Mel's Mix Measuring with 5 Gallon Buckets

Hey everyone! This is my second season using Sqft Gardening and I'm addicted. This year, I started making a ton more mix and I'm not quite sure if its up to par with last year. This year's mix seems to retain water a bit more but its hard to compare with the established mix from last year, especially considering i'm in a different bed. 

Rather than measure in cubic sqft, here's my method. 

3 Different types of compost
Vermiculite 
Peat Moss

1 - 5 gallon bucket of compost - I fill a 5 gallon bucket 1/3 of the way with each type of compost
1 - 5 gallon bucket of vermiculite
1 - 5 gallon bucket of fluffed peat moss.

I mix the compost up a good bit before adding the other two ingredients. I do the ole tarp tug to get it all blended together and it looks great.  Is this measuring method correct or am I miscalculating the fluff of peat moss? Just want to make sure I'm heading in the right direction before making the rest of my beds. 

AceoStar wrote:

1 - 5 gallon bucket of compost - I fill a 5 gallon bucket 1/3 of the way with each type of compost
1 - 5 gallon bucket of vermiculite
1 - 5 gallon bucket of fluffed peat moss.

That's how Mel measures in the book. You need 4 sets of those three 5-gallon buckets to fill a four by four garden to 6 inches. Each bucket is about 2/3 of a square foot.

I've been doing it in four sets, with each set of 3 ingredients (i.e. 15 gallons) mixed in a wheel barrel.

Similar , but easier on your back & shoulders for a lot of folk . 

The completed mix is a ratio for a volume of 15 buckets , so you only need a single one or two gallon bucket to measure things out .

This was posted eight or so years ago ……….   IIRC in the  compost 101 threads.


5x1 gallon bucket of different composts 
OR 
5 x 2 gallon buckets of mixed compost not a single type or repeats of the same compost so watch out for multiple uses of wood  ,local utilities waste etc 


5 x 1 gallon bucket vermiculite 

OR 
5 x 2 gallons vermiculite


5 x 1 gallon of fluffed up peat 
or 
5 x 2 gallons fluffed up peat 

  I should think most folk will find it easier to use a  one or two gallon bucket /container than they would trying to hump 5 gallons of damp/wet compost about .

Ace, It sounds like you are mixing just fine. I just wanted to clarify that you are making more Mel's Mix for a new bed. For your existing bed, all you have to do is add more blended compost each time you plant.

sorry for the late reply, but thanks everyone! Based on the feedback, I think I'm doing it right, though I did run into one weird batch that I'll post about soon.   Sanderson, yep, I'm making new mix for new beds and draining containers.