Improving Borders and Raised Beds

Improving Borders and Raised Beds

After time the soil used in a raised bed or garden border will need a boost of nutrients to provide an optimum growing environment for plant life. Composts naturally hold a lot of nutrients, allowing a gardener to side step the need to fertilise the existing topsoil.

If the topsoil used in your raised bed was of poor quality and lacking in nutritional content, our range of specially engineered blends of topsoil and compost will provide the best boost to improve any raised bed or border.

As an example sandy loam is not great for general planting, it improves drainage but leaves little for plants to absorb as nutrients leach through quickly. The organic matter in our composts will help to retain moisture in the soil when applied correctly. Going the other way, if your existing soil (i.e. clay loam) retains a lot of water, plants can suffocate and suffer from root rot. Using a sandy loam, sand or organic compost can be introduced to improve drainage.

Maintaining your soil properly ensures that you will not need to replace it every few years, a top up of nutrients and organic matter to improve the soil quality will keep your beds and borders nutrient rich throughout the growing season year on year.

Step by step guide

Step : 1

To improve you existing soil first rake over the soil removing areas of turf, weeds and any other unwanted material.

Step : 2

Create holes in the existing topsoil with a garden fork.

Step : 3

Add the compost or soil improver to existing topsoil to at least 2 inches in depth to allow for a good layer of nutrients.

Step : 4

Mix the compost in with the existing topsoil.