The first raised bed planted is usually the first to be harvested, enhanced, and replanted
This raised bed was planted in late March. It’s time to harvest the lettuce and cabbages, add soil amenities, and replant. We try to keep the use of a car to a minimum so today we’re getting the crab shell and coffee grounds using the bicycle and trailer.
Loading crab shell from Tony’s Crab Shack into bicycle trailer
We like to use whatever is naturally available. We’ll use coffee grounds, crab shell, kitchen garbage, leaves when available (in the fall) and garden trimmings.
Scooping up coffee grounds to add to the soil
Kitchen garbage is a surprising source of nitrogen for the soil.
Fresh crab shell gets chopped up. The soft parts will decompose by the time the roots reach it. I’ll be planting this within 3 days…can’t waste any time.
I’ve tried adding fresh crab shell to the compost pile…DON’T DO IT!!! It stinks for days. If you bury it, you won’t smell it, and you’ll be surprised by how fast the microorganisms in the soil will break it down. Just keep the dogs out of it.
Getting filled up
I hate pulling out the kale flowers that the bees love so much, but if I don’t, the deer will get under the netting and eat up my little transplants. I’ll hang it upside down in the greenhouse and save the seed.
I can’t believe I actually needed the shade cloth, but the little transplants were wilting…it serves a dual purpose in preventing (I hope) the deer from investigating. The old netting got tangled in the kale and had to be cut away.
Soil enhanced, transplanted, protected from deer and ready for Prime Time…no more wimpy shade cloth needed here
We started working on this bed 5 days before we planted. That may seem like we’re not leaving enough time for the scraps to break down, but there are 4 to 5 inches (10 to 12 cm) of soil and we figure by the time the roots get down there, it will be decomposed enough. We’ve done it many times and it seems to work well. The worms love it.
Tap into this web site for more info on the use of coffee grounds in the garden.
Here’s a video of digging a short trench in a raised bed and loading in the goodies…
Adventures in Natural Beekeeping 