Topic: Raised vegetable beds - what am i doing wrong?

[Garden Manager]

For a few years now i have grown my veg in timber framed raised (6") beds.

Now i am totaly happy with this way of growing veg, I can maintain and improve the soil without walking on it and the frames stop soil falling on the paths.

Problem is I seem to annualy (sometimes bi annualy) have to remove soil from the beds to stop them overflowing. ???  I was wondering if this was a problem with such beds or is it me doing something wrong?  I annualy dig over and add what compost i can spare to the beds.  If it is a common problem they dont warn you about it!

Advice or guidance please?

[tim]

- and a soil factory, to boot?? Can't complain about that!! = Tim

[Garden Manager]

Thanks Tim  ;D

Yep could start a business selling topsoil!

[Ceri]

this is from Geoff Hamilton's brother's book not any personal experience, so its not my advice (what would I know!?), he says you're not supposed to dig them annually, just stick some rotted compost or whatever on the top and plant through it - its supposed to sink down as natural rotting takes place in the existing soil  - would annual digging fluff it up?  I'm hoping GH's brother is right - dig real deep once then never again for years - sounds more fun than annual digging.

[Garden Manager]

Thanks ceri

Trouble is cant seem to mentaly train myself not to dig. Oh when i say dig i only mean loosening the soil to the depth of a fork. Perhaps this is still too much, but the weeds need digging out and after a wet winter the soil in the beds always looks compacted and hard, and not very inviting to sow seed into. Perhaps all it needs is loosening with a rake or lightly with a fork?  ???
I ALWAYS  end up making more work for myself!

[kenkew]

I go with what Ceri (that's my sister's name) says. Initial work on a plot may well entail some serious digging, but after that there is no advantage to deep digging. The added compost we put on won't penetrate even to 1/2 a spit depth, so why dig up sub-soil? With a few exceptions the norm is to turn just the top 3" or so.

[Ceri]

Is your sister's name short for a longer version of the welsh name which luckily no-one but my late gy (welsh grandmother) called me by (bad English but you know what you mean) and you will not hear repeated by me unless I'm exceedingly tipsy

[Hugh_Jones]

If you spread your compost on the beds in late autumn and then cover with black polythene for the winter, you will find in the spring that most of the compost has been pulled down by worms, the bed won`t be full of weeds needing digging out, and the surface will be friable and will only need a light raking before sowing.

All you achieve by digging is to accelerate the oxidisation of the humus content of the soil and the destruction of the worm tunnels which otherwise would act both as drainage and to carry rain down to the roots of plants.