[Guest_3Keiki_*]

Ok got raised garden beds can simply not afford to be buying soil have a black basalt soil I can get from farm, needs to be improved though. What do I need to put in?
I am guessing some kind of compost and a lucerne maybe to help stop compacting so much...
in the dark here and local garden centre seems to want to sell sell sell to me...

[la di dah]

What kind of soil is it you are getting? Is it clay-ish or sand-ish?

Either way I would incorporate any lawn clippings and dead leaves (chopped if they're the big or especially leathery kind) you have.

I'm used to clay and I found coffee grounds (used, not like dumping expensive coffee all about the yard) and shredded newspaper - the non-glossy kind - very helpful. I would put down the paper underneath the soil on top so you don't have to look at it, and it breaks down in the soil and decomposes. It's also easily gotten for free and if you're using container plantings it keeps them from being ultra heavy to move.

I have friends who swear by rabbit poo but they get it for free.

[Guest_3Keiki_*]

Thanks ladidah I have some rabbit poo composted up - it is great for tomatoes.... although this year I am trying Peter Cundells techinque for tomatoes so can use a lot for the rest of the beds too... I think I will have to dig thru some gypsum I will def see about the newspaper... and I love coffee grounds in my compost!

Many thanks
K

[ThatsNotMyName]

Organic matter is what you're after. Ditto la di lah's post. Put any fallen leaves on the lawn & mow over them to chop them down. Balance out your carbon rich brown material (leaves/newspaper etc) with nitrogen rich green material (kitchen scraps, green foliage prunings, manure etc). Add in coffe grinds & tea leaves either loose or emptied out of teabags - worms love it! Compost it for a couple of months forking it over once a week, it will break down pretty quickly into beautiful soil. Ask around if anyone has manure they want to get rid of, sometimes stables give it away. Everyone has an opinion on what manure is best, one of my die hard organic vegie gardener friends swears by horse manure, my horticulturist mate says cow manure all the way. Any manure will be a good addition though.

[ThatsNotMyName]

Aah I see you're a composter already

[la di dah]

Oh, yes, tea leaves are pretty much as good as coffee grounds, I just was being ultra-Yankee.

What are you trying to grow? Somethings like their soil a bit more acid than others. Oak leaves and coffee are acidic which rhododendrons, blueberries, and azaleas just love, I think too much oak annoys other plants though.

Gypsum will kill blueberries. But, on the other hand, only I am obsessed with blueberries.

[creepersgonnacre...]

trace elements and cow manure are good

[Guest_3Keiki_*]

la di dah
THis is for my vege beds I have a big one done for tomatoes, capsicums eggplant - have my seedlings going already. Have my strawberry bed in action now too so at moment have built 3 more beds for 1)corn, peas, butternut pumpkin and zuchinni (i think) 2) root crops carrot, onions, garlic, beetroot 3) broc, spinach and lettuces oh and beans.
This week I will be building another bed for a big kickarse herb garden and looking at doing potatoes in tyres...
so all edible at moment pretty flowers soonish..

[la di dah]

So cool, 3 Keiki, I'm really jealous.

I did potatoes in wheely trash cans once. It was handy because when it was time to harvest we just flipped them over. Also we could drag them around the yard. Potatoes are really easy.

[The Cat]

I am reading this thread with much interest as I have a 'you're gonna die' thumb, it seems. Thanks for posting OP.

Last season we tried growing something which happened to be tomatoes. All was going well until black spots appeared on them and apparently they were a sign of calcium deficiency. I googled madly and not much could be done to save them but what I took from the effort was, it's best to crush up egg shells and put them in the soil where you want to plant the tomatoes because they are packed full of calcium.