Raised beds

[fivegomadindorset]

Best surround, what soil, where to get the above.

Thank you.

[HoneyPablo]

DH made our raised beds from planks of decking. We went to a local garden centre and had a load of top soil delivered which we used in the beds.

[sonearsofar]

I build mine in the Autumn/late Summer and spend afew month filling it with cardboard (waste packaging), and composting material, also straw, before topping up with bought topsoil, much cheaper than using 100% topsoil

[ChitChattingaway]

It depends if you're fussy about using chemically treated timber. Railway sleepers are great, but decking works out quite cheap. Commercially made ones are very expensive. If you are near some stables, see if you can get manure for free, put some cardboard down and cover it with manure BEFORE winter sets in. The frost will help break the manure down quickly and it will be ready for the next season. Then dig it in with your homemade compost when the ground as thawed. (Or if you like your neighbours put it in the compost heap and cover it up with cardboard and lawnclippings and other general compost so that it doesn't smell ).

TBH over a few years a raised bed will get filled up anyway if you top up with compost etc so there's no real point in filling it up with top soil, especially if you prepare it as above.

[ChitChattingaway]

Ooh, except for carrots - they don't like freshly manured garden beds!