Allotment Stuff > The Basics

Beds in winter - dig or not to dig

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anna:
Not an allotment, but I turned my front garden into a cottage garden this year. I've never bothered with flowers before so, i find myself with a bit of a silly question now.

Obviously I pull up any annuals (except the ones still going), trim back to ground any herbacious perennials (diito) and rip out any weeds that are revealed (grr).

However, I've bought a bag of manure, as the soil still isn't that great (was mostly lawn this time last year), and want to add it. Should I just use it as a mulch (spread it liberally over the top) or can I actually dig it in (or would this disturb my perennial flowers)?

TIA

Anna

Hugh_Jones:
It`s not really a good idea to do either at this time of the year, particularly if your bag of manure is the concentrated stuff with added this-and-that.  Far better to save it over winter and use it either as a mulch, or to work gently into the soil surface as soon as your perennials start growing in the spring.

anna:
oh! I've always manured in winter for veg - am i doing it wrong?

Hugh_Jones:
Surely, what you`re manuring in winter for veg is empty ground, which is perfectly correct.  Your original question related to borders containing perennial plants - an entirely different thing. They don`t need or want stimulants of any sort added to the soil while they are dormant, adding manure now can do much more harm than good.

anna:
OK thanks - I had an inkling that this would be the answer but I'm not that confident in my gardening yet. Phew!

Anna

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