I mix leaf compost into the entire raised bed and just add a scoopful of worm castings to each planting hole ($5 for 2 lb. bag from a local place). Purportedly this gives the same nutrient boost as the "worm tea" that my friends extract from their worm composting farm. I might mix in a handful of extra leaf compost if the plant seems fragile or the soil seems like it needs a little loosening up. This is my third go-round with this and working well so far.

Somewhere on the interwebs I had looked to see what others had done and found someone adding whole fish heads into each hole.....!

Mister Caledon,
Worm casting is fine but to me it is cost prohibitive. Leaf mold that you add is as good as worm casting. I used to load my beds with fall leaves, mixing it with soil. By the following season all those leaves were turned into worm casting by the worms in the garden.

I would not add any meat, fish head or bone. They might even be an invitation to infect the soil. Why not just add fish emulsion ? Alaska Fish Fertilizer is selling for about $14 per gallon.
JMO
Sey

You have a good point Sey. The last two autumns I didn't really give a thought to loading up the bed to prep for the following spring. This fall I'm sure I'll remember to add oak leaves, dead wood, bark, eggshells etc, and maybe with that kind of forethought I'll forego the worm castings in 2016.

Can't give a personal thumbs up or down on the fish head thing.... merely an observation that some of the suggestions out there are pretty zany..... (My Italian lady friend, upon being told about it, replied, "Oh yeah, of course, my grandmother's fish head trick!")

interesting I never used fish heads but I use fish emulsion in the beginning after planting . I was wondering , do you guys compost the leaves before adding them in the fall? I have really not much acess to compost so I was wondering about adding leaves to the boil in November. also don't oak leaves take longer to di compose...

Marc,
No need to compost fall leaves before adding to the beds. It would be better to shred them by running over with the mower or using a shredder if you have one. The worm will do the job of converting them into casting.

Sey

Marc -- I can second Sey's advice. I have one of those lawn blower/vac things which chips up leaves and twigs into small shreds as it vacuums them up. In years past I had two friends who would place an "order" with me two big bags of chopped oak leaves every October (they lived downtown; ain't no trees). When I asked why - for the veggie beds, they said. So I think chopping and shredding is the way to go.