Filling Raised Garden Bed with Dirt

An 8'x4'x1' bed holds (get ready for some serious math) 32 cubic feet of soil, laundry, or stray cats. That's enough dirt to seriously strain the shocks of an aging station wagon, but not quite enough to make it worth renting a truck and visiting the dirtmonger. Perched high atop the horns of a dilemma, the problem was resolved when a recent price war between Lowes and Home Depot ushered in sale prices on Miracle Grow Garden Soil, 2 cubic feet for about 6 and half dollars. At that price, it made sense to buy about 14 bags of soil and 200 pounds of composted cow manure, which, surprisingly, isn't exactly dirt cheap. Along with a hefty amount of sphagnum peat moss, it took 12 bags of soil and 160 pounds of composted cow manure to fill the bed within an inch of the top.

Positioned on the margin of a fairly wooded section of yard, the bed was lined with some landscape fabric. It's hoped this will keep weeds and roots from growing into the bed -- at least for a little while.