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Need advice filling tall raised beds, TOPSOIL or COMPOST?

dd.coledd.cole Posts: 5
in Garden design
Hi all,

In the garden, I have large raised beds, 5 meters in total length and all with a height of 57cm (they are tall raised beds for an elderly member of the family)
They will be used to grow vegetables and fruit.

I am looking to buy something to fill these beds now I know this is going to take a lot of material needed to fill and that's fine but what my problem seems to be is what to fill these tall raised beds with?

When looking at multiple retailers they all seem to offer, topsoil, multiple types of compost, etc.

Do I fill the beds with a mix of topsoil and compost or just compost? I’m lost with what the difference between the two is as I’ve read that some beds are filled with only compost?
Also if a blend, how exactly would this be done? First topsoil then compost on top?
Looking for some advice on how you all would go about filling these massive tall raised beds. I’m lost with all this topsoil and compost talk.

Thanks in advance!

Posts

  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    I have the same sized beds, built just last year. I put a layer of straw in the bottom to aid drainage and a mix 2 to 1 of top soil and compost. From now on will be adding compost to top up the beds. Only use manure if you are growing potatoes,  not if you are planning root crops which need a loose texture of soil too. Hope you have reinforced the beds well and lined them, as they will be taking alot of weight. Hope this helps.
  • dd.coledd.cole Posts: 5
    Hi all,

    Thank you so much for the input so far! The raised beds will be used to grow a wide range of veg and fruit such as (cucumbers, peppers, carrots, artichokes, tomatoes, various berries) 

    There is a shorter raised bed in the garden that is only 27cm tall that will have apple trees planted in.

    As there won’t be really any deep rooting plants other than carrots (and they really don’t need 57cm) I’m interested in putting cement air blocks that I have in the shed to bulk up the space at the bottom of the tall raised beds (not the shorter tree bed) But I have maybe a silly concern: is that safe to do? This may seem silly to ask but my thought is that it’s cement at the end of the day...will it leak any nasties?

    Also I’ve seen some replies talk about reinforcements in the raised beds: the majority of the beds are only 80cm wide so felt like these didn’t need the reinforcements in the centre of the beds. There are two beds that are 1.2 meters wide and these have reinforcements in the centre of the beds. The reinforcements are 10cm x 10cm solid wood posts, which are the same as what is used in all the corners, so it’s pretty heavy duty!

    Also I will line all the beds to try and prolong the life as long as possible.
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    For things like carrots and parsnips you will still need 15 to 30cm of depth (depending on the variety),  so the blocks might get in the way. You need to leave about 10cm of space above the soil level so you can net the young growth to protect from pigeons, or build above the bed a frame for this. The first is easier. I even netted the potatoes this year to keep them off the young growth.🙂
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