Raised Beds & Stones

[newmannewy]

Hi folks,

Right, last year I started a veggie patch and had 2 tonnes of 10mm seived soil delivered to work with.. This turned out to be a bit of a nightmare.. as it was more like a stoney mud pack.. Really wet, compacted and FULL of 10mm seived stones.. Like millions of them.. Carrots & potatos were nobbly cut into by the stones from all sides and rotted easily..

So this year I dug off the 2 tonnes skipped it away, laid a 2" deep 20mm stone bed and built 7 raised beds ontop.. This is where im at.. It is now time to fill these raised beds..

I will need around 7-8 sq metres of "filler" to fill the beds..

Now because of the problems of last year I figured I would fill the beds with compost rather than stoney soil.. I searched about and can get 7-8 sq metres of organic compost delivered for £180.. I phoned the guy to order and he asks what I want it for.. He tells me that vegetables wont grow in compost alone..

He says the Heat of the compost will kill the veggies & that It will compact too much and not a lot will grow.. I have since googled "growing in pure compost" and some people say it works just fine.. But others say the compost loses its nutrients fast and making it a bit dead and the heat may kill the veggies..

My trouble is I really did not want top soil with stones in.. As this seemed to be preventing my carrots * potatos from growing well last year.. As the stones cut into the veggies.

Question is do I need stones in the mix in order to avoid drainage problems ?
And can I grow veggies in pure compost or do I really need topsoil ?

I need to figure this out pretty fast as If i need topsoil.. Then i could just opt for Dandys topsoil veggie grow.. that is a blend of topsoil & compost already done.. Although A bit pricey im prepared to pay it if needs be.. I also have some reservations about buying this type of soil. As I brought "bagged" garden compost before (not dandys) and didnt think much of its qualities..

http://www.dandystopsoil.co.uk/index...art&Itemid=610

Would compost & manure work ? do I need stoney top soil ?

For the amount of money I;ve already invested in skips, wood and time. I really want to get this right!!

Any and all advice appreciated

regards
newy

[womble]

Let me get this right, you've made a stone bed for your beds, why?

Compost won't heat up if it's rotted, that's the whole point of having rotted compost. Of course you can grow in just compost, but it depends what sort of compost it is. If it's the type you buy in garden centres, then it's a bit too fine and not what you want. If it's the type of compost you get from a garden composter, you can use that, but I've still mix it with a bit of soil first.

What I would have done and I advise others to do, is not to buy in new soil, not unless yours is absolutely the pits, I would buy in a trailer load of well rotted manure and use that.
You can add some compost from this bloke as well if you like

[newmannewy]

Let me get this right, you've made a stone bed for your beds, why?

hi womble,

stoney base was for drainage as the land behind my garden is sloped down towards me.. And the soil is soaking wet all the time.. All the neighbours have the same problem

Are you saying you would just grow in manure with a bit of compost ?

the compost is what is collected via the council green bin recycling process.. This company gets all the green waste from the council and they compost it..

[teakdesk]

He says the Heat of the compost will kill the veggies & that It will compact too much and not a lot will grow..

If his compost is hot it is still "composting" ie rotting down. You need well-rotted compost for your garden - ie the heat cycle has finished.


Do a search for lasagne gardening and see what you think.




.

[Shadylane]

I guess manure would be cheaper then compost but it needs to be well rotted if you're only going to use that. When we get ours delivered it's no where near well rotted and wouldn't be any good for carrots. The green waste compost would though - maybe mixed with some sand for carrots/parsnips and mixed with manure for spuds. I don't use raised beds but I think most people build them up gradually by adding compost/manure every season. I personally don't see a problem with using garden waste compost, but you will need to add to it each season, I think, to top up nutrients and also the levels as they will drop.

[taff]

pure compost alone is a bugger to wet when it dries out, but from the sound of your area, it's going to be damp anyway.
you dont need stony topsoil no, but a blend of topsoil and compost will give your plants a bit more root stability. Compost isn't known for it's compacting qualities.
It should be ok for any veg that doesn't have a deep root system or that needs a firm soil.

[oldie]

I found that green waste compost was best used dug in as a soil improver rather than straight compost. I tried it in a bed on its own and it dried out and baked solid with a little bit of sun.

[Two_Sheds]

I will need around 7-8 sq metres of "filler" to fill the beds..

Is this helpful?

Soil is made up of many different things, not just compost, not just soil. Getting the balance right is sometimes a lifelong quest

[newmannewy]

cheers two sheds. A most useful webpage & website

[kingkano]

I built my raised beds just in time for last season and had the same dilemma of filling them. Albeit I only needed 4-5 sq metres worth. I did lots of research and thinking and decided compost alone wouldnt do - too light and fluffy. As mentioned it dries out and can be impossible to rewet properly, you need some kind of soil in there to hold the water/nutrients and give it weight.

I think you got unlucky with your topsoil. Avoid any cheap topsoil, as it seems to be builders stuff and not good for veg at all. I got it down to dandys or rolawn topsoil - both do a fruit and veg type (with compost added). I found rolawn thru a local dealer easier and cheaper - it gets cheaper the more sq metres bought. I paid £80/sq metre.

Must say the soil is beautiful and fine, it had a few bits of rubbish but not much, hardly any stones. As I moved it into the beds I could just pick out those few bits. It did settled a bit and I topped it up with compost and manure last year and this. It is easy to work and grew beautiful stuff last year. I'd buy it again if I wanted more beds. Its alot of money but it gets you off to a great start and its only a 1 off cost.

[chris]

Where abouts are you? I've ~1.5 (well 2- but I'm growing in 1 bed currently) tonnes of compost/soil improver, and maybe 5 tonnes of garden soil I need to get rid of. (I'm just outside cardiff)... if you can take it, you can have it.