Every year, the city brings me 30 cubic yards of vacuumed up leaves from local city streets. They sit for a year while I toss my veggie scraps/urine buckets on top.
This year, I am spreading out the 2 year old pile into 5'x20' beds 12" deep. They are weathering in fine. I should be planting into a 2" base this Spring. Because my beds don't have frames, they rotate around my back yard. Everything seems to benefit.

I put 1/2 inch of compost down and cover that with a thick layer of shredded leaves. The only time I would add anything else would be if a good, reliable soil test said there was a deficiency. However, over the years the nutrient levels in the soil have improved without spending money on the "soil amendments" so I see no reason to do that. No need for lime, epsom salts, rock minerals of any kind, extra Nitrogen, just the organic matter from the compost and shredded leaves nad the nutrients they contribute.

I had thought about working a bit of compost only in the places where I am planting,since I don't have much compost. But should I be getting the soil ready before then? The frost doesn't leave until early May.

We just got finished top dressing the beds with chopped fall leaves at the soil surface and free wood chips to hold it all down. My gardens and I couldn't be happier.

Pam

The best time to put organic matter into your soil is several months before you want to plant in it, so fall is a good time to add compost adn other forms of organic matter which will give the soil bacteria, the Soil Food Web, ample time to make the nutrients available to the plants you grow next spring. waiting until spring to put that organic matter into, or onto, the soil means that the nutrients probably won't be available to the plants until around harvest time. Many people, when adjusting their soils pH, apply lime in the spring and since it takes several months for the lime to react with the hydrogen ions that means the soils pH will not start to change until fall.

hmm... didn't know that. Well planting in my area doesn't start till about mid to late may. Would it be better for me then to get it in as soon as possible in the spring? the soil is pretty workable for at least two months before.

3-6 inch layer of straw over the (almost) whole shootin' match last fall.

Soon, maybe next weekend, will begin making raised beds using layers of straw and compoted manure (not frozen, obviously). Should be in fine shape come March.

In Fall I added compost and garden forked it in. Also spread annual Rye as a green manure. Some of the long range plants receive much more compost. And come spring I'll refresh my wood chip walkways.

jake thats a lot of organic material how long have you used that much and does it grow OK? I used 2-3 inches of under aged compost(can I use that term) 5 month old compost. covered with 6-8 inches shredded leaves.I put this mix on/ around squares in my raised garden as they become available In late fall. My night crawlers will now work the soil till freeze up and my fall sown garlic is protected from temperature extremes.It is getting a Little tricky right now as I am learning four season harvest and live on the 45 parallel.

Curt :-) P.S. Over two foot of snow. Outside gardening over till spring ice out.

Hi Jake
As Curt says "thats a lot of organic material "

But even if it is wanted/needed, if you are going to put it in now and then wait to plant in spring, how come you don't just save some time and aggravation and simply mix it all together, work it into your beds and then cover it with leaf mold, how do the gymnastics help, if you are waiting to plant anyway ?

How do you prepare your beds?

In the fall, I add compost to the top of the garden beds, cover with straw then stand at my window all winter looking longingly towards them while wishing for spring.

Val

Hi Everybody ;-)

This seems to be as good a thread for this question as any other .so here goes ...

If one wants to use a Nitrogen Fixing cover crop during the off season, how does one get it into the soil in the spring,if one wishes to go "No-Till"

I think the no tiller stomp it down and mulch over the green manure there is a current thread over on the organic forum on this very matter

Hi Jonas,
Quite the conundrum to appease all the "political parties" ie...
No-Till (Don't till nothing)
Biodynamic/French Intensive (Don't even think about stepping/stomping/rolling on it)
So what I have concluded is that I would plant a cover crop, use a hedge trimmer to cut it down after it flowers,compost what I cut down and plant straight into the Nitrogen Fixed root system that remains.
I think that should get me an A+ on the Garden Exam ;-)

Jon,
Some cover crops do not respond well (die) if mowed/cut at the right stage - like hairy vetch - which could be an excellent choice depending on where you are growing.

Best of luck.

Hi Cheap,
I will probably use Red Clover,
the ground is not so ugly after its cut, as well as better compostables... Happy new Year Brother

I think you will pass your exam just great Jon

Sounds like a fine plan
Honestly the best way to do your garden is however you decide thats one thing I really like about gardening and composting..

Don't tell anybody but I use my tiller to mash it all up(:

Hi Jonas,
"Don't tell anybody but I use my tiller to mash it all up(: "

That's funny ! ;-)

I kind of cheat too....

Most of my garden is raised bed 2' tall concrete block, so rototilling isn't even an option.

but I do have a couple of 20'x 20' ground level beds that I used my excavator and dug 4' deep beds and filled them with my awesome raised bed special recipe soil ;-)

Equal parts Topsoil,Decomposed Granite,Pumice,Compost,Steer Manure and then top it all with my own wonderful compost...

When other gardeners come by to see my garden,they can't believe how much can grow in a 20'x 20' area, then I show them that I can literally stick my arm down all the way to my shoulder, I get the best looks, especially since most ground around here is as hard as a rock ;-) It was wonderful having an excavator to do the heavy lifting ;-)

Good ole Maw Nature is taking care of things for me! Along with -20 outside right now, I have about 6' of white "poop" on top of everything out back! oops, poop = snow in this case.................

Since mine are all planted already, I lay out a good 2 to 3 inch layer of mushroom compost over the beds in fall, followed by a good helping of shredded oak leaves, and I even bought a bin to compost the leaves in to make leaf mold. So, next year (I hope) I'll be adding some leaf mold into the beds too in fall. This year I happened to get hold of a couple of free bales of straw, so I put down some straw too, but still have a lot left.
I was thinking of putting the straw into the bin too, but then I wouldn't be making leaf mold lol.

Hi Ken,
How come we all desire what we don't have ;-)

I sure would love to have some of that mushroom compost ;-)

Hi jonhughes! I actually had to purchase the mushroom compost at my local garden center! It is a little pricey, but worth it I think. I think it was about $4 a bag or so. I bought ten bags worth.
Talking about desiring what we can't have, I wish I could have a regular compost pile! I live in a mobile home park and I know the neighbors would complain if I started one. So, I bought myself a leaf bin and will get one or two more bins next season. Right now, it just has oak leaves in it. But, who knows I might accidentally drop some other 'stuff' in there. lol whoops! Did I drop those coffee grounds in? Or the grass clippings? whoops...