It's easier to add insulation now rather than later. We figure there is no harm in doing so. Besides the weather seems to get crazier and crazier!

One problem is that some of the smaller garden centres have now closed for the season so there isn't going to be a lot of choice. I know I can get some kind of ProMix and the Miracle Gro.

Your community compost site sounds interesting. We do have available free leaf compost. I'm not sure how really good it is.

When I had my hosta raised bed built, I sort of made my own soil mix. Compost, organic raised bed soil (I happened to use Whitney Farms), soil pep (which is bark fines), and some sphagnum peat moss. Seems to be working out well.

i would stay away from the MG stuff ...

What do you mean insulating raised bed? Do not think I understand purpose?

As for raised beds soil, I do them routinely in my veggie gardens. I like lasagna methods and pile everything I could get my hands on, compost, leaf mulch etc

I have no experience with raised beds, but I don’t think the Miracle Grow potting mix would be best... doesn’t that have perlite, and sometimes fertilizer? Around here, at places like Home Despot, ooops I meant Home Depot ; ), they sell bags of ‘raised bed mix’.

But if that’s not available, Popmama’s suggestion sounds good to me. I’ve been doing something similar for potted hostas - mixing my own with a product I buy at a local nursery (blend of compost and pine bark), a little peat, and some additional pine bark for extra good drainage. If I want to fertilize I’d prefer to do it on my own schedule... and perlite holds too much moisture.

I do use those kinds of potting mixes, like Miracle Grow, for potted annuals in the summer though.

Raised beds sounds like a good solution to the roots issue! And so nice your husband is building them for you!!!!

You have peaked my interest, NHL. Can you clarify, please? Sounds to me like what you describe is for "potted hostas". I assumed your raised bed was just that... a bed of soil (real dirt, not a media) that has been (will be) raised in which to plant various plant species. I've only had one coffee, so bear with me ;-).

If you are planning a plot in which to plant some of your potted hostas en masse in a potting media, (like a huge container) then the closed bottom may present a drainage problem? As will the insulation?

i would take charge of fert myself ... and NOT buy a media with the fert included ...

if you start thinking of the words.. SOIL and MEDIA .... you can start to delineate the difference between the 2 products ... soil is mother earth .. and media is what you use in a pot ... and all a raised bed is.. is a large pot ...

media is a water management system .. manipulated with various amendments.. to all you to figure out.. how much water runs right thru and out the pot.. and how much is retained ... e.g. ... trees in pots.. like a sip of water. and then 99% flows right out the bottom .... as compared to a water loving hosta.. where you want to hold a higher percentage so you dont have to water every day ....

i also dont know why you need insulation ... i have hosta in pots.. in ground freeze MI ... and all i do.. in late fall.. is tip them on their sides .. and the hosta do fine ....

i would be curious how you are going to stop the tree roots from coming up into the media..

imo ... your biggest challenge.. will be in fall ... keeping them moist late into fall ... but insuring they dont go into winter sopping wet .. and dont accumulate water in in winter ...

have you considered using pot in a decorative raised bed ... hiding the pots with what i am presuming is a wooden sided growing box .... yeah know.. it might help us.. help you.. if you gave us a better idea of this structure he is building.. as i am presuming.. its more than just a berm.. or pile of dirt ...

canadians .... nhl ..... lol ... i see what jo did there.. eh???

ken

Popmama, your soil mixture sounds great! I think if you can mix your own, that's the best way to go!

Ken, stay away from MG potting mix? Why?

Lindalana, the lasagne method seems like a wonderful method, but the drawback is time and space. I have room to store the raised boxes temporarily, but I also need to remove the plants, position the box, fill it and plant the perennials before they deteriorate.

Windymess, MG does have fertilizer in it, but there really isn't that much in it especially when you end up mixing it with other soil/media ingredients. (Well, that's my thought process in regards to that anyways.) You say perlite holds too much moisture? Hmmmm. I have seen raised container bags earlier in the season but don't think I see them now. (That's part of the problem---needing soil/media later in the season.)

I am going to get photos of a box my husband is working on to make things more clear. I'll come back to comment on Jo's and Ken's posts.

I assumed you meant Miracle Grow Garden Soil, not potting mix. The garden soil is cheaper and I think has less of the peat and perlite. Although I have a hard time finding that info on the web. My sister uses it in her garden with good success. I myself would make my own with a mix of native soil and compost. Sharp contrast between soil types causes drainage problems. Some of those would be alleviated by the raised bed, however, so I would think the Miracle Grow Garden Soil or similar would work.

I am so confused I can't even tell you! Here's some pictures. Keep in mind the wooden planter is not finished.

Sorry for all the confusion! Jo, I want to plant hostas and perennials into this wooden planter. The hostas would not be in pots. I would just remove the plants from the area where the wooden planter would be placed. I would plant those plants into the container. I would rearrange the plantings next year---if they survive!

Why do I NEED insulation? I don't know if I NEED it. The idea is to help reduce the fluctuation of temperature in the soil, I think. The Insulation is an idea I got from a gardener I recently visited. She had three very large, heavy ceramic planters by her front door. She told me she had them there for over 10 years and did not have one crack in the ceramic pots! She told me she insulated them with foam particle board. (And if anyone is interested, I recently heard of insulating round planters with pool noodles! You purchase the narrower size and use them as is or cut them in half lengthwise! They have some flexibility which the foam board does not.)

The planter would be on short legs placed on bricks or tiles to promote drainage.. The planter would have drainage holes drilled into the bottom.

I will be looking for soil/media with no fertilizer!

Can't I cover the wooden planter for the winter? Maybe pile leaves on the top and then cover (to stop the media from getting too wet).

Ken, I'm tired of pots and all the work they entail. I know this solution is far from perfect, but isn't it worth a try?

Beverly, if my wooden planter is more like a very large pot, then I would think I need to add potting media and not garden soil?

Signed,

Confused!

P.S. Don't you hate making a mistake in the title of the thread and not being able to correct it?!

OK, I think I am following you now. :).

My first thought of a "raised bed" when I read your post was piling more soil on to a planting area, elevating it anywhere from 6" or more...like I have done in my garden in most areas.

But now that I see this lovely planter, I get it. It will look amazing when the plants are planted in there! Handsome planter already, even more so when the feet are installed.

Playing the devil's advocate here, however... the issue of drainage would concern me the most, that no matter how much bark you add to the potting media, you are dealing with a large area and it might have a density problem...especially during the rainy fall. I would be afraid of it getting water-logged? You mentioned drainage holes will be drilled but it is the mass of media that may be (or not) a potential issue.

We are so careful to ensure that a single hosta is not potted in too large a container, but just large enough to accommodate the roots, so it can drain quickly, and have time to dry out. I wonder how long it would take the media to dry sufficiently to avoid rot in such a large container. Reducing the depth by one board might solve that potential problem.

If this was my project, I would experiment with a large amount of media, mixed to my liking. I would fill the largest container I had...say for example, a blue recycling box that had additional (many) drainage holes drilled into the bottom. Then I would soak it as if a torrential downpour came from the heavens...and wait to see how long it would take to drain properly. Then do a heft test just to be sure. If it feels too water-logged, I would add more nuggets for example. A bit of sand to the mix wouldn't hurt. I would play around with it until I was satisfied it drained sufficiently.

Wood tends to hold moisture. By insulating the interior a few things might happen: it will take a longer time for the wood to degrade (years) on the inside which is a good thing; secondly, the media all around the planter might dry more quickly. And as you mentioned, insulation may keep the temperature of the contents a bit more stable throughout the planter.

Just thinking out loud for what it's worth.

Ok, now I get it too. My plastic tubs are just slightly less deep than your wooden containers. I used about equal mix soil, pro mix and bark fines. Mind you I had inexpensive hostas and other plants growing there for few seasons before I planted my mini collection there. Insulation needed for ceramic pots, wood will expand and contract with no problem.

Thanks Jo for your lengthy response! "Just thinking out loud for what it's worth." That's perfect!

First of all, the planter is no where near complete. It's not got its framing. That means it can be changed. (This is where my husband rolls his eyes!) Reducing the planter by one board is possible.

So too large a container contains media that remains wet for too long is what you are saying. I do see what you mean as I have had hosta in pots that were a little too big and some in pots that were too small. I'd say the hosta in pots that were too small overall performed better. So media is critical. I agree.

Blue box? Yup I do have a couple, and my husband has already drilled holes in them as he fills leaves and branches in those containers for yard waste. I could try an experiment in one or both and see what happens. I think I can still get some pine bark nuggets and/or sand.

I am not sure if I understand what you meant when you said, "the media all around the planter might dry more quickly" if I have insulation in the planter. Could you explain?

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Lindalana, your planter is so cute! Your plants look great! So you say you used soil (garden or potting?), pro mix (do you remember which one?) and bark fines (equal proportions?). Bark fines are not available here unfortunately. I've have never seen them anywhere. I can only find small nuggets and I think that would have to do. Even the small nuggets are challenging to locate.

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NHL, I didn't word that very well... I just meant that the media inside the planter would not be sitting against the wood (which may retain moisture) but rather the insulation...which is a dry element. Does that make more sense?

For my tubs I used garden soil which has been well worked by worms and is light and fluffy. We only have basic pro mix in stores so this is what I use for years.

Perfect sense, Jo.

Sounds good lindalana. I think the bark fines that you are able to purchase in your area are nice and small and give the media wonderful drainage properties. We have to make do with what we have available to us, but that is the one product I would like to get my hands on!