Is it really necessary to refill?
The gardener should pour fresh compost material into the sagged raised bed in autumn so that the original level is reached again by spring. Some of them simply refill with fresh compost from the garden center or their own composter. In fact, this measure is only for ergonomic reasons - in other words: for them comfortable working posture on the raised bed - makes sense. However, refilling is not absolutely necessary for the planting and the plants themselves - nutrients are still abundant in the compressed filling.
also read
- The best tips for raised beds
- Second year - This work is now done in the raised bed
- Can you just fill a raised bed with soil?
Refilling the raised bed - step-by-step instructions
If you want to refill your raised bed, you have two options. The simple one is finished compost soil and simply spread it on the bed as the top layer. However, the following method, which is carried out after clearing the bed in autumn, is more common:
- Slide with one Rake the fine potting soil on the raised bed aside.
- Fill in compostable material as the underlying layer.
- Grass clippings, sod (turn it around!), Stable manure (especially horse manure) and coarse compost are particularly suitable.
- Spread over the potting soil again and mulch The bed, for example with leaves.
So the raised bed can rest until spring and then be replanted. So that it does not lose too much height over the growing season, you should mulch it regularly during the summer months - it will practically refill itself.
Alternative to refilling
Instead of refilling the raised bed every year, you can just let things take their course - and Instead, build the raised bed box in such a way that, if necessary, you can simply start individual wooden slats from above remove. In this way you adjust the height of the raised bed to its fill level. The variant of simply placing two such raised bed boxes next to each other and using them alternately for planting and filling is particularly practical. One box is used as a composter for a year, while the other - filled one - is planted. Finally, in the following year, they are exchanged.
Tips
Regardless of whether you refill the raised bed regularly or not: Every four to five years the contents have to be completely composted and you have to start from scratch.