renewing greenhouse beds

[Normans Mum]

Hi all
Have two massive 20x 3' greenhouse beds that need renewing. Any ideas ? The compost/soil in them is completely exhausted, so I know that I will probably have to dig at least some of it out. What am I best to use to refill them ? We will be planting toms, chillies and aubergines in there.

[Kirk]

I would just go for some inexpensive compost and manure.
Probably equal amounts if not too costly and easily available, or 2 parts compost to 1 part manure.
Thinking about it the latter more.

By the time you have added it and mixed/dug it in some of the "normal" soil will be mixed in to alter the composition a little.

You may need to add some fine aggregates as well for drainage etc.

To me there is no given mix.
I have 2 bags of "poor" compost that really is more a fine mulch but it all breaks down in the soil and throwing that is as well would seem an option as over time it composts and becomes useful.

[goodmow]

Beds

Can i use shredded paper and shredded magazines as compost in my raised veggie beds?

[Guest]

Hi, I have inherited two greenhouses in a house move both very neglected. One had dry dusty soil and the other had sludgy mud. All I do is cover the soil with a thick generous covering of horse muck in winter and it works wonders.

Poo, poo and lots more poo! oh and if your wondering what I would suggest.... poo

[rosiepumpkin]

Somthe fact that I got good crops out of the dust I inherited in my 2 greenhouses is pretty good

[alldigging]

I've used some beautiful well rotted manure on the beds in my new allotment greenhouse.

[Kristen]

I mix 50:50 my compost heap and well rotted manure. The compost heap is not well managed, so the stuff coming out of it is "rough" - bits of stalks and all sorts.

This is lighter to work with than my clay soil, so less of a heavy job, so-to-speak.

The stuff coming OUT of the greenhouse is lovely. A year in there makes it into lovely fine material, which I use for "best" for mulching and potting etc.

If you don't have home made compost I would just use half-and-half soil and manure, or mix in some bought potting compost / sand / whatever. Don't use soil from where you have grown potatoes (or any other crop that is "similar" to the ones you will grow in the greenhouse - Potatoes and Tomatoes are the same family)

You could also buy grafted plants, such as Tomatoes, in the spring as they will prolong the period of time before you have to replace the border soil in the greenhouse as their rootstock will extract nutrients from the soil, and be more resistant to soil diseases, than a regular plant.

[Rob the Radish]

I use turf, by that I mean, I get all the free turf that is left over when they turf the meadows near me, I usually end up with around 15 pallets of the stuff, I stack it in a heap out the way, usually upside down, sheet it over for a couple of years and hey presto, some of the best potting gear I have found, hope they come back this year as my supply has almost gone now.
The tomatoes loved it in the greenhouse beds.
I know not everyone lives near meadows that get turfed, but speak to landscape gardeners, they bin a lot, and golf courses, and look in the free ads.

[Tomatoe]

Might be a daft question, but can you put turf directly into a compost bin? If you can i may hold off pulling my grass until it arrives.

[BertieFox]

When you say the soil is exhausted, are you sure that's what you mean? Or has it built up various pests and diseases which are passed from year to year by plant debris? It's just that plants will grow well in any medium provided there are sufficient nutrients and minerals and these can be supplied from a really well balanced fertiliser. After all, hydroponics now grows most vegetables in inert compost such as rock wool or similar.

Compost will also act to help retain moisture of course, but so does a good wood chip mulch. Moving soil from the area of ground you mention would be a vast task and you may find it makes very little difference after all that labour, even if you can find sufficient materials.

I would give it a go applying a really good mixed fertiliser and maybe some mineral supplements in the spring before you plant up. I have grown crops successfully in the polytunnel here in the same soil (that is just adding a couple of inches of compost each year to the surface) for ten years, and I have only noticed crop problems with French beans in one place, not with tomatoes, aubergines or peppers. That is maybe surprising when beans fix their own nitrogen.

Failing that, have you considered digging out the beds and putting gravel in them to grow by ring culture. I always found that a really good method when I used to use it years ago in a normal glass greenhouse.

[roitelet]

Might be a daft question, but can you put turf directly into a compost bin? If you can i may hold off pulling my grass until it arrives.

As Rob the Radish says it is better stacked and left for a couple of years then you have loam, lovely stuff!!