New raised bed

[bario1]

Hi,

I've almost finished my new raised bed on my plot, its about 4'x10' and 2' deep. I'm planning on growing carrots, beetroot, lettuce, salad leaves, herbs and fennel in it. I added a foot of leafmould to the area in early spring and this has now been dug into the soil (topsoil from elsewhere on the plot), so there is tons of organic matter in the soil, it's very friable and should drain well. I just wondered if the crops i've mentioned will like this kind of soil, and whether i should add some sort of fertiliser before planting/sowing? I know you shouldn't add manure before growing carrots, but would some BFB or chicken manure pellets help? And should i add lime or something? I'm wondering whether the large amount of leafmould i added will make the soil unbalanced?

Any thoughts appreciated as always...

Cheers!

[roitelet]

Don't add manure to soil that is intended for carrots it will make the roots fork. Leaf mould is neutral and will add humus which helps keep the moisture in the soil. If I were you I would just plant it up this year and see what happens that will tell you what else needs to be added for next year.

Best of luck

[WilliamD]

Well done bario1, I think your preparations are spot on. If you wanted you could put a bit of fish blood & bone or some growmore into one half of the bed and have any possibly sensitive plants in the other half.

[Two_Sheds]

would some BFB or chicken manure pellets help? And should i add lime

Chicken manure is lime.

And no, don't add anything. None of your chosen crops are heavy feeders, none of them needs any additional feeding at all.

[bario1]

Thanks for all your replies - i'll go ahead and sow it this weekend!

[bario1]

Oh, i forgot to add pak choi to my list - will that be ok as well, or is it technically a brassica?

[rustylady]

Doesn't matter what it is - if you want to grow it then go ahead.