Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Raised Beds

nemracnemrac Posts: 70
in Problem solving
We have just had three raised beds built but now think we have got carried away with the sizing! They are 2.4 metres long, 1.2 metres wide and .50 metres deep. It is going to take a lot of soil and compost to fill these up - we are planning to have a mixture of vegetables and cut flowers. Is it really necessary to fill them to the top? My wife has suggested trying to dig a trench and ‘sink’ them a bit in the ground - a job I really don’t fancy. Thanks in advance.

Posts

  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    edited March 2021
    If you fill them to the top over time the soil  will settle so if you start with less......
    Have a look at https://www.cpa-horticulture.co.uk/topsoil and you can work out how much you need.
    I have used them in the past.
    Not sure their calculator is working so
    https://www.topsoilshop.co.uk/topsoil-calculator?gclid=Cj0KCQjwjPaCBhDkARIsAISZN7SHvFQ95cLpY7qLzpehTZgXbr3-Rv7FmjK42nmkhwY2ellLs8rNxSIaAlH-EALw_wcB
  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    I don't think you will be able to sink them--either it won't work at all or (worse) they will sink unevenly and/or become unstable at the base. You'll probably just have to bite the bullet with the topsoil, unless there's anywhere else in your garden from which you could remove some soil?
  • jan.sherlock46BAI1EJz5jan.sherlock46BAI1EJz5 Posts: 7
    My raised planter is of similar size, in fact taller.   Anything can be loaded into the base, grass cuttings etc. ask your neighbours if they will spare the contents of their green bin, but obviously no food.   Top up with mixture of top soil and well rotted farmyard manure.  Can you get delivered a 1 ton bag of top soil,  then take your empty bags to the local stables and ask for only well rotted horse manure.  Usually free but you ll have to shovel it yourself! Blood sweat and tears I'm afraid.  Oh I also ordered and added a container of worms.  This is the planter's 3rd year, expecting great things again.
  • nemracnemrac Posts: 70
    Thank you for your comments.  I think a bulk delivery of topsoil will be the order of the day but good to know I can fill in the base with other organic material. The hidden costs of gardening rear it’s ugly head again! 
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Broken up cardboard in the base, will rot down nicely, even newspaper, bulk it out a bit.  I know a ton of top soil looks HUGE, feels it when you barrow it 200 feet, but goes no-where!!
  • brackenbracken Posts: 91
    Nanny Beach said:
    Broken up cardboard in the base, will rot down nicely, even newspaper, bulk it out a bit.  I know a ton of top soil looks HUGE, feels it when you barrow it 200 feet, but goes no-where!!
    I know what you mean Nanny Beach, we have made raised beds and had tons and tons of loam delivered and having to barrow it up hill.
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Bear in mind that if you put anything else in the base, I've used grass turves in the past, once they rot down your soil level will drop more but usually using a mulch in the autumn and/or spring helps top up.
    For your size beds, I have 4, allow 3 bags of manure or compost per bed and in the spring I work that in and then it's a couple of bags per bed if you are going to mulch around plants.
    As you say a lot of hidden costs!
Sign In or Register to comment.