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Out with the old , in with the novel ! Come get wind how to refresh and amend garden soil , with tips to set up a new or established raised garden bed for planting .

This clause explores the the best way to remove previous plants from the garden , when and how often to add plant food , our favorite organic fertiliser and compost options ( and other lifelike amendments ) , and thestep - by - step processwe use to meliorate our garden bed before planting .

Raised garden beds are sitting amongst a gravel hardscape. Small seedlings are growing in each of the raised beds.

Soil healthis cay to the winner of a garden , and should never be dismiss ! With these tips , your plants will grow with child , unattackable , and more rich than ever .

Starting with a brand new layer ? Come learnhow to fill a raised garden bedwith organic soil and compost .

Note : This post was originally published in October 2019 but significantly refreshed in 2025 .

Two hands are held together cupping a large handful of compost that is in the shape of a heart. A bed of lettuce growing is beyond.

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A man is leaning over a garden bed with a hand saw, he is sawing the stems of plants off at the soil line, leaving the roots behind in the soil. The plants resemble trunks sticking out of the soil, these were leafy green vegetables or cauliflower and there greens have all been striped from the plant. There is a half wine barrel with carrot greens sprouting out of the top in the background, along with various other pollinator plants, trees, and shrubs.

Removing Old Plants from the Garden

When it is time to remove old plants from a garden bed , we favor to comply a“no - till”or no - dig method most of the time . Rather than pulling plants out by their roots , we cut them out at the filth line or just below andleave the rootsto disintegrate in place .

To cut out old plants , we usesharp prunersor asmall hand realize , calculate on the sizing and toughness of the fore . The root will break down over time , providing intellectual nourishment and nutrients to the plants , along with the worms and other good micro-organism in the filth !

No - till farm offersnumerous benefitsto soil , such as improved biologic variety , fertility , resiliency , piss memory , organic matter , and nutrient cycling . In contrast , tilling soil increase corrosion and disrupts the innate soil structure and beneficial liveliness within .

A graphic with a tomato growing showing organic fertilizers on one side and synthetic fertilizers on the other. The synthetic only offer plant nutrients while the organic offer organic matter, soil nutrients, plant nutrients, and micro-organisms.

If the spent plants are n’t pathologic , we sum up them to ourcompost bin(or share some with ourbackyard chickens , when edible and appropriate ) . Otherwise , they go in the dark-green waste .

Why Amend Soil?

As works arise , they draw up essential nutrient from the soil , leaving it low or even depleted by the closing of the growing season . So , it ’s significant toreplenishnutrientsso the next circle of plants can expand ! To do so , gardeners typically implement fertilizer and/or compost each class ( or more often ) .

Some amendments are also used toimprove soil texture or drainage , not just nutrient . For exercise , you could add compost and/or pot soil to bungle up dumb clay grunge or to improve wet retention in sandy soil .

harvest rotationandcover cropscan also be used to heighten organic soil health and victuals .

Deanna is squatting next to a raised bed as she plants lettuce seedlings in a row. Aaron is standing next to her as he removes the seedlings from their containers.

When To Amend Garden Soil

Most gardener amend their soil inspring , just before planting time . Ideally , design to tot up fertilizera calendar week or two prior to planting , giving it time to mellow out before the plant go in . ( This is peculiarly true with warm fertilizers like bone or blood repast that pose a risk of burn plant life . Since we utilize more gentle option , we sometimes fertilize immediately before planting without subject . )

However , amend too early can be uneconomical . For example , if you apply fertilizer in the spill and leave the bed empty all wintertime , rainfall will moisten aside much of the added nutrients .

We live in a temperate climate and garden year - round , so we remedy our bedstwice per year – once in early spring and again previous summertime before plantingfall crops .

The raised garden bed have no plants growing in them after they have been removed. The raised bed in the foreground has fertilizer sprinkled over the top of it to amend the soil.

It can also be helpful to offerheavy - feeder cropsadditional plant food once or twice during their grow time of year . We ’ll discuss way to flow land mid - time of year in the “ fertilizer selection ” section to follow .

How to Amend Garden Soil Before Planting

Fertilizer Options

There a number of ways to fertilize garden ground , and every nurseryman has their orientation ! We like to expend raw amendment , compost , andgentle , slow - release , well - balancedorganic fertilizer(e.g . 4 - 4 - 4 ) instead of strong options like rip meal .

It ’s good to go light than accidentally overdo it and “ cut ” or take aback young sensitive plants ! you may always tot more , but it ’s unmanageable to take excess away . Plus , fertiliser is n’t the only way we maintain soil wellness .

With our gentle fertilizing methods , we cover the soil in all of our raised beds the same from the start . Then , we provide heavy - feeding works ( for instance tomatoes , Zea mays , squash , melon , garlic)additional nutrients throughout the growing season as needed withhomemade compost tea , dilute seaweed extract , alfalfa repast tea , or a side medical dressing of more boring - release dry fertilizer .

A hand is being used to scratch in fertilizer on the top of garden soil to amend the raised bed.

TIP : When search at fertilizers , you ’ll notice three number ( such as 6 - 3 - 1 ) . This is theNPK ratio , which establish the various level of N , phosphorus , and potassium in the fertilizer .

Compost Options

Compost is dark , crumbly , nutrient - rich material derived fromdecomposed organic mattersuch as food scraps , thousand or garden barren , leave , straw , cardboard , or certain beast manures . When sum up to soil , compost improves soil structure , birth rate , moisture retention , and further sound plant growth . We ’ve used a spacious mixed bag of compost options over the age : bagged , bulk , homemade , worming castings , and more .

Worm castings(aka “ black atomic number 79 ” ) is a top favourite , which you’re able to make at household with aneasy DIY louse binorpurchase in bags . A minuscule goes a prospicient way ! If you tot up louse castings to amend garden beds , you ’ll only need a sparkle sprinkle over the soil ( not in deep like other compost ) . Or , simply append a little handful to each planting hole like we do . It ’s best to practice dirt ball castings in add-on to other forms of compost , not as the exclusive amendment .

In accession to our worm bin , our current chief rootage ofhomemade compostis well - decompose manure from ourmini donkeys , mixed with some garden waste and chicken manure . It all sits to molder in ourDIY compost binfor over a year . If you do choose an animate being manure - based compost , make certain that it is thoroughly age ! Many types of fresh animal manure can burn your plants .

A half teaspoon of mycorrhizae is held above a transplant hole with a trowel and seedling laying next to the hole.

If you ca n’t make your own , you should be capable to find some good compost locally – either in bags or mass . Often available through local landscape painting supply company , bulkis most low-priced for large project . Forbagged , I broadly speaking prefer the quality compost options at local nurseries or “ develop shops ” over big box fund .

Our favorite bagged compost is California - based Malibu ’s Compost , made from certifiable organic dairy cow manure and biodynamic plants . ( Yet it ’s fairly spendy so we ’ll usually add just a grip or two per seam in addition to another compost option . ) Coast of Maine is a similar premium option for the east coast .

And that is how we turn over our garden beds and amend soil between seasons.

You may also bask :

A raised bed garden space with many young seedlings growing in each of the raised bed. The beds have been topped with a fresh layer of compost and mulch.

A glass measuring cup of alfalfa tea held in front of a raised bed full of Swiss chard will be used to amend soil. A 5 gallon bucket of alfalfa tea sits next to the raised bed.

Four mini donkeys are standing around a 3 bay compost system full of manure. A wheelbarrow is in the foreground which contains aged donkey manure to amend raised beds.

Two raised garden beds are shown, they have been cleared off all old plants and have fresh compost spread over the top of them in a pile. The compost is Bu’s Blend Biodynamic Compost and it will soon be spread evenly over the entire surface of each of the garden beds. One of the bags of compost is laid out on one of the beds and compost to show the brand of the compost. The background contains lush perennials with pink flowers, cacti, flowering basil, and part of a tomato plant.

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