How does 'no till' work in raised beds?

LindyAdele · March 2, 2015

Hi - I'm relatively new to gardening. This will be my third summer with 4 raised beds (4 feet by 8 feet each). The soil in them is okay, I get great yields and happy plants, but I know it can be improved. Last summer, with all the soil bear it cracked and became rock hard around my plants, and there wasn't worm to be found. I know MUCH more now.

What I want to know is if my plan for this spring is a good one to help improve the soil.

I put 4 inches of leaves on each bed last fall. Those will be compacted down into a thick mat when this snow ever leaves. My original plan was to add 1 bag of composted manure to each bed, as much of my homemade compost as there is to each bed, the coffee grounds I have been saving and some fresh lawn clippings and mix that and the leaves in with the top 6 inches of soil. THEN I would use woodchips as mulch this year.

I think at season's end, I would add more leaves, and let them compost over the winter. What should I do in the spring? Should i just leave it as is (no till) or stir in the old mulch and add fresh stuff? Does raking or mixing the very top of the soil disturb the wonderful soil microbes? Is there anything I should be adding that I haven't?

March 2, 2015	#1
LindyAdele Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 323	How does 'no till' work in raised beds? Hi - I'm relatively new to gardening. This will be my third summer with 4 raised beds (4 feet by 8 feet each). The soil in them is okay, I get great yields and happy plants, but I know it can be improved. Last summer, with all the soil bear it cracked and became rock hard around my plants, and there wasn't worm to be found. I know MUCH more now. What I want to know is if my plan for this spring is a good one to help improve the soil. I put 4 inches of leaves on each bed last fall. Those will be compacted down into a thick mat when this snow ever leaves. My original plan was to add 1 bag of composted manure to each bed, as much of my homemade compost as there is to each bed, the coffee grounds I have been saving and some fresh lawn clippings and mix that and the leaves in with the top 6 inches of soil. THEN I would use woodchips as mulch this year. I think at season's end, I would add more leaves, and let them compost over the winter. What should I do in the spring? Should i just leave it as is (no till) or stir in the old mulch and add fresh stuff? Does raking or mixing the very top of the soil disturb the wonderful soil microbes? Is there anything I should be adding that I haven't?