Hi everyone, I have a raised bed that I'm gonna plant some carrots and nettles in. The soil is already quite rich, and a fellow garden member has adviser that I add a layer of compost onto the top. My question is, does this mean just lay it on top, or mix it through the top few inches of soil? Also, I'm gonna sow the seeds directly in the raised bed and am concerned that the seeds may not do well if sown in a layer of pure compost. Any advice would be great
Depends if the plants are there or not, roots in the soil or not. If no plants, I scrunch it into the top layer and put mulch back over the top. If it's around established stuff, mulch pulled away, layer on, cover with mulch. Depends on your style or method of gardening, how much time you want to put in, size of bed, lots of factors. Protecting the compost from the sun is the number 1 goal.
I'd sow and wait till plants are up then add some compost on top if I had it and like SOP above, cover it with mulch. When you say 'rich' I assume you mean high in organic matter. If that's the case, just mulch around the plants when they come up and save your compost for another spot less rich.
Thanks for the advice. In the end I mixed in some worm castings to the top layer, and then sowed the seeds - carrot and nettle. What kind of mulch would everyone recommend? Any that could perhaps be harveted locally in Brisbane, Australia?
If you have not planted yet, I would add compost to the top of your garden bed then use a fork to work the compost deep into your soil without destroying your soil biology by turning your soil. You will have better moisture retention if you are able to work organic matter deeper into your soil.
You can literally use just about any thing for mulch, what is most important is that it isn't going to add any negatives to your soil or the plants. I have even used shredded aluminum at one business site (Aluminum was their product). They had tons of the stuff and didn't want to pay for nice, organic mulch. So, I washed the shredded aluminum and spread it around the plants (small shrubs included) to a depth of 4 inches, It worked but it isn't something I would recommend or even suggest for any other situation. This company was very pleased with the look and obvious advertising slant. My own personal preference is good quality, organic grown wheat straw. I have a source for as much as I could ever use, it never sees any type of spray or "cide" and it decomposes in two years. The worms love it, the plants and trees love it and so I love it. Materials I deem good for mulch include: organic, herbicide and pesticide free, materials (all the different types), clean wood chips, clean shredded bark (hardwood works better for most plants, conifer bark can introduce acidic conditions), Leaf mold, Leaves, dried grasses, cardboard or cardboard that has been chipped up. While I have seen them used, I would never use shredded tire mulch. To my mind there is to much of a chance of nasty things leaching out of those tire bits and seeping into the soil. Or, they could catch fire ( extremely hard to extinguish a tire fire).