Raised bed and horse manure

[DannyRam]

I have just made a raised bed with 8ft scaffold planks x 1.2metres.
I have laid it on grass and intend to put cardboard on the grass then top it up with fresh horse manure. Question is would it help if I stuck the garden fork through the cardboard to help the rotting process? Would I be able to grow veg in it starting in spring? If so, what?

[rustylady]

No need to fork the cardboard. The horse manure and the weather will start the rotting process just fine.

Do you have any soil to top the bed up with, or is it just going to be manure?

[DannyRam]

I don't have any topsoil to hand. Is it necessary? If so, I should be able to get some

[rustylady]

Just thinking, when your manure rots down it will sink a lot. If you had some soil available, you could top the bed up in Spring.

[DannyRam]

Thanks for that, Rustylady. I will get organised by then. What should I be able to grow at that time?

[DannyRam]

Latest news on this bed. I was a bit doubtful about growing anything in this muck, so, I put a couple of shallots in. They started to grow so I have filled it with onion sets and they are all growing a treat. Mushrooms or toadstools have also appeared, but I think I will give them a miss!!

[Jarz]

I topped up my raised bed with manure (from the delivery), and started off by planting onion sets. They are growing nicely.

We then had a delivery of black compost (but with many twigs in!), and I put this on top of the manure. Today, I marked out temporary square footers, sowed a few seeds, and added handfuls of potting compost.

I do all this and just hope for the best! Have had some very good crops in the past, just by chucking in all the stuff that we get delivered. I would dearly love to add some good quality top soil!

[jimslad]

I usually fill a wee pail of mole hills when I'm out with the dog , this is good stuff for the raised beds