Healthy soil

**taff** · 24-01-2011, 08:40 PM

if you just have compost in your beds, you're going to exhaust the nutirents in it pretty quickly, and will have to keep replacing it. Depending on how thick your layer of compost is, and whether it's mixed with soil, you may have to add something that will give it a bit of help [if it dries out, it'll be really difficult to wet/keep moist again]. I'd add a couple of wheelbarrows of soil if you can, and some manure, either well rotted or pellets.
I would hate to be spending money on compost to top up beds if I could source a freebie. If you do source whatever you decide to fill it with from somewhere other than a shop, check the quality, if it's manure, check there's no aminopyralid contamination, or if topsoil, check for weeds/stones etc before you take it.

**Two_Sheds** · 24-01-2011, 08:44 PM

Just as Taff said, you need some good quality topsoil to give it some guts

then as much homemade compost as you can produce, rather than mpc which tends to be too fluffy

**bigt1888** · 24-01-2011, 08:48 PM

thanks taff!!

i suppose a could top them up with some soil from the front garden as i plan on digging the border over this spring to try my hand at flowers (would need to weed it as i go as it has been a little overgrown over the past two years)

would i just dig that through any compost at say a 50/50 mix then add some pellets?

**taff** · 24-01-2011, 09:07 PM

I'd personally go for a higher topsoil mix, depending on what veg you grow, and whether it'll need some support [like cabbages for instance] they'll need a firmer soil structure, if you've already used the compost last year, it'll act as a conditioner rather than a nutrient base, but that's me. As Two Sheds says, mpc is too fluffy, good for carrots or things that don't wave about in the wind much.
What you could do is see if anyone in your street is growing veg, ask them what kind of soil/compost mix they have, what grows well for them. Gets you talking to your neighbours too, and potential for seed swapping

**Two_Sheds** · 24-01-2011, 09:13 PM

Originally posted by bigt1888 View Post

would i ... add some pellets?

Chicken pellets are alkaline, and pretty high in nitrogen, therefore ideal for leafy brassicas

**bigt1888** · 24-01-2011, 09:18 PM

so if im getting you correctly i need as much soil as i can scavenge from the front garden and maybe mix it with some shop bought topsoil to bulk it up and maybe add a little MPC and more from the dalek as it becomes usable.

i intend to grow mainly carrots,leeks, beans, peas, salad leaves etc and keep one bed seperate for herb as i tend to go through alot of these.

**Two_Sheds** · 24-01-2011, 09:20 PM

The gold standard is loam - try and replicate that and you're there

more info here: http://usagardener.com/breaking_grou..._good_soil.php

I have sandy soil, and am adding as much homemade compost, green manure and leafmold as I possibly can

**tumbling tom** · 24-01-2011, 09:23 PM

I can't believe it. I just came on here to ask practically the same question.

Am getting everything ready for my new beds and my containers and was going to go for a mix of MPC with some vermiculate and blood, fis and bone.

What I wanted to ask was about manure. Was gonna buy some but then realised that I have 10kg of pellets that I bought in the wilko sale last year. Are the pellets a suitable replacement for normal manure?

**Two_Sheds** · 24-01-2011, 09:24 PM

Pellets are a fertiliser (feed), horse muck is more of a soil conditioner (improves the structure)

**bigt1888** · 24-01-2011, 09:31 PM

thanks TS

the front garden soil is pretty much clay soil and i could add some sand(horticultural i guess) but how do i get the silt aspect or is that where the compost comes in?

all of a sudden i feel like a total novice again after convincing myself over the winter that i was a gardener all of a sudden!! DOH!!

**tumbling tom** · 24-01-2011, 09:33 PM

Originally posted by Two_Sheds View Post

Pellets are a fertiliser (feed), horse muck is more of a soil conditioner (improves the structure)

Thanks, finally I get it, doh!

I would assume the perlite/vermiculate would aid the drainage in the commpact mcp, right?

**salilah** · 25-01-2011, 08:17 AM

I use a mix called Denise's Delight (!) from Madingley Mulch - it's a mix of (fairly) well rotted manure and black Fen soil. I get a big bag (cubic metre) for about �65 and just top up the raised beds with this. I also use this for potato bags, then once the potatoes are done, that goes onto the beds as well (not tomato bed).
Seems to work OK!

**Two_Sheds** · 25-01-2011, 08:20 AM

Originally posted by tumbling tom View Post

perlite/vermiculate would aid the drainage in the commpact mcp, right?

Why is the mpc compacted?

It is used to aid drainage, and to retain water & nutrients, for tiny seedlings that don't like stodgy soil

**zazen999** · 25-01-2011, 10:01 AM

Originally posted by bigt1888 View Post

thanks TS

the front garden soil is pretty much clay soil and i could add some sand(horticultural i guess) but how do i get the silt aspect or is that where the compost comes in?

all of a sudden i feel like a total novice again after convincing myself over the winter that i was a gardener all of a sudden!! DOH!!

Good soil is made up of [in average terms]:
25% air
25% water
45% minerals [clay, sand, silt]
5% humus [the dark stuff]

So people try and get this mix by looking at their soil and importing the missing ingredient. I have heavy clay so I add organic matter and sand to try and get air and humus into the mix. Two-sheds has sandy soil [doesn't hold either water or nutrients] so has to add matter to try and keep both in.

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