Raised Bed Prep

9 years ago

Hello everyone,

Last year I made a few raised beds. They where built using 2x10's. I had a great and productive year with them. I filled the beds with compost (40% aged Chicken Manure, 50% cow manure and 10% top soil) I got this from a local nursery and it worked great as all I did was add some Osmocote I then planted and covered with Mulch.

My questions here are, will this soil be viable for this upcoming grow year? Should I add to it with more composte etc?

My plan is to remove last years plants and all the mulch. Then till the soil and ?????? Will this work as I hate to get ride of the soil if it is still viable.

Thanks for any and all input.

Bill

Comments (4)

kclost
9 years ago
It should still be quite good. But it never hurts to add more compost as long as it is herbicide free. Performing a ph test is always good to determine if that should be adjusted.

Good luck.
seysonn
9 years ago
I think it should be fine. But if the soil has settled down, then you can add and mix in some more to compensate.I would also sprinkle and work in some granular fertilizer while/when preparing the beds.

Seysonn
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woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
9 years ago
It actually should be better this year as far as microbial activity and nutrient availability.

Like kclost mentioned, adding more compost can't hurt, but you may also want to add some sprinklings of some organic meals-- Feather or cottonseed(N), bone(P), and kelp (K and micronutes). I buy mine in bulk, but you can get small bags or Home Depot has a small bag mix of them. Make sure to add the bone real early since it takes so long to break down. Side dress throughout the season.

The reason why I suggest the ORGANIC meals is the soil is healthier when using organics and the problem with reusing the same beds to grow the same family of veggy year after year is disease and pest problems. Crop rotation is difficult for the home gardener, so soil health is paramount. Keep feeding the soil and the healthier it stays. Thus the ability for plants to withstand such disease and pest problems. Keep the good microbes in the soil to fight the bad stuff. Synthetic ferts work, but the soil ecosystem suffers, IMO.

Worm castings are also a great amendment.

Kevin
grubby_AZ Tucson Z9
9 years ago
I don't see the need for extra fertilizer with 90% manure (15% actual poop with the rest being woody bedding?) rotting down from only a year ago. If it were mine I'd just do mulch cleanup to reuse it if it's still mulch-y, and just top things off with more composted materials to level things up, so to speak.

You often don't need to shovel-dig (I don't) as the ground gets roiled up enough all by itself while pulling plants, poking around with a trowel, burying garbage, and so on. This may seem to depend on one's energy level but unless there's a problem to solve, digging with great vigor is usually unneeded.