How To - Amending Garden Beds

Garden Blog

Amending Garden Beds

After a season of hard work providing for all the beautiful plants, the soil needs to be amended. Some like to do this in the spring before planting. Depending on my goals for my beds, I prefer to do this right after the fall garden has been spent.

In the photo on the left, the garden bed on the right has been amended with in-ground soil. It has been dressed with straw to protect the soil through the winter.

The garden bed on the left will be amended with mushroom soil and dressed with leaves.

Roots Matter

Rather than pulling out the entirety of the plants, try cutting the stems to soil and leaving the roots behind. The roots break down into organic matter that is processed by the living organisms in your soil. This in turn gives back nutrients to the garden beds.

As you cut plants down to the soil, make sure to remove any weeds as you go. It is best to pull weeds out by the roots so they do not return the next year.

Adding Amendments to Garden Beds

Once the beds are cleared, it is time to amend. First, add organic matter such as blood meal (a source of nitrogen) and bone meal (a source of phosphorus) to the top of the spent soil. You will do this based on what was grown where in the beds.

For example, in spaces where tomatoes were grown, add more blood meal than bone meal. In places where zucchini and cucumbers grew, add more bone meal. Then, add a mixture of manure and compost. Add a few inches to the top of the soil. Adding amendments in the fall allows time for nitrogen to be broken down so it can be more easily absorbed by the plants in the next season.

Protecting Garden Beds

Once amendments have been added, it is time to decide how to care for your garden beds through the winter to prevent soil erosion, hydrophobic soil, and prevent weed seed taking hold in the garden beds.

Soil erosion can occur with rain, snow, and wind. Those amendments that were just added….they can be swept away by the elements without protection. This will also lead to having to replace soil, which can be costly.

Hydrophobic soil occurs when soil has been left to dry out and can no longer absorb water properly. Gardeners in warmer climates may experience this more often. It is important to keep the soil moist and having a mulch over the beds helps retain moisture.

Weeds are persistent and will take over garden beds if left bare. Over the winter season, weeds that are already present will happily grow in the now free space. Weed seed will blow in on the wind and settle in just waiting to take up residence as soon as the weather is right. Having a protective cover over garden beds will smother the current weeds and prevent weed seed from being able to take hold.

Options For Protecting Garden Beds

Fallen Leaves

Last season, I covered the garden beds with fallen leaves. This is a common method for many growers because they have leaves readily available for free on their property and it adds organic matter to your soil. For me personally, this was not a preferred method. I do not have any trees, so I collected leaves from my parents’ property and transported back to my own. It also created a mess that one without trees would not normally have to clean up. The leaves are going to blow around during the season regardless of how heavily dressed the beds are.

Straw

For the coming winter, at least one garden bed will be covered with straw. Straw tends to be denser with less chance to be blown around the yard. Therefore, it is a cleaner look for the garden space and is much more manageable. If you decide to go this route, be sure to obtain straw specifically, as it is much less likely to contain seeds than hay. You also need to make sure the straw is not chemically treated.

Wood Mulch

A wood mulch is another option that a gardener might use to protect their beds during the winter. It is easy to use and is going to stay put during windy days. However, there are some drawbacks to wood mulch. The pH level of the soil may be affected and therefore would need to be rebalanced. Wood mulch also comes with the risk of extra pests in the garden. Most importantly, consider the type of climate you live in, as wood mulch can actually self-combust if given the right circumstances and environment.

None of these are the right or wrong choice to protect garden beds. Pick what you would like to try and change it accordingly as you learn what works best for your garden space. As seasons pass, you will nail down the perfect amendments and mulch for your garden beds.

Putting yourself in the habit of amending garden beds every winter will save time in the Spring. Time that you will greatly appreciate. This allows more focus for starting seedlings and allows an easy transition for transplanting out to the garden.