[titch]

Just discovered this forum and i hope it will be of great help.  Me and hubby are new to all this, but have built 4 raised beds, around 4ft x 5ft, and now have to fill them!!  we have a compost site in our village, that composts green waste and then produces sieved or unsieved compost - is this ok to fill the beds, or should i do them half and half (or other ratio) with some bought in top soil or compost bags from garden centre?  we are going to crop rotate, so guess some beds might need different soils , can anyone give advice about what to put in please, as have a couple of different replies from friends who grow veggies etc, but am now so confused,  :? and all i want to do is fill them so i can get some plants in the ground.  the most annoying thing is five years ago we dug out enough to fill them when we created a patio, grr, ain t that always the way.  Thanks

[Trillium]

Pure compost is rather rich for any plant, so a mix of compost and some reasonable soil is always good for most crops. For carrots and parsnips (if you grow them), a mix of loose soil, coarse sand and a bit of compost is good. Dont' want it too rich for them or they go hairy.
For the main beds, add compost every year as it degenerates through the year as plants suck nutrients out of it.

[weeeed]

You are lucky having a green site. However I would add first cardboard in the bottom, ripped up and damped down. Then grass clippings, then home made compost then the green one then some top soil. Good luck and enjoy. Oh I almost forgot. On top of the grass or home made put lots of soaked shredded paper. The worms love cardboard and paper and it really gets them working.

[DD.]

Hi titch,

Just to say welcome to the forums.

I don't use raised beds, so I'll let the one's that do advise you!

[amberleaf]

It is hard work, but the trench system works well for raised beds.

Dig a trench at one end and barrow the soil to the other, leaving it out side the bed.

Fill the trench with compost, manure, or layers of paper and compost or any mix suggested by others.

Then make another trench piling the soil on top of the one you have just filled with your compost mix.

Fill the next trench with your mix, then top it with the third trench's soil.

Keep going until you get to the end and you use the soil from the first trench to the mix of the last trench.