Yeah, i wasnt going to get miracle grow and i appreciate the reminder warning.

this is an elevated bed on legs so the gardening space is waist high.

i had the impression that ”real soil wiuld be too heavy.

Thanks

sorry i missed that detail.

ive been reading and thinking about this so much i brlieve Im tired of the subject. i need to on a decent soil mix and plant. ’course Im 2 months late but theres always a moment for cherry tomatoes.

I went back and re-read my initial post i gave the dimensions of the raised bed. i should have said ”elevated” . i knew id put dimensions some where

Thanks,Klem1

Quick math check: if the soil box is 60" × 12" × 8" deep, that's 5 ft × 1 ft × 0.67 ft, or about 3.3 cu ft. That's 3 bags of 1.5 cu ft, a bit less than the 5.59 ft³ listed. It's worth measuring the inside, because listings often use outside dimensions. Either way, it's a small enough volume that a better mix only costs a few dollars more in total.

Since it's an elevated bed, it behaves more like a big container than a ground bed. It drains faster and dries out faster, so you want something closer to potting mix than garden soil. A cheap middle ground that doesn't need much mixing: roughly two parts store-brand potting mix to one part bagged compost, with a handful or two of perlite if the potting mix is dense. For about 5.6 cu ft plus a little for settling, that's around three 2-cu-ft bags of potting mix and one 2-cu-ft bag of compost. You can just layer them in and stir the top few inches with a hand trowel, so no heavy mixing. Most garden centers will load the car for you, and some deliver for a small fee if you're buying several bags.

A quick math check first, because your two numbers do not quite agree, and that changes the bag count. If the soil box is 60 in long x 12 in wide x 8 in deep, that is 5 ft x 1 ft x 0.67 ft = 3.33 cu ft, not 5.59 cu ft. To get 5.59 cu ft from a 5 ft x 1 ft box, the soil would have to be about 13.4 in deep. So measure the inside of the box before you buy, as Yard Ruler suggested - listings often use outside dimensions.

For 3.33 cu ft, the bag math is: 3.33 / 1.5 = 2.2 bags of the 1.5 cu ft Miracle-Gro raised bed soil, so buy 3 bags at about $10 each, about $30. Add 10% for settling and you need 3.67 cu ft, still 3 bags. In 2 cu ft bags, 3.33 / 2 = 1.7 bags, so 2 bags. If your box really is 5.59 cu ft, that is 5.59 / 1.5 = 3.7 bags, so 4 bags of 1.5 cu ft, about $40, or 3 bags of 2 cu ft.

For a single bed this small, bagged is actually the right call - bulk soil is sold by the cubic yard (27 cu ft), so even one yard would be about 8 times what one bed needs. I agree with the comment above about not using real topsoil in an elevated bed on legs: it is far too heavy when wet, and it drains poorly in a container. The 2 parts potting mix to 1 part bagged compost mix suggested above, with a little perlite, is a good middle ground for tomatoes, and it stays light enough for the legs.

You can check the exact bag count for your inside dimensions and depth with this raised garden bed soil calculator.