What is in Mel's Mix?

Mel's Mix is a carefully chosen, balanced growing medium consisting of 1/3 peat, 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 blended compost. It is ph neutral, nutrient rich, friable, and well draining without drying out. All three ingredients play their part in creating this winning combination.

Do I need to fertilize with Mels mix?

Mel's Mix™ has everything your SFG needs.

Mel's Mix™ is a perfectly balanced mix of equal parts blended compost, coarse vermiculite, and peat moss. The blended compost component has everything (literally everything) your plants need nutritionally in order to grow and thrive, so no added fertilizers are needed.

Does Mels mix work?

Many gardeners have found that something called “Mel's Mix” is a great option, especially if you're building your first raised bed. It combines all the high nutrients soil types with well-draining organic material that make it an excellent soil for growing a bumper crop in your raised beds.

Is Mel's Mix good for flowers?

And Mel's Mix does an amazing job at both retaining valuable moisture while allowing for excellent drainage so your plants don't rot. It precisely feeds your plants. The addition of blended compost means that your plants get the nutrition they need without having to mix, measure and add fertilizers.

How often do you water Mel's Mix?

Square Foot Gardening 101: Mixing Mel's Mix CORRECTLY!

Can you use Mels mix in pots?

Here we share two mixtures for different situations and uses. Mel's mix is great for seedlings, container gardening inside and outdoors, and also a mixture of freely available materials that is great for raised garden beds.

How much Mels mix do I need?

How Much Soil Do You Need? Here's a handy Mel's Mix calculator. For instance, a 4'x4'x6″ deep raised bed would need 8 cubic feet of Mel's Mix to fill the bed. To make it super simple, you would need FOUR (5) gallon buckets EACH of fluffed peat moss (or coco coir), coarse vermiculite and blended compost.

Is peat moss better than coconut coir?

Coconut coir is a readily renewable, pH-neutral, non-hydrophobic soil amendment that aerates, improves water retention, and is more environmentally friendly than peat moss.

Is perlite the same as vermiculite?

We've already covered the biggest difference: Vermiculite will mix with soil and help to retain water. Perlite, on the other hand, will add drainage to the soil that it's mixed with. Vermiculite finds its way into many seed starting systems.

What can I use instead of vermiculite?

What is the best mix of soil for raised beds?

For most situations, we recommend these proportions: 60% topsoil. 30% compost. 10% Potting soil (a soilless growing mix that contains peat moss, perlite and/or vermiculite)

What is vermiculite do?

Vermiculite helps to aerate soil while simultaneously retaining water and nutrients, which it then releases over time. Vermiculite is therefore useful in seed sowing and propagation. It can also be added to house plant compost.

What ph is Mels mix?

It has a natural ph in the range of 6-7, and as such will require the same attention to ph in the beds as coir. The Mel's Mix I made with Pitt Moss had the closest consistency to peat in the final mix. It absorbs water much more readily than peat, or coir, and in my tests stayed wetter for longer.

How do you make soil for a square foot garden?

The classic square foot garden soil mix is made from 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 finished compost from several different sources. Measure by volume, not weight. We used a 5-gallon bucket to measure out equal amounts of each ingredient.

What is perlite used for?

Perlite is used in potting compost mixes to improves aeration, draining and insulation. Perlite can be used to open up the structure of ready-mixed loam or peat-based composts. For soilless compost mixtures, use 3 or 4 parts of Sphagnum Moss Peat to 1 part of perlite (80/20).

Why is peat moss being banned?

Peatlands in Europe contain five times more carbon than forests and disturbing peat for agriculture or harvesting it for compost releases CO₂ to the atmosphere, accelerating climate change. The UK government plans to ban peat use among amateur gardeners by 2024.

What are the disadvantages of coir?

The most common problem with coir is it can have an extremely high salt content, especially in lower grades. Coir high in salts should be leached before use. Coir has a lower cation-exchange capacity and it is high in phosphorous and potassium.

What is wrong with peat moss?

It breaks down too fast, compressing and squeezing air out of the soil, creating an unhealthy condition for plant roots. Peat moss can be a useful growing medium for containers, however, when lightened with a drainage material like perlite. The biggest problem with peat moss is that it's environmentally bankrupt.

What can you substitute for peat moss?

What is vermiculite in gardening?

Vermiculite is a mineral (aluminum-iron, magnesium), which is mined and processed into granules that may be mixed into the soil to aid in aeration and drainage as well as adding often needed nutrients to the soil. There are several ways in which Vermiculite can enhance your gardening efforts.

Do you have to replace garden soil every year?

The soil in your raised beds will break down over time; however, you don't need to replace all of the soil in your raised bed garden to have beautiful, vibrant, or bountiful plants. Before planting the following growing season, add Miracle-Gro® Refresh™ Soil Revitalizer to your old soil, following package directions.

Is raised bed soil good for containers?

Raised Bed Soil is like a balance between garden soil and potting mix. It has the exceptional drainage necessary for container and raised bed gardening and it assists gardeners in maintaining loose soil which provides adequate airflow for necessary oxygen and nutrient delivery to root systems.

What is cotton burr compost?

What is cotton burr compost? Usually, when cotton is harvested, the plant is run through a gin. This separates the good stuff (the cotton fiber) from the leftovers (the seeds, stems, and leaves). This leftover stuff is called cotton burr.

Can you use container mix in a raised bed?

Soil taken from your yard or a garden bed is too dense to use in a pot or raised bed. Instead, for containers, you'll want to use potting mix (also called potting soil), a lightweight and fluffy alternative. For raised beds, you'll want to use a slightly heavier soil made specifically for that type of garden.