Gardeners are being warned that now is the crucial time to put their “bare beds to bed” to ensure “perfect soil” for the upcoming planting season.
Expert Benedict Vanheems advises gardeners to “replace all of the nutrients” that were depleted by the plants growing in their beds. These nutrients, he explains, are “lost” when the plants are harvested or die and cleared away.
And leaving the bed alone will result in poor soil, he warns. This means the next set of crops will struggle to survive.
Instead, he recommends enriching the beds with garden compost and manure to rejuvenate them for next year. Speaking on the GrowVeg YouTube channel, Benedict stated: “We’re not going to be planting anything for three or four months, which gives nature plenty of time to build our soil.”
He suggests adding about 5cm – or 3in – of manure on top of the soil and incorporating it with the back of a pitchfork.
Additionally, he mentions that spreading pure wood ash can benefit the soil at this time of year.
However, he warns that fresh manure should only be used on bare beds, and if the bed still contains crops, garden compost should be used instead to avoid burning the plants with nitrogen, reports Devon Live.
He explained: “What we’re doing is mimicking nature, you rarely see bare soil in nature, it’s almost always covered and that way all the soil life from worms, to beneficial bacteria, to fungi always have something to feast on.
And they in turn will improve the soil and make sure the plants have access to everything they need, including those vital nutrients.”
The avid gardener also layered leaves over his exposed beds, terming it “free food” that would enhance the plot come springtime. Any remaining leaves can subsequently be removed and repurposed as mulch for future use.
Should gardeners lack manure or ready-to-use compost, Benedict advises that anyone can create their own blend using dry leaves and green organic matter like seed-free weeds and grass cuttings, going over them with a lawnmower to mix.
