Raised Beds

cdunca20

Hello, I would like to ask what you use to fill your raised beds.  I was hoping to use mushroom compost for some as I have a local supplier who sells 25 tonnes for £200

StephenSouthwest

I use as wide a mix as I can get hold of - garden compost, leaf mold, local free manure, community compost schemes, free topsoil via Facebook, spent compost from growbags and pots. I've recently found out that some of the local council composting schemes provide bulk compost very cheap or even free except delivery.

cdunca20

Thank you Stephen.  I have been using spent compost but did worry that it perhaps would not have enough nutrients. 

Dovefromabove

I’ve found that about 60% good topsoil and 40% well rotted manure/garden compost etc works well. 

StephenSouthwest

If you look out on social media, there's usually somewhere local offering cheap or free well rotted manure to bring up the nutrient levels.

Fairygirl

It also depends what you're growing in them, but a large proportion of something soil based, or just soil itself, is best. 
They'll always need topping up as the level will drop. Compost on it's own disappears, so if that's all you put in, you'll be continually adding to it which isn't really viable. 

Plashing

The problem using mushroom compost it can alter your P.H level of your soil because of the lime content, it's alright if you want to grow brassicas and other lime loving fruit and veg, you wouldn't be successful with acid loving fruit and veg.

februarysgirl

I just use Wickes topsoil in mine and everything grows fine. That being said, it depends on what you're looking to grow in it. I have some fruit trees which are doing really well and the blackberries I planted this year seem to be happy enough but I mostly have shrubs and perennials in them.