Plants need a soil depth of about 10 inches to grow well, but in the planting bed you have having the soil level near the top would be better for you. As soil settles in two things happen, entrained air escapes and the soil level drops, and soil organic matter is digested, converted to nutrients plants can use, and that causes soils levels to drop unless more organic material is added to the mix.

Although some may think it an unnecessary expense I would add more soil to that planting bed to bring the level nearer the top to make it easier for me to work on that bed.

kimmq is kimmsr

As floral_uk points out, the sides will cast shade on the plants if the soil level is too low, and the soil level you are seeing now is certainly going to drop further with settling and watering.

I assume that the "spend more money" reference means that what is in there now is a purchased soil mix or planting mix of some kind. You could probably just bring up the level by shoveling in some of your native soil and mixing it in thoroughly without affecting the performance of the soil in a negative way, unless (unlikely) there is something really hideously wrong with the soil already on your site, like toxic contamination.

Thank you, all, for your responses, I greatly appreciate them. Let me see if I can hit on each of your questions.

The box is 69" long x 24" wide, and 18.5" deep (these are the inside dimensions).

The whitish stuff around the base is the native soil, a hard clay. We dug up the grass in the area where we planned to put the bed, tilled the clay somewhat, and set the bed down on that spot. We did not put down any barriers between the bed and the clay.

I plan on growing vegetables - mostly tomatoes and peppers, hence the depth of the bed. I'm honestly not entirely sure if I'll start vegetables now, given that it's already the end of August - I'm thinking that, maybe for now through autumn I'll just do some late-season annual flowers, just to have something there, and then start my veggies next spring.

Since the native clay is pretty useless for growing what I want to grow, we bought soil to fill the bed. My husband (God love him) hates to spend much money on anything, and most of the soils available at the store were between $4 and $11 per bag. My husband was not keen on this. So I did some online research. I read somewhere that you can mix topsoil with compost 1:1 to make a good gardening soil. Both the topsoil and compost were selling for around $2 per bag. I hate cheaping out on stuff as important as soil type, but it was the only way to get my husband on board, so I'm really hoping this mix works. I forget how many bags of each we bought (the receipt is lying around somewhere), but when we mixed in the last few bags into the bed, I noticed that the soil level was considerably low (as shown in the picture). I commented that we needed more soil. My husband argued that he wasn't shelling out any more money on dirt. On another trip to Home Depot for something else, I finally managed to convince him to get more soil. So the soil level is higher now - not quite the 2" from the top that I've read is ideal, but better than it was before.

The fence is going to provide some shade in the morning, yes, but once the sunlight clears the fence, the bed will have many hours of full sun. I didn't want to put the bed in the middle of the yard because I want to keep as much open space as possible for the dogs to run around.

As an aside, the other reason the bed is as high as it is is because my male dog loves to pee on everything, and I didn't want him peeing on my plants; so, I made the bed high enough so he can't reach them.

*chaparralgirl*

Nice... I live in a mobile home park. My gardening space is very limited and I raise excellent veggies in beds constructed just like the one you pictured. You DEFINITELY should fill this to the top. Compaction caused by rain and/or watering and microbial action will reduce the level by more than half in the first year. I have had my beds for three years and each year I have added compost to my beds because this action continues and want to keep the level up due to shading as was mentioned before. It also is an easy way to add organic material. GL

So you live in a plantless wasteland where only a few specially adapted plants can survive in your native soil. I have actually been to such a place, but it was in Newfoundland, not Ohio. One of the dominant forms of vegetation there is carnivorous plants. Definitely unique.

Back to your issue, let me third the suggestion to dig up some of the native soil and mix it in with the purchased stuff until the level is as high as the box. At this point, it isn't going to be an easy job, but the results are going to be better and cheaper than buying more. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your soil that can't be fixed by adding manure, compost or whatever organic matter you can find.

Where did that " 2" from the top that I've read is ideal" come from? I've not seen anything like that in over 50 years of gardening.

kimmq is kimmsr

Maybe the same Webster's dictionary that someone claimed defined topsoil as the top 4 inches.

<snicker> :-D

It does need some more soil and you were on the right track getting some topsoil so it won't sink down as much over time. Some of those topsoil bags are mostly compost so you have to look at it and feel it.

There has to be a pile of dirt somewhere you can get a wheelbarrow or two from. Or remind that stingy husband of yours (note, I am one) that fresh tomatoes go for $2-$3/lb at the farmer's market, so one plant will pay for the soil for the entire bed. Then tell him there will be BLT's. BLT's with BACON. He'll cave.

I think you have a more pressing issue than the height of the soil in the bed. Bagged soils provide a medium for planting, but not a lot of biological diversity for your ecosystem. That diversity (mineral as well as biological) is down in that clay soil. You need that clay in your raised bed. If you can go back and incorporate that clay up into the bed, you will deal with both issues. The clay mixed in with the compost / topsoil mix will add both volume and structure that will prevent settling. It will also bring in minerals, fungus, and bacteria that will go to work breaking down nutrients for your plants.

Once you have done that, you should be fine. Remember, mulch is your friend, so having a few extra inches at the top to hold a thick winter mulch is a good thing.

Some of the bagged soil I have purchased over the years have been pretty good soils, close to the 45-25-25-5 mix I usually recommend but others have been pretty bad, little more than sand and not worth the $1.49 for 2 cubic feet that I paid. But then again some of the bulk soil I have seen offered for sale by "landscape" suppliers is much the same, some worth the money and some not.

As I have also tried to demonstrate using the term "topsoil" is meaningless as this article illustrates.

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/the_shocking_truth_about_topsoil

kimmq is kimmsr

Can I add more soil to my beds once they have started to grow because with all the rain plus realizing the soil level is to low for my carrots, I know it's not deep enough for them to grow properly but I don't want to hurt the plants.

You can't really add soil after the plants have sprouted.

Does that black sheeting go underneath the entire bed or is it just lining the sides? As long as the bottom is open to the soil beneath, the roots can go into the native soil. If that's a porous weed fabric, it's not the worst thing, but it's not really helping anything either. If it's plastic, that's bad. The bed has to drain.

You've found that the organic matter (compost) added to raised beds will keep decomposing, and everything will also compact somewhat, so the level drops. Next time you add soil, add some mineral soil (topsoil) as well as compost, or you'll have this problem constantly.