Filling a raised bed (Merged)

Larumbelle

Hi Ron

I prefer 'homemade' compost, multipurpose is okay if this isn't possible but I wouldn't just use it on its own. What is she planning to grow? If veg I us vermiculite and manure or similar as well as compost, but different plants have different needs, let us know what is going into the beds and we'll let you know what you should use

D&DD

Ronald when we moved into our new build we had the same problem plus lumps of concrete and full tins of paint with the lids off :mad:
Has she got any 'grass' laid or is it just rubble?
What grass we had was like a patchwork quilt so we turned the turves over and used them at the bottom of our raised beds to hold the moisture in/feed the soil and also so we had less soil to buy!
Fork/dig the site well as its often really compacted so it won't drain well at first.
Buy a compost bin as well or see if your local council do them for free,we have 2 and it keeps the cost down and helps build up some beautiful soil.
Normal multipurpose compost is fine or if you want splash out on a bit of manure to mix in with it.
Try local stables where its often free also our garden centre do 3 for 2 on some soil..you can also try freecycle for topsoil etc??
Best of luck
D

ronald208

She wants to grow lettuce, carrots, onions, peas, in fact any vegetable that will grow in Scotland. Except neeps, she hates them.:(

She has never had a garden of her own before so basically anything grows.;) She would like to use home made compost but it will take a while to build up a supply.

I work in Asda so when they start selling their multipurpose compost I can get a load for 10% off, plus if there are any damaged bags I can get them cheaper.

No doubt when she gets her own internet connection she will be on here for advice.

Ron

nodwah

your Asda compost wil be fine and you might want to mix a bit of sharp sand in with it (NOT builders sand)
If it's like when I was in a newbuild the soil will be very poor subsoil which is basically no good for growing so raised beds is the only way to go.

Whereabouts in Scotland?

I'm just south of Glasgow and we grow sweetcorn with out protection and the beechgrove garden grew sweet potatoes in Aberdeen!

snorkie

Hi, had the same problem last year!

I read last years Which report and the cheapest and best ended up being Homebase Multi Purpose Compost (5p/litre) and Homebase Grow Bag (4p/litre). These are peat based but if thats a problem they recommend New Horizon Organic & Peat Free Growbag (9p/litre)

I filled my beds up with the Multi Purpose stuff and had great results! Trying my own homemade stuff this year, so i'll see what the comparison is like!

pompeii

I put a layer of fresh horse manure a layer of home compost then shop bought compost on the top, i managed to grow lots of spinach, lettuce, rocket, radishes, purple sprouting broccolli, cabbages, still have parsley & carrots in the ground, I got a stubbier variety I have pulled some up and they are very healthy & sweet corn.

I compost almost everything not cooked or meat, even the leaves and branches of a couple of trees we pruned last year went in. I have 2 of the big plastic composters and last year i put about 10 bags of the stuff in the raised beds, compost seems to take care of itself once you get it going.

HampshireSeagulls

If she can, fork over the bottom of the raised beds before adding anything. I also drop a 1" layer of shingle in the bottom (just me, I suspect!) which helps the drainage, and seems to encourage excellent root growth. As said above, layer in well-rotted horse manure if she can get it, if not don't panic, and fill the bed up with shop bought compost. You are essentially using a huge growbag/pot anyway! She could do with lining up some home grown compost for the end of the year to layer over the top, but for now, just put enough in to get growing!

coolpran

can i fill the bottom of a raised bed with fallen leaves? i have got 1 black bin bag full of leaves which have been sitting outside all winter and are now rotting away. do they make the soil any better?

thenanny2die4

Hi everyone. My first post on the gardens board.

We're just planning raised beds for veggies. We have grown some veg before over the past 5 years or so, but it's been a bit haphazard and with varying success.

So.... We're planning to make the beds from wooden gravel boards attached to wooden frames and they'll probably be about 1m x 2m. Think we'll probably end up with four beds and we also plan to make a cold frame.

I'm a bit confused as to whether there's an optimum height? The area they're going onto is the old veg patch but we didn't do a great deal last year. We have access to horse manure. Is it a good idea to use this as part of the mix when we fill them? And what are your best tips for buying compost? Are there cheap bulk suppliers? I'm nervous about working out the volume we'll need and, surely, if we fill them up, the level will be much lower when it settles in a few weeks?

We'll be growing a selection of pretty bog standard veg; nothing too exotic, probably spuds, caulis, broccoli, courgettes, onions, spinach, garlic, maybe carrots and parsnips (we've had problems with forking in the past).

Any pointers, please?

Edited to add: Ooh, I forgot. What's the form regarding adding some flowers - either annuals or something sacrificial? Can we bung in some marigolds, have some trailing lobelia over the edges, stuff like that or won't the veggies get on with them???

nodwah

coolpran wrote: »

can i fill the bottom of a raised bed with fallen leaves? i have got 1 black bin bag full of leaves which have been sitting outside all winter and are now rotting away. do they make the soil any better?

you'd be better raking the leaves up and putting them somewhere to rot down, they take a good couple of years to rot. Put them in something with holes in it like a hessian sack.