Filling raised beds?

[OverWyreGrower]

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)

[Alison]

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.

[Pumpkin Becki]

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.

[HeyWayne]

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.

[FionaH]

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!

[piskieinboots]

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

[sweetiepea]

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.

[OverWyreGrower]

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?

[HeyWayne]

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*

[OverWyreGrower]

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!

[Pumpkin Becki]

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!!

[piskieinboots]

.... but I can grow 3ft long parsnips in them ...

3ft what?

......

[HeyWayne]

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. ....

[Pumpkin Becki]

3ft what?

......

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

[OverWyreGrower]

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!