Raised Bed-till or not till

[brog]

I have 3yr old raised compost bed. I add 3-4 in of new compost each year to keep it 14 in deep. Should I till or not. If so how deep. Compost is made of hardwood leaves--coffee grounds--alfalfa--old potting soil-mix. Thanks Bill

[dice]

What kind of soil is underneath the raised bed?

[brog]

30 year old garden on Ga. clay base amended with natures helper (ground pine bark)--wheat straw-leaves(not much)--crimson and white clover winter cover in 3 yr. rotation. original forest land. drains well--holds moisture well.

[dice]

I would not bother tilling that. If you just keep adding compost
or layers of other organic matter on top, the worms should do it
for you. At most I might turn it over a couple of weeks before
transplanting if the white clover wants to stick around through
the summer.

The one exception would be if I wanted to thoroughly mix
in some long-lasting soil amendment (lime, gypsum, rock
phosphate, greensand, etc), and even then you would not need
to do it annually.

[mresseguie]

Hi, Brog.

May I chime in?

My beds are similar to yours. I normally do not till, but just keep adding a few inches every spring. This year (soon) I will till because I added a bunch of amendments and a bunch of soil. For the last two years now I dump a mix of coffee grounds (a hundred or so pounds!), llama manure, and leaves into my pathways. I fill this to even (after packing it down) with the level of my raised beds. I walk on this mix for a full year (while it breaks down). Then, I scoop it onto my raised beds. The beds get a 'candy coating' of amendments before I scoop the poop onto them. This year I added a good 12+ inches of soil to my bed, so I'm going to mix it in really well with a borrowed tiller. I'm not sure if it will be necessary next year.

My amendments are approximately 2 parts alfalfa meal, 1 part kelp meal, 1 part hydrated lime/dolomite lime, 1 part steamed bone meal, 1 part potash/bat guano mixture, 1/4 part Epsom salt.

Good luck with your choice!

Michael

P.S. Incidentally, by filling my paths this way, my raised beds require considerably less water during the growing season. The worms love it, and roots find their ways into it as well. I likes!

[brog]

Thanks Michael--Dice I`m ready for April 1st.

[robin303]

I have always had raised beds but I will never use a tiller because I'm not going to kill my earthworms but I do turn the the soil every season.

[brog]

Thanks Robin I don`t know for sure. but I`ve heard that tilling does not hurt earth worms. I am 76 years old and have 5 raised beds 60ft, by 3ft. I don`t say I can not turn that much by hand just that I not willing. I MAY in 20 or so years say I can not(BAD WORD)

[dice]

If you are unwilling to turn them, maybe only till after a white
clover winter cover crop. I have read that white clover competes
heavily with other crops growing in it for water, which would
be my concern.

Then again, maybe 3 inches of compost on top of the clover is
enough to repress it for the summer. I have not tried that, so I
do not know if that works.

Do you mow the crimson clover in spring when you have grown
that over the winter?

[brog]

In past years I weed eat the clover and use a hoe to work it into the top 3-4 in. then a good covering of compost over it. No red and very little white clover comes thru,I leave it if not in the way of planting. weed eating and covering 3 weeks before planting.

[Barbee]

My 2 cents worth hehe
You say it drains well and holds water well. IMO, those are two of the most important things in a raised bed. You're not working anything long lasting in there. Why mess with a good thing? Are you getting good yields?

[dice]

In past years I weed eat the clover and use a hoe to work it into the top 3-4 in. then a good covering of compost over it. No red and very little white clover comes thru,I leave it if not in the way of planting. weed eating and covering 3 weeks before planting.

That sounds like a successful, working system to me.

[brog]

Thanks Dice I always value your input. Yes Barbee good production. I`m always trying to improve, I`ll find that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow some day--GOD WILLING