planning my raised beds.....

..i found 2 huge blackberry bushes in my garden i never knew were there lol, one thing i dont have to grow next year

 

im starting to get to the stage of getting the good stuff to fill the beds when i build them, ive been reading so much info on this online and its driving me mad, would this cheapest option of using B&Q's verve multi-compost range really be ok to comepletely fill my beds with? i wouldnt need top soil/manure/mels mix lol/perlite etc,etc, the list goes on from what ive read :(

will something like this be more benefical then multi purpose compost?
http://www.compostdirect.com/veggie-gold-compost/p4

i dont mind spending a bit more as i will only be filling it once, and would like some nice stuff IF it helps, or will i just be chucking money down the drain

 

I do not know anything about veggie gold so cannot comment, however I cannot see how it could "improve over time" as claimed in the advert unless you keep adding nutrients to it, I will stand to be corrected on that if anyone knows differently.
If you go down the route of filling your beds with multi-purpose compost the nutrients in the compost will almost certainly be used up after the first growing season and these will need to be replaced every year.
I am by no means an expert but there are various ways to add nutrients, you could make your own compost heap and add the contents of that, chicken manure and to a degree chicken pellets will add nutrients as will blood, fish and bone. You could also add well rotted horse manure depending on what you intend to grow. I am sure that others will have their own ideas on what to add.
I personally would want my beds filled with top soil but even that will require nutrients adding to it at the end of the growing season.

 

Thanks for the quick reply mate, yes im aware id need to top up every year, im getting one of these compost bins within the month to get my own compost started, i like this one where it give s you two in one so one can be filled and left while my active bin keeps getting added to
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331300998732?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
so hopefully that composter will keep my yearly adding of good rich compost down to £0 well i might get some well matured horse manure from my local farm to mix in with it....

so you would just fill your raised veggie bed with top soil then, and add beneficals as and when need as in compost/manure/fish/bone etc

 

Compost bins look good, just remember that you do not get anything near as much compost out as the waste that you put in.
Yes, I would always fill raised beds with top soil but that is my preference. I am sure that lots on here would prefer to use multi purpose compost, that's the beauty of a site such as this one, we all have our own ways and ideas, you have to sift through them and do what is right for you.

 

Thanks mate, ill have to hope it will be enough compost, if not ill have to up the compost space next year, bit tricky where it will be my 1st proper attempt at veggie beds next year, and very, very exciting

hmm interesting, have you got a preference from where you get your top soil then? if its good for one and all that i might go with top soil then this place im looking at is £99 for 900L so just under a tonne for £100, id need 3 of these bags to fill my raised beds
multi purpose gold topsoil (suppose to be better for veggies) £99
http://www.compostdirect.com/topsoil-gold/p16

or normal multi purpose topsoil (£85)
http://www.compostdirect.com/multi-purpose-topsoil/p17

would be interested to hear what you use and if i can get it cheaper, the amount id need would cost a fortune buying loads of small bags from bnq or the likes so thought this bulk delivery service of tonne bags would be perfect and more cost effective, but thats not saying a lot coming from such a noob like me, again thanks for taking the time to reply and help me out

 

My top soil came with the house and has had the benefit of over 25 years of added compost, manure etc. I started with raised beds probably 10 years ago, about the time I started with sciatica!
If I was starting from scratch and in your circumstances I would go for the multi purpose top soil, it will be good enough to produce crops the first season and you can improve it as time goes on. What I would say is don't try to do too much too quickly. I know that it is a temptation to want to grow a bit of everything but I would advise choosing two or three crops that you know you will use and can accommodate on your plot. Again, if it was me I would put one bed to first or second earlies, another to onions and grow a catch crop of radish or similar in between the rows and another to either dwarf French beans or runners. Once your first earlies are out of the ground you could try putting a few sprout plants or leek plants in the ground for later in the year. Another thing, don't try to grow everything from seed during your first year or two, garden centres sell vegetable plants ready to plant out, great if you are only planting a small area.
Again, these are only my views, others may have opinions that will be just as valid, it is up to you to decide what to do and proceed using trial and error, that is what makes gardening a fascinating hobby.

 

Thanks a lot for your opinion buddy

i indeed think i will go for the top soil route then....will it be ok to add the topsoil say in a couple weeks, then leave till spring, hopefully my compost will be good by then to add to it in spring?

thats interesting about not starting from seed, there s something about seeing my little seed come to life, give me this warm fuzzy feeling lol, i was thinking of getting a green house also to get ahead of the growing season too...

i know, i think i am trying to cram too much in also, once the beds are made and filled, i will have another proper go at planning for the spring

again thanks for your personal insight mate, its great to be able to hear experience from someone who has been doing this for decades

all the best and speak soon

 

my raised beds funds have now been put on hold till the end of the month :(

the thing im wondering is will it be ok to turn the sod & soil now and mix in sharp sand, then lay my weed fabric over the entire area say over this weekend, as i dont want to leave it any longer as we are due frost next week which im guessing will make my job a LOT harder once the ground is frozen?

 

Started ground work for the raised beds, my drainage is terrible so ive started to remove the sod and put to one side, then im going to turn the soil about 1 spade length and mix in sharp sand to help with the horrible soil, put the soil to one side, then add the sod and fill in with soil mixed with sharp sand, from which then my raised beds will be built on, will be adding chicken wire to the bottom of the beds along with weed control fabric, only removed less than half the sod of the area for my raised beds so far this afternoon, loving the work tho

Started work on ground for raised beds by Martin Young, on Flickr​

 

Soil turned.... about 1/3'rd the area of my raised beds, thats enough for today i think

Soil turned by Martin Young, on Flickr
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im on a bit of a slope going from high (near the trees) to low (near the shed), going to have to level it out i think....got plenty of SOD to put under the soil bring it level tho

 

well today ive removed the rest of the SOD, have not dug over the new section yet, that can wait till tomorrow, well long day :(

would it be best to add my weed fabric now, or will it be ok to leave uncovered till i get my wood for the beds in about 3-4 weeks?

thinking of adding some straw in here now to help stop the soil clogging, which was suggested by someone on here

finished removing the rest of the sod by Martin Young, on Flickr


finished removing the rest of the sod by Martin Young, on Flickr​

 

yesterday some one on Facebook said they have 10 bin bags full or horse poop all mixed in with straw from mucking out her horse stable, she asked if anyone wants it, I very hastily said I WILL lol, now I'm thinking how best to store all this POOP till spring? What do u suggest? putting it in my garden is not really good, my wife will not like it lol, when I get a compost bin will it be ok to put it in as it is or shall I mix it with my grass/kitchen scraps I've been saving too for when I get my compost bin in a few weeks? I think 10 bin bags full might be more then I need but id rather have more then less,

 

Got my 1st compost bin today, well excited over a compost bin lol, how sad am i :D

been saving stuff for about 3 weeks in arrival of the compost bins, loving the design of these and really glad i went for this type

of course......here are a few piccy's

Got my 1st compost bin ^_^ by Martin Young, on Flickr


Got my 1st compost bin ^_^ by Martin Young, on Flickr


Got my 1st compost bin ^_^ by Martin Young, on Flickr


Got my 1st compost bin ^_^ by Martin Young, on Flickr


Got my 1st compost bin ^_^ by Martin Young, on Flickr
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Worm THIEF!!!

Cheeky Robin snacking on my worms lol by Martin Young, on Flickr​

 

the countdown has begun, 3 weeks till i buy the wood for my raised beds

just thinking ahead....when i cut my 4x4 treated wood for the posts, what shall i seal the ends with in your experience?

the cheapest i could find 18 lengths of 6x2 @ 3m long and 2 lengths of 4x4 @ 3.6m long was travis perkins @ £220 delivered, and an online store at £230 delivered, i was talking to my friend yesterday who gets trade price at jewsons, he got a quote for me at trade price.....AND TO MY SHOCK his price came in at £101!!!!! my jaw dropped in shock lol, im very happy and has shaved a good few weeks saving for me :D