Adding soil amendments to raised beds
sturgeonguy
8 years ago
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grubby_AZ Tucson Z9
8 years agokimmq
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Raised beds vs clay (amended) soil
Comments (6)Hi, My soil is very heavy red clay. It is hard to work. When it is wet it is clumpy and sticky and when it is dry it is like a fine ceramic. In fact, I actually made a pot out of it one time. It is very fertile, but a little acidic. Anyway, I build raised beds most of the time, just to save myself and my DH the hassle of trying to dig the clay. In my veggie garden, years of ammendments and green manure have finally created workable soil. And there are several flowerbeds around the house that are ammended clay. But mostly I build beds with timbers and imported soil. You can do it either way depending on the drainage and your patience. Good luck! Kathy...See MoreAmending raised bed soil for hot peps
Comments (12)>> the stuff called "Steer Manure" is just some kind of compost >> with some Cow Manure blend. Not quite so, Grasshopper. Here's where I get pedantic. Steer manure is from steer lots. Males castrated to become steers have problems with urethra size. Those done at birth have it worse than those done later. They have bladder problems; google "cattle water belly". The unnatural heavy grain diet they get in the feed lots exacerbates this and they form calculi that clogs the pipes. Thus they feed these doomed creatures a ton of salt. Cheaper than beer, I guess. They even add salt blocks (I wonder if there's a special salt block death mix?) If the bag says "steer", it's loaded with salt and it's cheaper. If it says "dairy" or "cow", it comes with a premium. There's nothing really wrong with the steer stuff as long as one remembers it's got a lot of salt....See MoreAdvice for adding to soil for 2nd year veggie garden in raised beds
Comments (2)We have an organic source of compost from our local dump. I usually get a truckload about every other year and use as much of my own compost as I can. I have started letting one bed go unplanted each year and composting straight on the bed in a bin. There's still room to plant something small like basil while the box sits there in the middle. About every 3rd year, I buy a load of "garden mix" from the organic dump place and top it off. I have a very small tiller that I mix it all in with (only about 10 lbs) Truckloads are really the way to go. With 20 forever beds, you can always find a place for the soil/compost! Nancy...See MoreAdding soil to raised bed with tree peony?
Comments (0)I have one tree peony planted in a raised bed of mixed perennials, whose soil level has gradually sunk in the 10 or so years since we built it. I guess the organic amendments just rotted away. It really could use like 4 or 5 more inches. But I would guess that would kill everything in there. Most of the other perennials (daylilies, liatris, baptisia, meadowsweet) could be lifted and replanted on top if I really had to. But I don’t want to dig up the tree peony. If I add a top dressing of compost in the corner where the peony is, and try just to add a little every year, would that work? How sensitive are tree peonies about soil level? I know herbaceous peonies are picky about not being too deep. Thanks....See Moresturgeonguy
8 years agosturgeonguy
8 years agokimmq
8 years agosturgeonguy
8 years agokimmq
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agosturgeonguy
8 years agoMaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
8 years agokimmq
8 years agowaynedanielson
8 years agosturgeonguy
8 years ago
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