New raised garden beds.

G'day all,
 
Im looking to install three new raised garden beds 1.2 meters wide, 3 meters long and 0.8 meters tall made from corrugated steel. Something almost identical to this.

 
I'll be mostly be growing peppers (naturally), but I'll also be growing tomatoes, lettuce etc..
 
I've been doing some research as to the best ways to set them up, with mixed results. Besides, I'd rather hear from y'all that know what works best for peppers.
 
What I'd like to know is:
 
What soil mix do I fill them with, a good grade composted soil, or should I be adding other mediums?
 
Should I add gravel or rocks to the bottom layer to aid in drainage?
 
I'd also like members opinions of this "Wicking bed system". Good idea,  or not necessary? 
 

 
Explained here:I'd appreciate any ideas, thoughts or suggestions. 
 
T.I.A,
 
 
SR.

good idea bud!! i would start with a base mix with stuff like perlite and peat then add in your compost, worm castings, etc. You can always buy pre mixed quality soil but the stuff is getting so damn expensive it is a better idea to mix your own.  good luck.

I used a base of 60/40 screened topsoil/yard waste compost blend that a local company sells by the cubic yard. I added a bunch of stuff to it. Bone meal, blood meal, a few bales of peat moss, tomato tone, some mushroom compost and since I don't have worm castings anywhere local I added a few bags of Black Gold potting mix since it has worm castings in it. Ended up with the biggest and thickest pepper plants I've ever grown. Pushing 6 feet tall right now. Planning to make 3 more long beds this year and filling with the exact same thing

Scorched said:

I used a base of 60/40 screened topsoil/yard waste compost blend that a local company sells by the cubic yard. I added a bunch of stuff to it. Bone meal, blood meal, a few bales of peat moss, tomato tone, some mushroom compost and since I don't have worm castings anywhere local I added a few bags of Black Gold potting mix since it has worm castings in it. Ended up with the biggest and thickest pepper plants I've ever grown. Pushing 6 feet tall right now. Planning to make 3 more long beds this year and filling with the exact same thing

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This is pretty much what I do as well.  This is the first year adding mushroom compost for me but glad to hear someone else does it.  Very reassuring.

Thanks for the input so far.

Most local soil suppliers have soil mixes that already contain mushroom compost. I'd have to think that it'd work out cheaper buying it already in the mix in bulk, than per bag and adding it afterwards.

I'll need about 8.5 cubic meters (11.1 cubic yards) of material to fill the beds. It is unnecessary to have good soil where the roots of plants will never reach it. So, I'm going to add a base layer of about 300mm (1ft) of crushed granite or scoria to aid drainage. Then I'll fill the remainder of the beds with garden soil and make amendments if necessary.

I don't think I'll be adding Perlite. As much as I'd like to, my current garden bed has done fine without it especially seeing that it was only an improved clay soil. I'll just need to make sure that the soil I use isn't too heavy, and contains lots of organic matter so it drains well.


SR.

Soil mix option #1.

 
Three way mix of organic material, top soil and mushroom compost. 
 
Thoughts?
 
 
SR.

that system is badass!