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  • #1

    Filling raised beds?

    This year we will be able to put raised beds in the polytunnel (cost prohibited us from doing so last year).

    However, and it seems like a silly question, what should we fill them with?

    I have access to huge quantities of free horse manure, so was thinking of putting a layer of that in the bottom.

    Should we just buy topsoil? Or is there something else we should be looking for?

    (I haven't got enough home-made compost/soil improver to fill the beds with)
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  • #2
    Do you need to fill them all in one go or can you gradually fill them a bit each year? Actually could be useful to know how deep they are as I may be imagining something totally different.

    Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

    Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

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    • #3
      I used a mixture of well rotted horse manure (bedded on wood shavings), Shop bought peat free multi purp compost and my own homemade compost. To be honest, I probably should have added topsoil too, as the texture was quite light and loose, and has gone down quite quickly.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Alison View Post
        Do you need to fill them all in one go or can you gradually fill them a bit each year? Actually could be useful to know how deep they are as I may be imagining something totally different.
        This is my approach - I put them (the raised beds) in to seperate things out and make things more "maneagable" (for me). I just put whatever organic matter I have to hand in. Leaves, compost, manure and so on.
        Last edited by HeyWayne; 01-02-2010, 01:15 PM.
        A simple dude trying to grow veg. http://haywayne.blogspot.com/

        BLOG UPDATED! http://haywayne.blogspot.com/2012/01...ar-demand.html 30/01/2012

        Practise makes us a little better, it doesn't make us perfect.

        What would Vedder do?

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        • #5
          I used straw in one of mine covered with horse poo and MCP. One tip though make sure the straw is well buried or it grows back!
          WPC F Hobbit, Shire police

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          • #6
            I used a mix of shop-bought compost (by the tonne), home-made compost and top soil, I was pleased with the end result - it has produced some excellent crops
            aka
            Suzie

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            • #7
              Are you putting them on existing top soil, and if so what's the growing depth you have already? If you're putting them on ground you used last year, then you don't necessarilly have to fill them in one go. When creating my own I dug in compost, well rotted manure and soil to the existing top soil. I didn't 'fill' them completely until last year. I just topped up each spring with manure, homemade compost and my own top soil.
              A good beginning is half the work.
              Praise the young and they will make progress.

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              • #8
                They will be on top of landscape fabric (then manky clay soil underneath).

                I'd envisage them being about a foot deep in the shallowest places, to 2ft at largest height (making them from reclaimed brick).

                I can get several tons of well rotted horse manure (already used up a ton on my vge patch, and haven't covered every bed), plus poo-covered straw from my hens and ducks, so I guess I could mix that with bought in compost/top soil?

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by OverWyreGrower View Post
                  They will be on top of landscape fabric (then manky clay soil underneath).
                  The "manky clay" soil underneath may well be a boon in dry months - especially with raised beds. Great for water retention and not all that bad really.

                  *Goes to start a "clay ain't all bad" appreciation page on Facebook*
                  A simple dude trying to grow veg. http://haywayne.blogspot.com/

                  BLOG UPDATED! http://haywayne.blogspot.com/2012/01...ar-demand.html 30/01/2012

                  Practise makes us a little better, it doesn't make us perfect.

                  What would Vedder do?

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Originally posted by HeyWayne View Post
                    The "manky clay" soil underneath may well be a boon in dry months - especially with raised beds. Great for water retention and not all that bad really.

                    *Goes to start a "clay ain't all bad" appreciation page on Facebook*
                    Problem is there's a foot of manky clay soil and then sand, as we're right at sea level...

                    The soil is manky as it is sticky, heavy clay which is reclaimed from weed infested meadow.

                    We're hoping that in a couple of years, the couch grass, nettles, bindweed, wild ivy stuff, buttercup etc will have died back enough under the landscape fabric for us to plant straight into the soil!

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                    • #11
                      I'm on a clay/ chalk mix. When we put our raised beds in, we stripped off the turf, turned it upside down and then fill the beds up. Most of our beds are about a foot high, but I can grow 3ft long parsnips in them with no difficulty...they just keep going down!!
                      Last edited by Pumpkin Becki; 01-02-2010, 02:20 PM.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Pumpkin Becki View Post
                        .... but I can grow 3ft long parsnips in them ...
                        3ft what?

                        ......
                        aka
                        Suzie

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by OverWyreGrower View Post
                          Problem is there's a foot of manky clay soil and then sand, as we're right at sea level...

                          The soil is manky as it is sticky, heavy clay which is reclaimed from weed infested meadow.

                          We're hoping that in a couple of years, the couch grass, nettles, bindweed, wild ivy stuff, buttercup etc will have died back enough under the landscape fabric for us to plant straight into the soil!
                          Sorry. ....
                          A simple dude trying to grow veg. http://haywayne.blogspot.com/

                          BLOG UPDATED! http://haywayne.blogspot.com/2012/01...ar-demand.html 30/01/2012

                          Practise makes us a little better, it doesn't make us perfect.

                          What would Vedder do?

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Originally posted by piskieinboots View Post
                            3ft what?

                            ......
                            **sharp intake of breath** I SAID THE 'P' WORD!!!!

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by HeyWayne View Post
                              Sorry. ....
                              No probs

                              I always thought if I was feeling creative, I'd at least have lots of raw materials to make funny shaped mugs etc out of!

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