Square Foot Garden Planting Medium Mix
A typical 4'x4'x6" square foot garden will require enough planting mix to occupy 8 cubic feet of volume. This breaks down to (all measurements are approximate):
  • 2.6 cu feet of coarse vermiculite (approximately 2/3's of a 4 cubic foot bag)
  • 2.6 cubic feet of peat moss
  • 2.6 cubic feet of compost - preferable home grown - if not ensure that you have a good mix of different compost (cow manure, mushroom, etc)

To simplify this ratio, we use 1/2 bag of vermiculite (4 cu ft), 1/2 bale of peat moss (4 cu ft), and approx 8 bags of compost (1/2 cu ft). This is also an excellent planting mix for your hanging baskets, tomato pails, The Spud Barrel and herb dishes.

We have found the easiest way to mix is to invite a couple of friends over; spread a tarp on the ground; dump above mix onto tarp; grab corners, sides and roll/mix medium then dump in garden bed.

Remember after the bed has been established, you'll only use compost when re-planting your next rotation crop.