New member - new grower!

[Mandymoo]

Hi guys,
I've just registered so be gentle!
Having grown my own herbs and some veggies in baskets for the last few years I've decided to venture out into a plot. Before I start I need advice, I've read plenty in books and on the internet and I'm no wiser.

The plan is for a raised bed in a triangle shape so I can reach everything. The plot is to be made from railway sleepers, 2 high. This is because the soil we have is rubbish, mainly clay and we also have a greedy dog!

Thing is I'm confused as to what soil to use? Do I fill it with top soil and mix in rotted compost?

Any advice at all will be welcomed. I'm very very new to all this but everyone starts somewhere!

thanks in advance

[buttercup]

hi mandymoo!

hello!

im new to this too so dont worry!and welcome to the vine! youll find it very helpfull!
ive got terrible clay soil too! so ive made raised beds about 8'' high and filled it with a mix of top soil ,compost (from wikes, 4x80l for a tenner) and spent mushroom compost from our local farm also got some seaweed in the bottom of it! (fancy eh!) problem is i dont know how my plants will like it?
i would fill it with a bit of good top soil from the area and maybe see if there is any on freecycle! or search around for cheap compost!
one trick i have learnt of hear which im trying is to make trenches in the clay soil at the bottom of my raised beds and filling the trenches with good compost and then sowing carrots and parsnips etc above so they have more room to get a goodsize before they hit the clay!
you can also mix in sharp sand and organic matter into they clay to help break it down!
good luck im sure someone will give you some better advice!
cheers buttercup

[Birdie Wife]

Hi Mandymoo, welcome to the Vine! Don't be afraid to ask what you think might be daft questions, odds on there's someone else out there wondering the same thing so you're not alone. The type of soil you should use in many ways depends on what you want to grow, as some veggies like lots and lots of organic matter (in the form of muck, compost, etc) - things like potatoes, courgettes, squashes for example, whereas some things weirdly grow better in poor soil, like carrots and parsnips. Other things like it in the middle, like onions, garlic, cabbages. Decide what you would like to grow best and prioritise, considering the amount of space you have, and then try and match the soil to the crop.

Is there a way you could increase the number of raised beds? It would be really good if you could, because then you can set up a crop rotation and have all the things you like which need different soil, grown every year - but in different beds each year - this is quite important because if you have the same thing grown in the same place year on year, there is more chance that the pests are going to find that crop and the soil might become diseased for that crop.

Hope this make sense! I know there's a lot of info out there and it can get really confusing, but take it one step at a time, and ask lots of questions!

[Cutecumber]

You might like to try sourcing some rotted horse manure (rotted stuff doesn't smell, that's how you know, from a local stables perhaps) and combining that with some top soil and standard compost. This would be nutritious, hold moisture but not be too heavy. If it doesn't seem to drain well, you can add some sand, judiciously. Adding compost or manure each season will keep up the nutrient levels. You can even buy-in garden worms to help get it all going nicely like "real" soil.

One thing about mushroom compost is that it is a little bit alkali, and so is not recommended for all crops, so do some reading about it before you go down that garden path.

Make sure you set up your own compost heap and worm bin so that you can reap the rewards of your own waste in the future!

[berksmike]

If you are going to grow root veg then id not enrich it with horse manure as this causes forking.... You could always grow root veg in containers this year, enrich your beds with manure and plant roots direct next year

[JennieAtkinson]

Welcome to the Vine Mandymoo!

[shirlthegirl43]

Hello and welcome to the vine Mandymoo. Good luck with your veggie growing - most of all - enjoy it all!

[nick the grief]

Hi Mandy moo welcome to the Vine,

you can grow in orrible clay soil you just have to keep working at it with loads of orgasmic matter You'll not grow carrot & nips in it easily but you can grow them in containers. If you use railway sleepers I'd make sure you line the inside with heavy duty polythene as they are pickled in creosote ( each one contains about 10 gallons of the stuff and if it leaches into the soil it could kill your plants and s carsonogenic as well.

You can buy new untreated sleeper that would be a better bet and as to the filling, I'd use home made compost and dig it in every year along with the contents of all your hanging baskets & pots and it will build up slowly & you'll find that the original soil will improve as well.

Trouble with buying topsoil is you don't know where it's come from and it could contain all sorts of weeds & pests unless you go for some real good stuff which will be expensive.

Try your local council as well as they may sell municipal compost( the stuff from the green bins composted down)