New raised veggie garden

[Newton]

Thank you for your replies Two Sheds- I appreciate that you are trying to pass on knowledge from your own experiences but the facts are that we do not have that much garden/vegetable waste (we are a couple not a family which also doesn't help) and that filling these borders that way will take years.

Based on that, I am willing to pay for my impatience but want to pay for the right thing.for example. I don't want to use mushroom compost if its not the right thing to mix in or good enough and I don't want to use the Levingtons MPC with added John Innes if that is not going to be the right mix either.

Thank you for the comment about the price of decent topsoil though, it was the answer I was expecting (but didn't want to hear.)

Wow"....Kina! Look at the number of posts from TS. You will not get better advice than she has already given you.

In fact from the posts I have read on this thread all of the advice is good. I am amazed at your responses........

The money you will SAVE in time and effort by using the right topsoil down the line will make up for the additional expense at the outset.

Wake up and smell the coffee(grounds)

[Two_Sheds]

go with compost not the screened topsoil the compost has more nutrients and is better for growing veg.

Pplease could you supply your reasoning for this quote TGC.

Here's mine: bought compost (MPC) does have some nutrient added, but only 6 weeks worth at the most. It's perfectly suitable for salad and seedlings, but fully grown veg, particularly brassicas, need something with more guts, more body, something soil based: JI No.3 or Rolawn topsoil.

[veggiechicken]

Hi,
I am in the process of building 4 x 1.2 mtr square raised vegetable borders in the garden which are 45cm high. Under them is approx 6" of imported soil which is on top of (probably) compacted clay soil (this is where the garage used to be before we pulled it down.)

I would sit the raised beds directly on the "compacted clay soil" and fill them with the 6" of imported soil. Since the raised beds will not cover every square inch of the garage base, you'll have more than 6" in your raised beds, and the remaining compacted soil will be firmer to walk on between the beds.
Result, you've spent nothing except some time and effort. You can top the beds up with some of the suggested options later.

[Mikey]

Kina,

Why not go on freecycle and see if there is anyone in your area that has free horse manure. I found a great bloke near me, and whenever I want some I go and borrow his trailer. Win win, you can mix the compost in with the imported soil as VC has mentioned and leave it over winter, then dig it over in in the spring. Virtually zero cost, and you can't go wrong with a nice pile of muck.

[thegreatcob]

Two_Sheds what you are describing compost is bag soil.
my definition of compost is leaf mold,composted manure, composted grass clipping,mushroom soil, spoiled hay or straw.
and other broken down vegetable matter. basically the results that you would get from a compost bin.
all mixed together in bed such what is described in the square foot method books.
though on larger scale. In other words the classical definition of compost.

[Feral007]

Obviously as I've said before we use lucerne hay with topsoil, and another light layer of lucerne hay. But if you don't have hay (we live in the country so relatively easy here) then grass clippings etc, to start off - you don't have to mow everything yourself. Just check out what your neighbours do with their clippings. As long as they aren't spraying lots of weed killer before they cut then you could have your beds filled in no time. You can add anything else that you and even your closest neighbours would normaly throw out. We have a compost bucket, but a lot of stuff goes into the dogs if suitable, the rest on the compost heap, which is then picked thru by the birds, and native animals, so not really much comes out of it. My son has started a job in a coffee shop and is going to ask if we can be the leftovers to go people for a while at least to increase our compost.

There's lots of ways. You really only need a bit of dirt (topsoil) to go with your other composty things. And since it's going into winter you've got time to get it done.

[Two_Sheds]

Two_Sheds what you are describing compost is bag soil.

yep, because that's what the OP was thinking (I assumed).[/QUOTE]

my definition of compost is leaf mold,composted manure, composted grass clipping,mushroom soil, spoiled hay or straw.
and other broken down vegetable matter.

all mixed together in bed such what is described in the square foot method books.

yep, exactly like the lasagne method I used for my own raised beds