[cockneycarrot]

Through the winter I have made 20 raised beds on my 20 pole allotment in Norfolk, it's to make life easier as I am knocking on a bit. The beds are 4ft x 15ft, using scaffold boards, my problem is, I haven't any extra earth to fill them up to the top of the boards. Will this make any difference, I will be putting manure on when I have some. I have been reading your views for months, this is my first thread.

[WG.]

Through the winter I have made 20 raised beds

Hi CC and welcome - you've been a busy boy/girl this winter.

Bit of a planning issue with the raised beds was there!      They'd still work of course provided you've got some soil underneath - except that they wouldn't really be raised beds.

A suggestion : apply as much manure as you possibly can to every ALTERNATE bed.   You can then throw extra soil across onto the adjacent non-manured beds.   Plant root crops in the non-manured ones only.

[milkman]

Don't worry too much - over time with additions of compost and manure etc. they will raise up naturally of their own accord.

[Plot No 2]

20 poles is an impressive allotment. Add 20 raised beds wow!!

As for raising the soil, I double dug some of my raised beds and they filled right up. They are now ready for planting. And on such a sunny day I actually could be out planting.

[agapanthus]

Don't worry too much - over time with additions of compost and manure etc. they will raise up naturally of their own accord.

Milkman's right CC just give them time  

[Jim T]

Through the winter I have made 20 raised beds on my 20 pole allotment in Norfolk, it's to make life easier as I am knocking on a bit. The beds are 4ft x 15ft, using scaffold boards, my problem is, I haven't any extra earth to fill them up to the top of the boards. Will this make any difference, I will be putting manure on when I have some. I have been reading your views for months, this is my first thread.

My wife and I made 7 raised beds and dug down to make paths between them. The reason of course to make the bending less still.
But an extra gain was extra soil to put on the beds

[cockneycarrot]

Thank you all for your help regarding lack of earth in my raised beds. I will manure every year which will as you say, resolve the problem. I have already filled up 2 beds with Swift early potatoes.

[jack russell]

hi and welcome cockneycarrot

a pic or two of the plot would be nice    

good luck and enjoy the site

cheers

jr