ali-s Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 What sort of earth should I be putting in my raised beds? I haven't any spare garden soil. Will multi purpose compost drry out too quickly? Should I buy a load of top soil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 Drive down here Ali and take some of my manure..... I think the idea is some kind of manure (well rotted) then topped up with soil. Probably a load of topsoil would be your best bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 I'm no expert but have been reading up about it. According to Carol Klein it should be soil fortified with a good compost. According to the Square foot Gardening chap it should be soil, compost and vermiculite (1/3 proportion each). He recommends peat compost but that has the thumbs down in the UK because it is not sustainable. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicky G Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 The problem with a high content peat base would be that it becomes waterlogged quickly if insuffiecient drainage. You could put a freecycle add in for top soil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 Good thinking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N&J Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I used the earth that was from where i made the beds and added in a few bags of compost with some chicken pooh. It worked well There is a small section on bulidnig raised beds on my blog http://starting-an-allotment.blogspot.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Hi Ali! I normally use a couple of bags of top soil (expensive, but gives good structure), some compost and bit of sand and loads of manure (I will be over to AnniePs later with empty bags to fill up from her manure mountain)!! One thing I would do is plant a green manure in late autumn as this protects your soil from the weather and stops all the nutrients from being flushed away. the organic gardening catalogue do a good range. http://www.organiccatalog.com I use this which the chickens have now destoyed ready for spring planting. Good luck with the beds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Woo Hoo! OH has FINALLY gone to the wood merchants to buy the stuff for my raised beds! Watch this space: Pictures will follow! Advertised my donkey's manure on Freecycle and have the first person coming this morning to take a load..... hurry up Christian if you want some: You can borrow our trailer...... Seeds in the greenhouse all going well...... Life's good! Where's the cheapest place to buy topsoil from? Any ideas? OH wants to dig some up from our paddocks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Annie,why not post a request on freecycle? You never know............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 I would Sarah, but OH ( ) only wants "really decent stuff" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 .... hurry up Christian if you want some: You can borrow our trailer...... *dons wellies and breathing apparatus* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickpea Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Yeah I've just finished building my raised beds but now need to fill them! I may try freecycle - great idea! And then top up and dig in some compost me thinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina C Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 My OH made me two raised beds as a Valentines' Day surprise. Aaaah. One is 4x4 and one is 4x2. Layla has appropriated the smaller one and chosen all the stuff she is going to grow in it. I managed to get that one in place this weekend, complete with a wooden grid, as in the Square Foot Gardening book. I am hoping to get her out there one day this week to put her carrot and radish seeds in. I think my mum has some broad bean plants for us too and, for later in the year, we already have 10 tomato plants on my office windowsill - we don't have a greenhouse but fortunately we have very wide windows with big sills. My raised bed is still waiting - I have to clear some shrubs and stuff out of the border where that one is going. The bulbs are in flower so I don't want to move them yet! I am panicking a bit as I was reading the Sunday Times this weekend and apparently the RHS have said they have/are going to revise some of their advice about what to do when - things like pruning some things in January rather than March (a bit late to tell us that now though). This must mean that perhaps seeds should be going in earlier too? I know they will probably catch up but with bulbs flowering earlier (my daffs are finishing and the tulips are out) we are probably going to get our veg earlier too. I am having enough trouble thinking about what to sow when and what else can go in afterwards without having to consider time shifts as well. Anyway, what I was going to say was I dug over the soil first, put the raised bed on top than put a bit of chicken poo over the soil and topped it up with a bag of compost - B&Q 2 BIG bags for £10) - I needed one and a bit bags for the smaller bed, so the 4x4 will need 2 and half ish. And I am so excited! Can't wait for that lovely veg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina C Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Sorry that last post was a bit long! Well done for sharing your manure Annie. What does everyone do with their chicken poo? I have been throwing it in the composter but that is now more poo than anything else, as the chickens get most of the veg s"Ooops, word censored!"s and there is no garden waste going in there at the moment. When we get the ex-batts (sooooon) we will have even more! I tried offering it to the local school (Longsands, Annie) as they put a post on Freecycle asking for tools and wellies. They said they wanted to grow veg in their 'science garden', so I thought it would be useful. But they can't take it because of the health and safety aspect. I considered selling it by the bag for a few pence (as 'compost improver', and giving the proceeds to the BHWT but I don't know if a bag would be useful enough to anyone? Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 (Longsands, Annie) Boo: OH and I are Ernulfites.... (sorry: St. Neots folk only will understand that)... but my neices and nephews are at Longsands. I'd go with Freecycle: I've got rid of about 1/4 of my muck heap now and somebody has offered me about a skip full of topsoil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Ta DA!!!!!! Finally..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 That is a splendid specimen growing in the largest box AnnieP...is it a tea plant? They look smashing...very professional. I was amazed at how much filling my one 1m x 1m box took....mind you...you've got a bit of manure to spare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 That is a splendid specimen growing in the largest box AnnieP...is it a tea plant? . Actually, I thought it looked a bit weedy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 I think it just needs a bit more sun and a good watering........... Seriously the raised beds look great i am hoping my OH will make me some soon, but i had better let him recover from his jet lag before i start nagging him............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Gosh......what a big garden gnome you have Annie..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Gosh......what a big garden gnome you have Annie..... Hmmm just missing a fishing rod and a funny hat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Poor Jonnie - you are all so mean to him The hat and fishing rod would look good, plus a little bit of rouge on each cheek! The beds look great though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Them beds look fab Annie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Thanks all: I'll pass on your compliments to OH I'm sure he'll be delighted! The raised beds took a remarkably short time to make (admittedly I wasn't doing it, just holding the hammer etc). We started at around 2.00 pm with planks of wood and by 6.30 they were in place, pegged down and filled with manure and topsoil. Today we are going to trample on the soil a bit, fill them again with more topsoil, and I get to do the stringy bit, where we are going to seperate them into square foot sections... well 30 cms, (as we have to be metric, European and all that.. ). Oh, that's after we have mucked out of course.... More manure... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina C Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 I am very impressed! And triangles too. What a star! We are using strips of wood across ours - it looks very neat. But string does the same job. We didn't trample over ours - just watered it down a lot. And I kept telliing everyone to 'keep off' when I dug over the soil underneath. Do you think I need to compact the soil/compost a bit? I thoght it needed to be fairly soft? Layla has just been watching Alice in Wonderland and there is a bit where the flowers tell Alice that all flowers can talk but if the soil is too soft they spend all their time sleeping. Maybe if we trample hard enough our veggies will talk to us? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
