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raised Bed
melvyn.westYTyIdjmj
Posts: 9
Hi, I have built a raised bed and filled it aprox two thirds full, firstly with old roots, rotten timber and garden waste. Covered that with old cardboard and paper from some books, seperating the pages first. Covered that with about four inch of soil then covered that with a layer of farmyard manure, finally covered the lot with a four inch layer of soil.
There is a Laburnum Tree (Mountain Ash) near by and it was shedding the red berries which were dropping onto the raised bed, I picked all the berries off and I have covered the soil with an old rubber pond liner.
If I leave the pond liner on will the contents of the bed turn sour.
I have still got five bags of farmyard manure, four bags of soil and four bags of manure from a garden centre to put into the bed.
I was leaving all that until February or March so that I wouldnt lose the goodness from the soil and compost.
Can anybody advise about the rubber cover and when I should put the rest of my soil and compost in please
Kind regards
Mel
There is a Laburnum Tree (Mountain Ash) near by and it was shedding the red berries which were dropping onto the raised bed, I picked all the berries off and I have covered the soil with an old rubber pond liner.
If I leave the pond liner on will the contents of the bed turn sour.
I have still got five bags of farmyard manure, four bags of soil and four bags of manure from a garden centre to put into the bed.
I was leaving all that until February or March so that I wouldnt lose the goodness from the soil and compost.
Can anybody advise about the rubber cover and when I should put the rest of my soil and compost in please
Kind regards
Mel
0
Posts
I wouldn't cover it anyway. It needs the elements to help break it down. It'll keep settling too, for quite a long time with all those things in it, so you'll need to keep adding soil/manure/compost etc over the next 6 months to a year, and then after that too. Turf is an ideal addition in the base, as is organic matter of any kind, as long as it isn't perennial weeds.
Rotten timber isn't a great thing to add, especially if it's painted or treated. Old stumps or branches etc are ok.
Laburnum isn't mountain ash. I think you mean a rowan
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I will uncover the bed and start adding the reat of the material.
Thanks once again.
Cheers
Mel