hi guys me again. been down lottie this morning to drop off water butt .was suposed to cut up wood for raised beds yesterday but felt and looked like the english patient(too much beer)! but i was thinking???? ??? what is the best/cheapest way of filling up my raised beds? i've heard of filling them up with compost but that sounds expensive! my beds are going to be aproxamatly 4ftx12ft and about 6" deep. plus some smaller ones for kids/beans etc im gonna need a lot? ???
I do not use raised beds myself. But if you are making raised beds you can add bits of shredded paper that will decompose, garden waste that will turn to compost anyway (providing you are not going to use the bed till it has composted.) Also put the soil from your paths in. As the paths lower the beds get higher. Do not worry too much about filling the beds. They will gradually fill over the coming years anyway as you sow and harvest stuff. Once you have turned the soil its volume increases due to the air-pockets anyway though it will settle. Though remember that some veg does require sol to be firm and compact.
If you have a company that delivers topsoil to golf courses or landscape gardeners it is worth trying them. My local one can add mushroom compost to the mix (about a third) £115 delivered for either 3 tonne or 3 sqm( it's loose but i can't remember which is more :D) .
Remember to ask if it is loose or in the jumbo builders bags as the bags hold less.
Neil