Filling beds - how much soil

**Aberdeenplotter** · 23-01-2011, 12:13 AM

Mary-Belle,

that's one whole(pardon the pun)lot of soil. Seriously though, you need 132 cubic feet which is just slightly under 5 cubic yards. That will settle so you will need even more than that. So probably minimum 5 tons of soil. Best not to use fresh compost if you intend growing root crops.

**zazen999** · 23-01-2011, 08:04 AM

You don't have to completely fill with soil in your first season. You could just put cardboard down, cover with the compost from your compost bin and plant through the cardboard; and in time, with growing and mulching, your levels will rise.

Or you could spend a fortune on new top soil and wear yourself out barrowing it to your beds.

**Two_Sheds** · 23-01-2011, 08:54 AM

I made a new raised bed at school (smaller scale than you) - it would've cost over �100 for screened topsoil to fill it, so we did it the lasagne way: layers of grass clippings, compost, newspaper, autumn leaves etc on top of the existing soil which was forked over first.

Worms will mix it all up and it'll be ready for planting up in March when the weather improves.

As Zaz says, you don't have to fill them first in order to get planting. How deep is your existing soil? Fork it over and plant into it, adding compost, rotted manure etc over the years

**oldie** · 23-01-2011, 11:57 AM

I'd go with TS and Zazen on this one. I bought in screened topsoil (from a major supplier) for my garden and am convinced that is how I got white rot. On the lottie I have done raised beds by gradually building up the depth as suggested above.

**mary-belle** · 23-01-2011, 03:35 PM

Thanks guys,

I don't think I realised how much I would need when I started out, damn the cheap wood and large garden that excited me so much!

I think I will attempt the lasagne method as suggested and maybe glean off a layer of soil from the garden before we lay the lawn. It is pretty deep soil as much as I can make out. Deep enough to grow spuds in anyway.

Hmmm where to get grass clippings from when I don't have grass...

**Two_Sheds** · 23-01-2011, 03:42 PM

Originally posted by mary-belle View Post

Hmmm where to get grass clippings from when I don't have grass...

Me neither (my guinea pigs eat my lawn). I wait for my neighbours to start mowing, then go and ask for their clippings - I get loads

As for leaves, you've missed the boat this year, but make a diary note for autumn and go out collecting as many sacks of leaves as you can (each sack will rot down to about a carrier bagfull of leafmould)

Ask market traders for veg scraps, peelings etc.

In my school garden, I got the kids to bring in their kitchen scraps (mostly spud peelings which are no good because they regrow. One girl brought me a bag of teabags and plastic rings from beer ...)

**zazen999** · 23-01-2011, 03:44 PM

You don't need grass clippings; I'd just pop a few layers of cardboard or newspaper over the top, cover with your soil and compost and plant through. By the time you harvest your spuds, most of it will have rotted down and just the harvesting will loosen the soil and raise the level. And then it will be time for another mulch.

You can dig a trench or two next winter, add in kitchen veg scraps straight, and cover back up - and plant beans in there. Helps to raise the level as well.

There are all sorts of things to do without buying in topsoil.

**taff** · 23-01-2011, 04:43 PM

I dug mine to one spit, edged with scaffolding boards/other chunky wood, and then just added stuff as i got it, compost/manure etc.
something like this
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...s-some-veg.jpg
it's the third year now, and they're going great guns [I've added a fmore since then though

]

**Kristen** · 23-01-2011, 05:30 PM

My Raised Beds are only slightly raised. I dug the paths out one spit deep, and put that soil on the beds. I've added manure and stuff from my compost heap which, coupled with the fact that they are never walked on and compacted, and thus somewhat "fluffy", had raised their height.

**taff** · 23-01-2011, 05:36 PM

Originally posted by Kristen View Post

I dug the paths out one spit deep, and put that soil on the beds

now that's a good idea, I might do that this year.

**Kristen** · 23-01-2011, 05:55 PM

My soil is heavy clay, so (without doing anything else to speak of) it does create somewhere for the water to go, and then soak away.

The name I know it by is "lazy raised beds" - as I don't have any timber frame around them either!

**Glutton4...** · 23-01-2011, 06:24 PM

I also use the 'Lasagne' layering method. I'm too tight to buy topsoil, and even if I did, I would still mix it with leaves, dung, cardboard, paper, old compost... My Dad bought tons, literally, of screened topsoil, when be started his Veg. garden, and it looks lovely, but the soil packs down really tight, and doesn't hold moisture for long.

**mary-belle** · 23-01-2011, 07:57 PM

Thanks guys you've been really helpful, a fab way for someone who is just starting out to get some great advice.

After a bit of a search I have come up with 2 plans of attack and would appreciate any feedback on which would be best.

Option 1
1. layer base of beds with newspaper - about 5 sheets thick?
2. a layer of green stuff (veg peelings, grass, tea leaves/coffee etc)
3. layer of brown stuff (leaves, wood shavings/rabbit poop)
4. more newspaper (shredded or sheets or no difference)
5. layer of soil maybe some well rotted manure if I can get my hands on it

does that sound about right?

Or can I just do this

Option 2
1. layer with newspaper
2. empty compost bin in (been going for about 7 months)
3. more newspaper
4. soil and manure

Luckily I work at a school so gonna be badgering people for newspaper, grass clippings, veg peelings and collecting the kids fruit cores at playtime!

**Two_Sheds** · 23-01-2011, 08:01 PM

you need to know the difference between browns and greens: greens is obvious, browns covers newspaper and autumn leaves. So, you don't want a layer of newspaper and then another brown (leaves) you need green in between (kitchen scraps, grass or weeds)

Therefore your option 2 is better than option 1

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