soil Raised bed with 100% mushroom soil?

B

BKennedy017

I will be doing two raised beds this year and have been contemplating what to do about dirt in them. Any issue with just filling with 100% mushroom soil? I want to keep it Organic. Suggestions, comments, opinions?
 
Thanks
 
With my raised bed I'm gonna use some top soil (because it's rather large) and I'm going to mix in mushroom compost from a local mulch company. I've also heard people say it's good to mix sand in for drainage..
 
:welcome: ....I've read very good things about mushroom compost. Maybe add some peat moss if it's on the heavy side and there's a slew of organic ferts out there!
 
I think whatever you use that you will want to mix it with the top soil. There is (should be) sand in that. If you dig them out before you add anything you can get a lot deeper. Drainage in a raised bed isnt anything to really worry about unless the spot you're putting it over doesnt drain either.
 
I also like a really deep mulch. I like at least 4-6" of chipped wood (free from the city).

 
 
Mushroom soil has wonderful texture and has been sterilized. It makes a great component, but the nutrients  are depleted in growing repeated mushrooms crops.   They replace it with new mixture when their analysis indicates it is 'worn out nutritionally', the old stuff is sold to area gardeners for soil amendment.  When we lived in Chester Co. PA, we were lucky  to have mushroom houses within 1/2 mile.  I always had a truckload of mushroom soil piled in my back lot and side dressed all our shrubs and borders. We also had a small truckload of rotten chicken dung from a local farm.  I turned that into my veggie patch every winter with the mushroom soil, plus enough dolomite to keep the ph up to ~ 6.5.
 
Here is a valuable reference for your county.... http://www.pennystone.com/soils/cumberland.php
 
My soil was heavy red clay and absolutely required amendment and plenty of dolomite.
If I had added sand to my red clay and then water = concrete.  
Absolute must was dolomite, humus, compost or similar.
 
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