Top soil or compost in a raised bed?

[rodofgod76]

I'm going to build two tier raised bed for growing things like carrots, beetroot, cabbage and onions but I'm not sure what to fill it with. Won't be massive, probably 8x4 split in half, one half being about 8" high and the other probably 16" high. What should I use?

[coomber]

Think you could probably use both/either, I used a mixture of top soil, compost and manure in mine

[Pumpkin Becki]

I'd agree with Coomber, our raised beds have got a mix of shop bought compost, home made compost, horse manure (well rotted needless to say) and a bit of topsoil. I probably need to up the topsoil content a bit for brassicas, as it is currently fairly light and springy, but we are on solid clay/chalk mix underneath the beds, so it does retain moisure quite well.

[oldie]

If you are going to grow carrots don't put manure in. Use a mix of topsoil,compost and sand more sand than topsoil. Last year I used a mix of compost, coir and sand and had straight carrots-grown in a9" high bed.

[Two_Sheds]

This is the Gardeners World mix:
Long-term potting mixtures should carry a lot of nutrients to help the plant over the course of its life. The Berryfields potting mix is made up of:

2 parts sieved garden compost
1 part leaf mould
1 part loam (topsoil, not full of weed seeds)
1 part sand or grit

My own soil is very sandy already, so I'd leave that bit out.

[FionaH]

I have just filled my new bed. I put a layer of cardboard and newspaper. Followed by spent compost from a container I had leeks and spinach in, horse poo, half rotted compost from the bin. Finished off with shop bought compost.

Please tell me the half rotted compost will be ok lol?

ps my back hurts now