I need to purchase around 3 tonnes of topsoil and 1.5 tonnes of compost for some new raised beds.
I have some friends and workmates that have purchased topsoil in the last couple of years and all ended up with clay stuff. As the raised beds are to get away from the heavy clay we have i dont want to make the same mistake.
Does anyone know of a good supplier in the Bristol area?

Otherwise i guess its the rowlawn stuff, but seems expensive.

penance wrote:

I need to purchase around 3 tonnes of topsoil and 1.5 tonnes of compost
for some new raised beds.
I have some friends and workmates that have purchased topsoil in the
last couple of years and all ended up with clay stuff. As the raised
beds are to get away from the heavy clay we have i dont want to make
the same mistake.
Does anyone know of a good supplier in the Bristol area?
Otherwise i guess its the rowlawn stuff, but seems expensive.

We got ours from Dandy's. They're from Chester and deliver everywhere
in the UK. At first I thought I'd get it from the council. But friends
told me it wasn't good. We got 2 tons and we are really happy with it.
Got it in the spring and all what came out of it was nettles - and
maybe these came out of the compost or manure I put in with it. I
recommend it. They delivered fast and for 81 squids, I was happy. I
know you can get cheaper - but this is quality stuff.

http://www.dandys.org

penance wrote:

Otherwise i guess its the rowlawn stuff, but seems expensive.

High cost yes but not expensive in relation to quality

pk

On Tue, 15 Nov 2005 17:17:27 +0000, penance
wrote:

I need to purchase around 3 tonnes of topsoil and 1.5 tonnes of compost
for some new raised beds.
I have some friends and workmates that have purchased topsoil in the
last couple of years and all ended up with clay stuff. As the raised
beds are to get away from the heavy clay we have i dont want to make
the same mistake.
Does anyone know of a good supplier in the Bristol area?

I've not bought from them but Hinton Organics sell compost made from
the B&NES compost collections. I know they sell it in big loads. Not
Cheap!
http://www.recycledproducts.org.uk/s...ex.asp?id=1307
They might tell you of a supplier of topsoil.
Which part of Bristol are you? I think that Whitegate Nurseries at
Stockwood might deliver topsoil. There's also a place at Farmborough
which has for years offered loads of topsoil, mushroom compost. They
have a place on the road (A39 I think) but I've not been past there
lately.




Pam in Bristol

"penance" wrote using gardenbanter's portal into the newsgroup
"uk.rec.gardening" instead of posting direct.

I need to purchase around 3 tonnes of topsoil and 1.5 tonnes of compost
for some new raised beds.
I have some friends and workmates that have purchased topsoil in the
last couple of years and all ended up with clay stuff. As the raised
beds are to get away from the heavy clay we have i dont want to make
the same mistake.
Does anyone know of a good supplier in the Bristol area?

Otherwise i guess its the rowlawn stuff, but seems expensive.


Clay is good growing soil so why do you want to "get away" from it? True
it's a pain in the back for the gardener but the plants usually love it as
it holds on to nutrients and provides them for the plants. Just dig in lots
and lots of compost and use either lime or gypsum to turn it into a friable
soil.
Buying soil in is pot luck both in quality and soil born diseases.

If you had a very sandy soil then you would have problems.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message Otherwise i guess its the
rowlawn stuff, but seems expensive.


Buying soil in is pot luck both in quality and soil born diseases.

If you had a very sandy soil then you would have problems.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

Brother do I not know it......any bush I plant has a hole dug for it about
three feet by two feet and the 'contents' discarded....filled with 'home
made' stuff consisting of cow manure, Canadian peat and bags of purchased
top soil plus lime as a pH amendment and fertilizer....the dug out stuff
just gets dumped but would make an excellent component for concrete...all
I would need is some gravel and cement.....H

We're in North Bristol. Thanks for the idea's i will look in to it.

[quote=Bob Hobden
Clay is good growing soil so why do you want to "get away" from it? True
it's a pain in the back for the gardener but the plants usually love it as
it holds on to nutrients and provides them for the plants. Just dig in lots
and lots of compost and use either lime or gypsum to turn it into a friable
soil.
Buying soil in is pot luck both in quality and soil born diseases.

If you had a very sandy soil then you would have problems.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London[/QUOTE]

I know clay is fertile, but this is a royal pain. Its a plot around 3x4 meters, over the last 2 years i have dug in a few tonnes of manure and compost. It is still heavy clay. Also it is at the lower end of the garden and gets waterloged in winter.