Filling raised beds sounds simple—until your plants stop growing, your soil compacts, and the pests show up. In this video, a soil scientist breaks down the three worst things people add to raised bed soil, including raw kitchen scraps like banana peels and coffee grounds, pure compost or manure, and even landscape fabric.
You’ll learn how these popular organic materials actually disrupt root development, attract pests, and harm soil biology—and what to use instead. We’ll also show you how to build a healthy raised bed using the right balance of compost, mineral soil, and airflow.
Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned gardener, this video will help you avoid common raised bed mistakes and build long-term soil health using real science.
✅ Topics covered:
– What NOT to put in raised beds
– Raised bed soil mix: compost vs mineral soil
– Kitchen scraps in the garden: science-based advice
– Soil compaction, drainage, and microbial life
– Raised bed drainage tips (fabric vs open bottom)
🧪 Cited studies and soil science explained in plain English!
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👩🏻🦰 A B O U T M E:
Ashley has had a passion for plants since she was a small child. In the long summers as a child, she would garden alongside her grandmother and it was then that she realized her love for greenery. With years of great studying, Ashley had begun her post-secondary education at the University of Saskatchewan.
At first, her second love, animals, was the career path she chose but while doing her undergrad she realized that her education would take her elsewhere. And with that, four years later she graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor’s degree in science and a major in Soil Science.
Some of Ashley’s interests are YouTube, in which she posts informative videos about plants and gardening. The focus of Ashley’s YouTube channel is to bring science to gardening in a way that is informative but also helpful to others learning to garden. She also talks about the importance of having your own garden and the joys of gardening indoors. Ashley continues to study plants in her free time and hopes to expand her YouTube channel as well as her reach to up-and-coming gardeners.
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