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New raised beds, clumpy soil, advice please?

Hi All

I just got some raised beds built for me in order to grow a few bits of beg, salad leaves, carrots, nothing too fancy.  They are approx 3 foot high and 4ft square.

They were built on a muddy bit of land and they have been 3/4 filled with excess soil from the garden and from compost when potting up plants.  The soil is very clumpy though so should I buy top soil to fill it to the top or is there something I could be doing to the soil as it is to break it down nice and fine?  This is the first time I have had raised beds or grown veg so any help or advice would be absolutely brilliant please.

Many Thanks in advance lovely garden peeps!

Posts

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    Get the lumpy bits up to the top and leave them over winter. rain and frost will break them down.



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,139

    Get some bags of well rotted farmyard manure from the GC and dig that in - the worms will do the rest image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • flowering roseflowering rose Posts: 1,632

    we have new raised beds from clay soil which over 38 years endless amounts of compost has gone in it .We have had to add more again and make sure you dig it over not just once  every time the bed becomes empty.We also grow potatoes in them first to help break the soil down. Its never easy with clay soil but digging and putting compost in will help.image

  • treehugger80treehugger80 Posts: 1,923

    cover it with manure or compost (pile it up a bit as it'll settle over the winter) and then cover that with cardboard and weight it down to stop it blowing off, in the spring the worms will have done the digging for you!

  • BoaterBoater Posts: 241

    First thing to do is make your own compost heap so you don't have to buy all the stuff you need to make up the extra depth!

  • All fantastic replies thank you, i shall do as many of the recommendations above as I can and hopefully have a fruitful 2015! image

  • The great thing about clay is it does make an excellent sub-bed. Nutrient rich and holds water. A couple inches of pebbles or stones under your bed up to ground level, works a treat for drainage.

     

     

     

  • GWRSGWRS Posts: 8,478

    Hello , yes compost left over winter will help

    also you could buy the cheapest bags of multi purpose compost you can find and put that in as well 

    best of luck image

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