best source of earth / compost for filling up raised beds?

[DavidM31]

Well put Peter. Also may I ask what the obsession is with raised beds? What ever happened to just digging the soil, planting in it and having permanent pathways. The beds would become raised over time by the digging and addition of manure each year. It just seems awfully expensive.

I agree with you and Peter, however I have had to make some raised beds over the years because in some gardens the existing soil is so bad.

Nick another place you can order from in bulk is Rolawn, and they recently launched a new topsoil product especialy for growing fruit and vegetables in.
I believe it costs about £80 per cubic ton, see picture attached.

[taff]

I just have them because they're neater in the garden and define an area of the garden. It's not my garden, so it pays to keep it tidy otherwise I may lose the use of it.
Also I can nail or screw bits of wood to make cloches/netting without actually making removable cloches, stick a bit of net on it, remove the net etc.
Mine cost nothing except for nails and screws, some of which I already had. The wood was all free, from skips, from work and from the pub when it had scaffolding.
I did make a side border out of the turf I skimmed this year ( last years rotted stuff went into a bed this year), and got some compost from the dump - oops, recycling center - to part fill it because I'm running out of areas I've stripped and the earth on that side is very stony.
I haven't filled my beds with anything but the dug earth, my own compost and cow manure, so they're quite low.
Sometimes people do have reasons for having them, we don't all assume we must have them. I my case it was aesthetics so as not to lose *my* garden.

[taff]

Oh dear, just relaised I answered a completely different question, mis-read the post and basically, sounded like a complete prat.
I do apologise.
:::slinks off:::