soil for borders

[rubberdu]

Hello all...
I have just built myself some new raised beds and obviously need to fill them with some kind of soil.
What is the best type of soil to go for and what pH level for different types of plants?
I will be doing a vegetable plot, a flowering border and one with shrubs.
Any advice would be great.
Many thanks in advance.

[Ken]

Hi,
there are lots of guides around nowadays for doing it yourself in the garden. I even found one on the Dandy's site! If you visit their main site and click the link to their blog on the right hand side you will find quite a helpful step by step guide in there.
If you are going to have soil delivered then it depends where you get it from.
I recently had some Border Mix topsoil delivered from Dandys. It came in a bulk bag and was left on the pavement which actually wasn't as much of a problem as I had anticipated; I just barrowed it round the back when I got in from work. I would still have had to do this even if it was on the drive or lawn.
Anyway, the soil itself was brilliant. Really earthy mix of manure and soil which I am led to believe is suitable for most types of plants and vegetables. Mine certainly seem to be thriving on it. They do also do organic soils and composts but if you are after a personal recommendation then mine goes to the border mix. It certainly cut down on the hassle and pain in the back of having to mix in manure and compost myself and I think that the pH is usually between 6.5 and 7 which is perfect for most growing!
Bests,
Ken.