How to Wake Up Raised Garden Beds

One of the most important aspects of any good garden is great soil. Even if you neglected your garden and raised beds all winter long, we've put together a quick fix that will balance your garden’s nutrients and improve your chances of a bountiful harvest this summer.

Coastal Note: If you haven’t already built your own raised bed with a climbing arch, check out our article to get started.

Step 1: Gather Your Materials For each large, raised bed, you’ll need a bag of potting soil, a bag of chicken manure blend, and a bag of mushroom compost. You’ll also need a steel rake and a tarp where you can store your leaves while you mix in your soil-wakening additives.

Step 2: Remove the Leaves (or other garden toppers)
Adding a few inches of leaves or other organic material to the top of your soil helps retain moisture and control weeds. We’ll remove our leaves and place them on the tarp. The leaves will be added back to the garden when we’re done.   

Step 3: Add Chicken Manure Blend
Add the whole bag of chicken manure blend to your raised bed. Rake it until it’s level across the entire bed.  

Step 4: Add Mushroom Compost
Rake the mushroom compost and the chicken manure together. Steer manure also works in place of mushroom compost.

Step 5: Add the potting soil
Pour in a healthy dose of potting soil to your raised bed. It might take the whole bag.

Step 6: Mix it All Together
Rake the potting soil into your already mixed chicken manure blend and mushroom compost.

Step 7: Put the Leaves Back on Top
Again, the leaves help retain moisture and control weeds.

Coastal Tip: When you’re ready to add starts from Coastal, you can simply move some of the leaves out of the way to expose the awakened soil below.  

Final Step: Reinstall the Arch
Your raised bed is ready for tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, lettuce, or whatever you want to grow this summer.   

Get Everything You Need for Your Garden at Coastal 

Your Northwest owned and operated Coastal has a huge selection of roses, seeds, starts, and gardening equipment, including bags of chicken manure, mushroom compost, and potting soil. Stop by and find everything you need, including expert advice on what to grow in your raised bed.