic feet. Whilst that is not necessarily “small,” numerous other baggage appear in as much as 2 cubic feet.

    Pros
    • Organic product
    • Great mix of price and performance
    • Ready-to-use bag
    • Specific raised-bed formula
    Cons
    • Only available in small bag sizes

    2. Miracle-Gro Potting Mix for Raised Garden Beds — Best Value

    Miracle-Gro Potting Mix

    Brand: Miracle-Gro
    Size: 1 or 2 cubic feet
    Primary blend: Processed forest product, sphagnum peat moss, and perlite

    Wonder-Gro tends to make higher-high quality soil and is 1 of the biggest backyard soil producers in the place. This indicates you know just what you are receiving every time, and with Miracle-Gro Potting blend, which is a higher-quality soil that you can use for several different apps. It comes with enough fertilizer to feed vegetation for six months, which addresses most developing seasons.

    This soil functions for each indoor and out of doors plants, and the very best portion is the value. It’s incredibly inexpensive, and you can get it 2 cubic toes at a time. But it is not natural and organic and it’s not a lifted-bed-distinct system.

    At this price point and with every thing that it offers, though, it is effortlessly the ideal soil for lifted garden beds for the cash.

    Pros
    • Affordable
    • Multiple size options
    • Feeds plants for up to 6 months
    • Works for both indoor and outdoor plants
    Cons
    • Not raised-bed specific
    • Not organic

    3. Organic Plant Magic Compressed Organic Soil — Premium Choice

    Organic Plant Magic Compressed Organic Soil

    Brand: Organic Plant Magic
    Size: 2 pounds
    Primary blend: Coconut coir, worm castings, and fertilizer

    If you just want the very best of the very best, it’s hard to top the Organic Plant Magic Compressed Natural and organic Soil. As the identify implies, it is natural and organic, which can make it an outstanding decision for elevated backyard beds.

    It is also simple to use and extremely flexible, so you can very easily use this soil for just about anything. It does a great job nourishing plants and supplying them all the vitamins and minerals that they need to have so you can have a fantastic harvest.

    Even so, there’s no overlooking each the value and the size of this container. Although it expands with h2o, you’re still not obtaining in close proximity to as considerably as the other alternatives on this listing. You are also spending a lot more, which signifies you will want to pay very a little bit of money for huge lifted yard beds.

    It’s wonderful soil, but due to the value and the measurement, we only suggest this choice for little tasks and areas.

    Pros
    • Organic
    • Easy to use
    • Great for small gardens
    • Versatile soil
    Cons
    • Expensive
    • Small size options

    4. Espoma Company Organic Vegetable and Flower Soil

    Espoma Company Organic Vegetable and Flower Soil

    Brand: Espoma Company
    Size: 2 cubic feet
    Primary blend: Sphagnum peat moss, limestone, and earthworm castings

    If you have a big raised backyard garden bed and want natural and organic soil, this might be the best selection for you. Each time you purchase, you get two one-cubic-foot luggage of Espoma Business Natural Vegetable and Flower Soil, which signifies you don’t need to order that considerably.

    As an natural and organic soil, it is a great worth, as well as extremely powerful and easy to use. It’s a all set-to-use soil, so all you need to do is open it up and pour it into the garden bed.

    But although it’s great that you get two luggage each time you get, if you do not want that significantly soil, you are overpaying to get more soil than you need. We wish that there have been an option to get just one particular bag at a time. That explained, by buying two at a time, you’re at minimum getting a fantastic deal per bag.

    Pros
    • Organic option
    • Great value
    • Easy to use and effective
    Cons
    • Only comes in large sizes

    5. FoxFarm FX14047 Potting Soil for Raised Garden Beds

    FoxFarm Happy Frog Potting Soil

    Brand: FoxFarm
    Size: 2 cubic feet
    Primary blend: Composted forest humus, sphagnum peat moss, and perlite

    FoxFarm generates some of the best soils on the market right now, and its FoxFarm FX14047 Potting Soil is no exception. It’s an very powerful pH-optimized system that you can basically pour into your yard to get started out.

    But even though there’s no doubt that this soil is incredibly efficient, it’s not a elevated bed-distinct choice it’s in fact very best suited for container crops. It’ll perform for a lifted mattress backyard, but you won’t get the greatest outcomes that this soil can give.

    In addition, this is high-priced, which indicates you’re paying out more and not acquiring the ideal attainable final results by using it. You could do far even worse than this FoxFarm soil, but you can do just as nicely with a single of the other soil options on this record without having spending as a lot.

    Pros
    • Ready-to-use bag
    • Effective formula
    • pH optimized
    Cons
    • Expensive option
    • Better for potted plants

    6. Whitney Farms Organic Raised Bed Soil

    Whitney Farms Organic Raised Bed Soil

    Brand: Whitney Farms
    Size: 1.5 cubic feet
    Primary blend:
    Peat, processed forest products and compost, and sphagnum peat moss or coir

    Whitney Farms Natural Elevated Bed Soil is a excellent organic solution that you can use for your elevated garden bed. It is extremely simple to use because it comes ready to use, and it’s a raised bed-specific system, so you know that you’re using it for its perfect function.

    It is incredibly effective and does a excellent work, but it is a bit costly, specifically given that you are only receiving 1.five cubic feet of soil. Given that most other possibilities at this value stage arrive with 2 cubic ft of soil, you are investing significantly much more for what you’re receiving.

    Nevertheless, if you have the funds, you are going to adore the outcomes that you get with Whitney Farms Organic Raised Mattress Soil.

    Pros
    • Organic formula
    • Easy to use
    • Raised-bed specific formula
    • Effective
    Cons
    • Expensive

    7. Black Gold Natural Organic Raised Bed and Potting Mix

    Black Gold Natural Organic Raised Bed and Potting Mix

    Brand: Black Gold
    Size: 1.5 cubic feet
    Primary blend: Bark, Canadian sphagnum peat moss, and compost

    Black Gold tells you just about almost everything that you need to have to know appropriate in the name. This soil is all about maximizing your garden’s yield, and it does a wonderful job of it. It is incredibly functional as well, so although it performs fantastic in elevated bed gardens, there’s no reason that you cannot use it in other areas also.

    The soil itself is natural and organic and prepared to use proper out of the bag. Nevertheless, although “gold” is in the title to emphasize the generate that it provides, it also hints properly at the price tag.

    Black Gold All-natural Organic Lifted Bed and Potting Blend is expensive, and you’re “only” receiving 1.five cubic feet for every bag, when compared to the 2 cubic-ft possibilities of most other manufacturers, so you are heading to want even much more luggage.

    Pros
    • Extremely versatile soil
    • Effective
    • Organic
    • Ready-to-use bag
    Cons
    • Expensive

    8. New Coast of Maine Organic Raised Bed Mix

    New Coast of Maine Organic Raised Bed Mix

    Brand: Coast of Maine
    Size: 1 cubic foot
    Primary blend: Compost, peat, and biochar

    New Coastline of Maine isn’t 1 of the largest soil makes out there, but it does fairly a couple of factors right. This is an organic and natural raised mattress soil that is completely ready to use right out of the bag, and it is available for a good value.

    However, it only arrives in a 1-cubic-foot bag, so anticipate that you will need to have a number of far more bags to fill your backyard garden compared to some other alternatives out there.

    Also, it simply isn’t as powerful as several other possibilities. It has a sturdy odor, so it’s not something that you will want to use within. It is wonderful for a raised bed outside, although.

    Pros
    • Decent value
    • Easy to use
    • Organic formula
    • Ready-to-use bag
    Cons
    • Only comes in a 1-cubic-foot bag
    • Not as effective as many other options

    9. FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Soil Mix for Raised Garden Beds

    FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Soil Mix

    Brand: FoxFarm
    Size: 0.5 cubic feet
    Primary blend:
    Composted forest humus, sphagnum peat moss, sea-going fish emulsion

    When you’re seeking at FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Soil Blend, it is a difficult split. On 1 hand, you are not going to locate a much more powerful soil. If you are seeking for the very best of the ideal no issue what, this is it. It is extremely flexible and extremely successful, and all you want to do is pour it appropriate out of the bag into your elevated-bed backyard.

    On the other hand, it’s simply the most high-priced choice on this list. Whilst it might not seem like it, every bag only arrives with 1/two a cubic foot of soil. You will need to have up to four moments as numerous bags of this soil as most other choices. It’ll do a great task, but you are going to invest a fantastic offer of cash to get sufficient soil for a massive elevated-bed garden.

    Pros
    • Most effective option
    • Extremely versatile soil
    • Ready-to-use bag
    Cons
    • Expensive
    • Only comes in small bags

    10. Michigan Peat 5540 Magic Topsoil for Raised Garden Beds

    Michigan Peat 5540 Garden Magic Topsoil

    Brand: Michigan Peat
    Size: 0.75 cubic feet
    Primary blend: Peat and sand

    It is critical to observe that Michigan Peat 5540 Garden Magic Topsoil operates best either solely as a topsoil or mixed in with one more backyard soil.

    It just does not appear with every thing that you want in a raised-bed garden soil, though it does not faux that it does. But if you’re considering of getting this topsoil to help save yourself money on yard soil, you must feel yet again.

    This topsoil is a tiny pricey, but it does generate a fantastic mixture for your yard. Nonetheless, there are no true price cost savings, and it is a little bit much more work to use.

    Pros
    • Great top layer soil
    • Many sizes available
    • Versatile soil
    Cons
    • Expensive
    • Should be mixed with another soil

    Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Soil for Raised Garden Beds

    With so many excellent alternatives on this record, it can be challenging to slender it down to just one for your lifted mattress backyard. This guide will wander you through almost everything that you require to know ahead of you place an purchase!

    How Much Soil Do You Need?

    The previous issue that you want to do when getting soil for a lifted mattress garden is to possibly commit more than you have to and buy way too considerably or not commit sufficient and not get all the soil that you need to have.

    Folks measure how considerably soil they need in cubic ft, which is the measurement that manufacturers place on their soil labels, so you need to determine out how a lot of cubic toes your garden is. If you need to have support, try utilizing a soil calculator1 ! Basically select the form of your yard, set in the proportions, and it’ll tell you exactly how numerous cubic toes of soil you want.

    Organic vs. Non-Organic

    There is no correct or incorrect response below, but several individuals growing their very own foods in a raised-bed yard desire to use organic products. This means there need to be fewer substances, fertilizers, and other prohibited substances coming near your foods. But if you plan on fertilizing with a non-organic and natural selection, anyway, you may possibly as effectively conserve money on the soil way too.

    Once more, there is no incorrect decision listed here you just have to prioritize how much you treatment about organic and natural foodstuff and choose if you’re prepared to shell out a lot more for it.

    Fertilizing the Soil

    Although the soils on this checklist are all fantastic, they only provide enough food for crops in your lifted-bed yard to increase with no difficulties for one particular time.

    That doesn’t imply you need to drain out the soil and begin all more than once more up coming calendar year, however. Rather, we advocate planting a go over crop for the winter and then acquiring an excellent soil fertilizer for the following year. This will aid you get the ideal attainable outcomes, and you will not need to devote so a lot cash on new soil next year!

    Conclusion

    If you are nonetheless trying to figure out what soil to get soon after reading through by way of the reviews and buyer’s information, just know that there is a cause that the Wonder-Gro Functionality Organics Raised Mattress Blend is our leading decision.

    But if which is a lot more than you want to devote and you really do not care about employing an organic and natural soil, Wonder-Gro’s Potting soil mix is a great funds selection.

    What’s essential is that you purchase the soil soon so you can get every little thing ready before it is time to set your plants in the ground.


    Showcased Graphic Credit score: Linda George, Shutterstock

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