Even healthy soil needs regular amending to keep it rich in nutrients. Spring & fall are the ideal time for that and in the spring, I like to amend my garden about 3 weeks before planting.
Refreshing your raised bed vegetable garden for spring planting involves a few simple steps to get your bed ready.
- Clear out old plant debris: If you haven’t already cleared out old leftover plant debris from the previous growing season do that now. I generally do this at the end of my fall garden, especially if there are any diseased plants. But many people prefer to leave to allow beneficial insects to overwinter. This includes pulling out any remaining plants, weeds, and any other organic matter that may have accumulated. I personally feel leaving the debri in the garden invites in disease.
- Amend the soil: Add 2 ” of compost to replenish nutrients in the soil and improve its texture. This will provide a nutrient-rich environment for your new plants to thrive. I add composted manure every few years, and this year I found a compost/manure mix that I used.
- Add organic matter: If the soil in your raised beds have settled, you can add additional organic matter such as compost, leaf mold, or aged manure into the soil to improve its structure and fertility. This will also help retain moisture and promote beneficial microbial activity. I saw a product today at my local Tractor Supply that was a combination of humus/aged manure and that would be a great addition to the raised bed also.
- Plan your garden: Decide which vegetables you want to grow and plan your planting layout. Consider factors such as plant spacing, and sunlight requirements. Large plants should go at the north end of the bed to prevent shading the plants in front of them. Medium size plants in the middle and sprawling plants in front. Utilizing arches and trellis will increase your garden space, keep leaves and fruit off the grown, and open them up to more sun and air circulation.
- Plant a diverse garden that includes vegetables, herbs and flowers. Plant herbs and flowers around the perimeter of your bed to deter pests, attract beneficial insects and pollinators.
Download these PDF’s to help you with your garden this spring. Just click on the link and it will open up in another window. You can then either download to save or print out.
Attracting Beneficial Insects to the Garden
Do you need help with your garden? If you are in the Chattanooga Tennessee area, I offer a number of services to help you grow your best garden ever. You can see those at www.GrowingwithGardenchick.com.