What soil to use

[chris1974]

Hi to all,

This will be my second year of growing my own vegetables and last year I had grown them all in pots which didnt go to plan as such, so this year i have built a vegetable bed in my back yard and after hours and hours on my hands and knees with lots of bricks, I have now hit a stumbling block. WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST SOIL OR COMPOST TO FILL MY BED? This is the burning question. Hope somebody can help me out there.

Chris

[shirlthegirl43]

Hi and welcome to the vine.

Either topsoil or multi purpose compost or a combination of the two - kind of depends what you intend growing. Remember last year was a rubbish year so don't judge your growing ability by that.

[gardenplot]

Hi Chris welcome to the vine,


I filled mine up with multi purpose compost, but shop around and see what works out cheapest.

[veg4681]

Personally I prefer a mixture of compost (homemade or bought) and top soil that you may be able to dig up from your own garden (but I sieve mine if it's stoney ). I find bought compost too light if that makes any sense. Last year when I made my raised bed, I was able to chuck in bits of bonfire ash, some leftover sand and bits of hard clay that was lying around in the garden (but they do break down in the soil). I therefore think I have soil with a very good structure .

[smallblueplanet]

To add to the soil on top of our raised beds I've just ordered a 'builders dumpy bag' of compost made from the councils green waste recycling - £28 delivered and certified organic.



Hills Group - Warrior Compost

Warrior Compost is made from local green waste that is brought to Hills’ recycling complex at Lower Compton where it undergoes a rigorously monitored process. The raw material is first finely shredded, then stacked in what we call “windrows” and constantly turned and moistened as necessary to speed up the decomposition process which takes some 20 weeks.

The end-product has to meet strict rules in order to adhere to the requirements of the Soil Association and Composting Association, both of whom have accredited Warrior Compost. A detailed analysis is available upon request.

http://www.hills-group.co.uk/documen...t_stockist.pdf

pdf of stockists, mostly around the Wiltshire area.

[moggssue]

I made a veg plot in the back garden last year and used a combination of shop bought compost and topsoil to fill it - not the cheapest option but I didnt have a clue what I was doing, and it worked really well, had lots of yummy veggies out of it!

Good luck with yours Chris.

[veg4681]

To add to the soil on top of our raised beds I've just ordered a 'builders dumpy bag' of compost made from the councils green waste recycling - £28 delivered and certified organic.

Was that the reason for looking for more tomatoes ? You'd have enough to grow all the tomatoes in your collection plus the new swapped ones. Mind you that's a good price and helps coucil get rid of green waste too with possibly some profit, hopefully.

[cottage garden]

With the raised beds I am making, I am chucking anything I can find into it. Top soil from around the garden, home compost, bought compost, manure, wood ash, grit and sand etc. I agree with veg4681 that compost alone can be too crumbly. Very hard to get a good heart on brassicas with a crumbly soil and it dries out easily.

Very interested in your council compost Manda. £28 is a bargain!!!

[smallblueplanet]

You can also fill bags full of it at the local (Devizes) recycling centre. We filled some the year before last (think it was £2 a bag - but was almost 'help yourself' with the bloke not really minding how big the bags were that you took!). It wasn't the finest, but will be perfect as a soil conditioner/ for pots, oh and the bag will allow the OH to bring back some wood chippings from work for free! Double result.

Any of you Wilts Grapes note the chap I spoke to said the price goes up in April - but it can't be much as I asked for a price for a dumpy bag 2/3 years ago and they said £25 delivered, so not a huge increase to now.

Still not enough room for all our toms though!

[chris1974]

Thanks to everybody that replied I'm really amazed as to how many people actually gave me good advice. Thanks again and good luck with all your growing. Chris

[hawthorns]

plenty of organic matter