How to Organically Prepare Peat Moss for Use in Container and Raised Bed Gardens

How to Organically Prepare Peat Moss  for Use in Container and Raised Bed Gardens
It is always nice to have compost for organic matter but sometimes you run out or as in my garden... always run out. I use peat moss to add structure to my raised bed gardens and for my container gardens. It really adds to the ability of your soil to retain water. 
I use it in my containers at nearly 50% peat moss to 50% of some sort of earth. Making your own container soil with peat moss is a great cheap alternative to paying top dollar for bagged products that are fertilized with chemicals you may not want.
Peat moss is on the acidic side of the pH scale and it falls somewhere between 4.5 and 5.5. This video shows you how I prepare 10-12 gallons of dried peat moss (at a time) for my raised beds and container vegetable gardens.



Peat moss comes in 3 foot cubic bails and it is bone dry. The cost is about $10. You really have to pre-moisten peat moss when you use it. It actually initially resists absorbing water and it will just sit there and float on water. You always want to mix a wet product into your garden soil.
I am focusing more on the life and structure of my soil for 2014 and have switched to a lot of organic products that won't harm good micro-organisms. Again, the video highlights all the products I am using to amend the peat moss for use in my garden. Peat moss really has no nutritional value to plants. You want to add in some sort of fertilizer when preparing it. You should also add in some lime to help manage the natural acidity, depending on your garden's needs.  
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