What winter covering would you recommend

[rary]

I have just completed setting up a raised bed, it contains some timber from a felled tree covered with about 1ft.(30cm) of soil, the soil is a mix of various layers of an old raised bed. I am now intending putting a covering on it for the winter I have garden compost as well as seaweed, of the two choices what would you recommend using, and why

[Andraste]

Hi Rary,

I feel weird giving you any advice as I'm well aware that you're much more knowledgeable than me so I'll give an 'opinion' instead & hopefully some real growers will follow

I'd use both. My line of thinking is that garden compost is great but has potential for lacking some nutrients - seaweed is generally lauded as being great fertilizer but adding in winter means that any excess salts will be washed away by the rain.

If it's a 'one or the other choice' then I'd go for seaweed (for the winter/rain salt breakdown) & keep the garden compost for spring.

[Penellype]

I've never used seaweed so this is just an opinion. I agree with Anrdaste that seaweed will break down during the winter weather and salt will wash out, therefore if you use seaweed you could leave the bed uncovered. On the other hand, if you spread compost now, there is a good chance that nutrients will leach out during winter, so if you use compost I would recommend covering the bed with weed matting, plastic sheeting or cardboard to reduce this. If you use clear plastic the weed seeds will germinate early and you can hoe them off in spring before planting your crops.

[Andraste]

Penellype that makes so much sense My instinct to use both is officially a dumba*s idea as it would need covering & then the weather wouldn't work its magic on the seaweed

At least I can stand by my winter for seaweed then compost in spring suggestion

[rary]

Thanks ladies, if I use seaweed I think any salts will be washed out by the end of the week with the amount of rain we are getting here at present, one point I have to consider is that seaweed takes quite a time to break down when exposed to a lot of rain, the answers from both of you gives me an idea for a trial, I have one bed at present covered by about six inches of seaweed, the bed I was enquiring about, I can cover half with seaweed the other with compost, covering the seaweed with cardboard once it's sufficiently washed through and cover the compost with clear plastic, I like the idea of getting any weed seeds germinated early and it could possibly prevent any nutrients being washed out.
Andraste no matter how knowledgeable someone is, in any field, they can always learn from others, whither they are experienced or not, enjoy you gardening

[Andraste]

Aww - thanks Rary - you're such a gent *hugs*.

Edited to add a PS: third idea - could you add the seaweed, leave it until it gets sufficiently rain-washed, top with cardboard, then put the garden compost on top of the cardboard before covering with clear plastic?

[rary]

Sounds good but not sure how the roots would do going into seaweed, and of course there is the potential of the seaweed using up nitrogen as it decomposes, though on thinking on it it might work reversing what you suggest, compost covered with cardboard topped with rain washed seaweed then covered with polythene the poly cover would prevent the nutrients being washed out and when it comes planting time I could clear a circle in the seaweed and plant through the cardboard into the compost, looking at that plan it's worth giving it a try

[rary]

Some photos of the veg bed I am setting up

[rary]

Was easier to post previous post than try to write on it, it shows photos of the raised bed then with half of it with compost followed it the compost covered with cardboard before getting covered with seaweed, I went lengthways uwith the compost as this will give a comparison of how any plants will grow as no doubt they will be planted across rather than length ways, also two different types of compost as 1 half contains horse manure, I want to see if there is anything that might be a problem with it,I have decided not to cover with plastic as the seaweed contains a number of maggots which hopefully the birds will feed on

[Andraste]

Hi Rary,

I think you forgot to attach the pics. x

[rary]

Good morning Andraste, I actually posted the photoes in the previous post, as I'm not that good on computers I have difficulty adding information to each picture it's easier and quicker for me to submit two posts, some day I might work out how to do it properly, but at present there are more important things to do, like watching the grass grow

[Jungle Jane]

There’s no photos in the thread visible to us,this happened to someone else,they could see the photos but nobody else could,maybe a mod can see the photos I don’t know?

[Bren In Pots]

JJ I can’t see any photos either.

[rary]

Is this me being told I went to all that hard work and you can't see the photos 😢😁😁I will try again on this post, if you read is and still no photoes let me know

I have tried loading photos again the top left is the two different lots of compost covered by cardboard then the full bed covered with seaweed the bottom left is the two different lots of composts covering half the beds and the other is the original bed
imagimage widge

[Jungle Jane]

I can see the photos well done the beds look well cared for