Getting Nutrients into My Raised Bed

[FromYorkshiretoBucks]

Afternoon All.

at the back end of last summer, I built a new raised bed on part of my lawn and filled it with all of last years finished compost from pots I’d been growing my veg in. I mixed in some chicken manure pellets and left it.


what can I do to make sure it’s got as many nutrients as possible in for the coming summer?

thanks!!

[Snadger]

As long as you are not an organic gardener a Temperature controlled slow release fertiliser suited to the crops you want to grow could give you six months of nutrients.

[ameno]

I wouldn't really recommend those pelleted slow-release fertilisers for something as large as a raised bed. They're not cheap, and you'd need to use quite a lot for a volume as large as a raised bed, so it may well get quite costly.

If the raised part of the bed is pure compost at the moment then, if possible, I would get hold of some top soil and mix it in. Soil holds nutrients much better than compost.
Otherwise, I'd say just add some more poultry manure in spring before planting, and maybe also some garden compost or well-rotted manure if you can get it. Then if you're growing hungry plants, like brassicas or squashes, add another handful of poultry manure around each plant some time mid-season (July or so), and keep any fruiting veg fed with liquid tomato feed through the growing season.

[Snadger]

A handful a square metre of a balanced slow release fertiser wouldn't be cost prohibitive.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1kg-OSMOC...MAAOSw~IVamQ1n

At 35g to the square metre this would fertilise roughly 28 square metres.

[FromYorkshiretoBucks]

Thanks both for your help. A few helpful things that I will use to hopefully get the bed producing.

Thank you!!

[.commander]

If it clear put a layer of cardboard (temporary weed suppressant, will be gone in 3-5 months). Then:

2-5" of compost.

Don't dig. In a few months repeat with a top up of compost (mulch). Homemade compost if you can. (Costs) Or start making our own!

[Kirk]

I have found the simple answer seems to be get a tub of pelleted chicken manure and scatter, add liberally.
I ended up adding a whole tub to my raised bed. About half went on at the start and the rest was added when I decided or thought useful.
Found that bags of manure were adding to the overall soil level and the chicken manure wasn't anywhere near the bulk.

[Nicos]

I will be throwing in a few big handfuls of last years saved seeds..
anything growing where I dont want the will get moved.
I find them to be amazingly determined...just keep the main frost off them! Fleece is deffo the way to go,
Mine are never fed... they seem to better that way!