Matthew Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 Construction of my raised beds is seriously underway now... two of the four major beds are complete and half of the third is half constructed. Then added the compost bin and the mulch collected from the chicken run base as organic matter and dug well in but..... ...still have a shortfall of soil and need to get some .... ...any thoughts/suggestions/tips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 Try Freecycle...I often notice topsoil mentioned on my local one. I think people sometimes over estimate the amount they need for a garden project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkleeeeee Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 we have some but you are too far away. we just dug out for a new patio and we kept 4 tonne for my raised beds but we have some spare i have been trying to find places in the garden to put it. try the www.adtrader.co.uk there might be some in there. we take our spare lorry loads to the local soil suppliers, when we need more we buy it from there as well but it is by the lorry load. the local garden centre sells it but its very expensive. when i did our merchants, sand, soil and gravel suppliers map i used the yellow pages for the addresses, i think there were some soil suppliers that did landscaping and had any quantity of soil on their advert, you never know they might be digging up a garden near you and could drop it off to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 I just use multi purpose compost - from the cheap local garden centre. Our garden is solid clay so no chance of nicking any from elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted January 28, 2008 Author Share Posted January 28, 2008 all ordered... Have visitors this weekend so have manual labour on tap... a cubic metre of 75% 5mm screened greenfield topsoil mixed with 25% mushroom compost (horse/chicken manure mix) Arriving Friday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 Sounds like the sort of party that we have Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 Dilemma time... ... my visitors are of the practical type and are proposing that I need to line the raised beds with blue builders membrane. Although this sounds emminently sensible, after doing much digging on the net cannot find much evidence to suggest this is the norm... .. what do you guys/gals think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 We haven't done this with ours, but having said that we have made them on clean grouns and they are about 18 inches high. i f you have put them on ground which has nettles or bind weed in it you could but it could give you poor drainage unless you put holes in the membrane which would defeat the object or use a permeable one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 To clarify the lining is only against the boards not on the bottom of the bed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 That may be a good idea then because it will extend the life of the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 soil has arrived Now just got to shift it from the drive to the back garden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Good luck We had 2 huge trailer loads of well rotted manure last year one for the allotment and one for home and they nearly killed us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted February 6, 2008 Author Share Posted February 6, 2008 update on the new raised beds... now have all of the raised beds in place all ready to receive 4-6 inches of the delivered top soil/compost mix.. ..not as much completed at the weekend as resources were diverted to fix a fence panel behind the bed. Over a cup of tea its was democratically decided that that needed to be fixed ahead of the bed immediately in front of it. ..then on Saturday the rugby started before sunset ..and my flat screen TV arrived and required mounting on the wall Sunday.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 I'm amazed you got as far as you did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 UPDATE: All soil is now in situ.... yeeeeeeeeeee My fine eye for volumes meant only two wheelbarrow surplus lol.. Have ordered online last night from Thompson and Morgan.. Onion sets - Hercules Shallot sets - Golden Gourmet Garlic - various Leeks - Blauwgroene hefst Ardea Potatoes First earlies - Accent Second earlies - Anya Brassicas Brocoli - Tendergreen F1 Cabbages - Minicole F1 Brussels - Maximus F1 Beans Peas - Onward for successional sowing Broad Beans - Express French Bean - Nomad Runner Bean - White Apollo Roots Carrots - Adelaide F1 Parsnips - Gladiator F1 Others Courgettes - Venus F1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Well done it has been a good weekend for the garden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 You will be busy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 I'll post pics of the raised beds when I get the phone hooked up with my new desktop.... ...and I've got approximately 9m squared to fill!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...