[laurelrus]

We've got a new raised bed area ready to plant up, I've been yearning for a cutting garden/ mini flower farm for ages.

We have plenty of farmyard manure, very well rotted so I don't think we need a multi purpose compost, but at the moment that's the only thing in the beds. It would be really helpful to know what's the right thing to add to that to make the right soil for flowers (dahlias and summer flowering bulbs to begin with).

Thanks very much for any advice/input 

[Maysie]

I have no idea about the soil needed for those specific plants, but if it helps we used 20 tonnes of imported topsoil and a load of well-rotted horse muck from our own horses to fill our 6 raised beds for veggies and some cut-flowers. 

I seem to remember the beds were about 1.2m x 3.6m x 0.4m high each and 20 tonnes was about right. 
The soil was a sandy-loam.  The cheapest place we found was a subsidiary of British Sugar, so it was sieved soil which had been washed off the sugar beet at their local processing plant, so looked a bit 'washed out' when it arrived, but was soon reinvigorated by the addition of some compost and horse muck! 

HTH

[PK]

As Maysie suggests, you need to add some ordinary top soil. It’s true dahlias like a well manured soil, but many plants that are typically used in a cutting garden, including bulbs, do not like soil that is too rich as this leads to excessive vegetative growth at the expense of flowers.

[Steph Hen]

Up here we can get compost from the tip for free/very little money. It's not suitable as a potting medium by itself, too fibrous, but would be good mixed with muck and topsoil. Perhaps you could keep costs down if you have someinth similar near you?

[laurelrus]

Thanks very much for the replies - much appreciated.
Steph Hen that’s a great suggestion - I’ll definitely enquire at the tip!

[cans]

I second the tip for compost.  Hubby (over)filled a trailer (that was an exciting day!) with council compost to put in as a filler for our raised beds then added decent stuff and manure.  Now just top up with our own compost with occasional muck for good measure depending on what’s going in.

[cloddopper]

We've got a new raised bed area ready to plant up, I've been yearning for a cutting garden/ mini flower farm for ages.

We have plenty of farmyard manure, very well rotted so I don't think we need a multi purpose compost, but at the moment that's the only thing in the beds. It would be really helpful to know what's the right thing to add to that to make the right soil for flowers (dahlias and summer flowering bulbs to begin with).

Thanks very much for any advice/input 

For  just a few square meters of bed that are not too deep .
 If you have a B&Q close by this years Verve compost is an ideal base to add a few forks of your own  composted dung based manures to , to set up the rised bed .
 It will hold plenty of moisture & be free draining , be full of the air plants need round their hair roots.
The basic Verve has  enough nutrients in it for about six weks growth so you adding a bucket to every bale of Verve compost  will be a  fantastic growth medium.
 The verve will still be decaying after four years or more ( my 36 inch deep beds with it in are now into their fifth year . I've been adding last years spent tomato tubs & last years flower tubs off the drive  that were filled with just weed free Verve  as toping up stuff to all beds along with my quality home made dung based composts .

This year I got six bales of the Verve compost a month ago,  being a cheapskate pensioner went of pensioners day ( Wednesday ?) with my OAP's discount entitlement card and got a 10 % ( ?)  discount on the lot which were £6 or so a bag or IIRC , two for £10

[cloddopper]

I have no idea about the soil needed for those specific plants, but if it helps we used 20 tonnes of imported topsoil and a load of well-rotted horse muck from our own horses to fill our 6 raised beds for veggies and some cut-flowers. 

I seem to remember the beds were about 1.2m x 3.6m x 0.4m high each and 20 tonnes was about right. 
The soil was a sandy-loam.  The cheapest place we found was a subsidiary of British Sugar, so it was sieved soil which had been washed off the sugar beet at their local processing plant, so looked a bit 'washed out' when it arrived, but was soon reinvigorated by the addition of some compost and horse muck! 

HTH

I'm thinking of when I lived at Guyhirn in East Anglia.
  Somewhere that does carrot washing  on newly lifted carrots is also a good place to go , as is a place that washes newly lifted leeks at a processing point .

 The combination of sand,  soil & hair root fibres that readily rot down quickly is much sought after by a lot of small time horticulturalists for sterilizing to use for potting on

[Maysie]

I have no idea about the soil needed for those specific plants, but if it helps we used 20 tonnes of imported topsoil and a load of well-rotted horse muck from our own horses to fill our 6 raised beds for veggies and some cut-flowers. 

I seem to remember the beds were about 1.2m x 3.6m x 0.4m high each and 20 tonnes was about right. 
The soil was a sandy-loam.  The cheapest place we found was a subsidiary of British Sugar, so it was sieved soil which had been washed off the sugar beet at their local processing plant, so looked a bit 'washed out' when it arrived, but was soon reinvigorated by the addition of some compost and horse muck! 

HTH

I'm thinking of when I lived at Guyhirn in East Anglia.
  Somewhere that does carrot washing  on newly lifted carrots is also a good place to go , as is a place that washes newly lifted leeks at a processing point .

 The combination of sand,  soil & hair root fibres that readily rot down quickly is much sought after by a lot of small time horticulturalists for sterilizing to use for potting on

It's funny you mention East Anglia, as my topsoil all came from the Bury St Edmunds sugar beet facility, back when I lived in Suffolk.  Great stuff and they just want to get rid of it.  It was all sieved, so there was nothing larger than 20mm stomes in it, so was perfect for carrots. 

It was just a shame that it was torrential rain when I was moving the 20 tonnes of saturated soil by wheelbarrow - which was rather heavy!  All not helped by me breaking two of my toes the week before too. 

[laurelrus]

Thanks clodhopper - there's a B&Q locally so I'll go in later and check that they have Verve and hopefully we can stock up on that this weekend!