Where to get manure for raised beds?

HardyEustace

Sorry, if this is a bit of an idiot question - I've recently finished two raised beds in my garden and am now back filling them.

I've clay soil that I've mixed with some gravel to provide good drainage (one bed will be the "kitchen" herb bed and I know that herbs don't like their feet wet). However, I would like to enrich the soil with some well rotted manure.

Can you actually buy bags of this in the garden centre? I've done a search and read through the forum where people refer to using it but I haven't been able to ascertain where to get it from.

Thanks

bmaxi

Try Woodies, currently (at least it was on Saturday) €4 for 60 litres.`Was €5.99, now with 33% off.

lucylu

ask a farmer or go to your nearest beach and pick up washed up seaweed..
its madness paying for manure

HardyEustace

lucylu wrote: »

ask a farmer or go to your nearest beach and pick up washed up seaweed..
its madness paying for manure

I'd normally agree lucy but it's such a small area, I'm happy to pay a premium price where I don't have to worry about wrecking my car or having it smell for weeks on end.

Plus I'm in the city so I don't actually know any farmers and would feel very awkward about rocking up to someone and asking them for this. I'll literally only need two or three bags so am happy to pay 16euro for that.

doctor evil

You could try riding schools/livery yards in the golden pages. They may have some well rotted stuff. If its fresh you could wrap it in tarp/black sacks/whatever you can find in a skip in a corner of the garden if you got the room. There may be shaing/straw with the manure but this will add to it.

Oliverdog

We bit the bullet and paid for a few packs of multi purpose compost and dug it in our veg beds, then forked a lot of chicken manure pellets in. We've had great results with our veggies, especially carrots which need soft ground free from stones (which our primary bought-in topsoil turned out to contain). We're lucky enough to be 2 miles from a beach for seaweed, and have natural peat and leaf mould in the edge of the garden to improve the soil each year.

dfbemt

+1 for just buying a few bags when Woodies, etc are doing a deal on them. I think you would need a fairly large area, maybe allotment size, to justify the farmyard or stable stuff.

+1 for using the chicken pellets. I usually buy a few buckets when Aldi do them. As well as digging into beds at the end of the year I usually throw a few handfuls around when things are growing. The rhubarb loves the stuff.

HardyEustace

dfbemt wrote: »

+1 for using the chicken pellets. I usually buy a few buckets when Aldi do them. As well as digging into beds at the end of the year I usually throw a few handfuls around when things are growing. The rhubarb loves the stuff.

If aldi aren't doing them, where else can you get them?

redser7

B&Q - think it is about 12 euro for a big bucket

Oliverdog

redser7 wrote: »

B&Q - think it is about 12 euro for a big bucket

Yes, most good garden centres have them. They smell rotten, giving the distinct impression that they must do some good ! :eek:

Oliverdog

dfbemt wrote: »

+1 for using the chicken pellets. I usually buy a few buckets when Aldi do them. As well as digging into beds at the end of the year I usually throw a few handfuls around when things are growing. The rhubarb loves the stuff.

Reminds me of the old joke. We put custard on ours.

Sorry

dfbemt

redser7 wrote: »

B&Q - think it is about 12 euro for a big bucket

Aldi do them for €7 or there about.

Also got my plants for hanging baskets in Aldi this year and they worked out really well at a fraction of the cost of garden centres. Must get there earlier next year though

HardyEustace

Thanks for all the help.

Woodies were doing a 3 for 2 on hortons manure and top soil.

I lugged 6 bags of manure back with all the windows down on the car!

Bought 6 bags of top soil as well.

Got the chicken manure pellets in b&q. They're a bit whiffy as was the manure but once it was open and mixed with some soil and then banked with top soil there was no smell at all. It's lovely to have the raised beds done.

There's still so much work though!

koura

Is Hortons Multi Purpose Compost Lime free, suitable for blueberries.
Thanks