Viewing post #1208688 by robynanne

Shadegardener said:Kelly - if you have enough compost, it can do double duty. Mulch - not sure what type you're using. If shredded leaves put down in the spring when you plant your raised bed, it will break down and encourage earthworm activity but not as nutrient-rich as compost. If wood mulch, better not to dig that into the soil. Theoretically, you would have to pull the wood mulch aside, add a layer of compost, and then recover with the mulch.

that brings up an interesting question for me. I have wood mulch over my berry bushes and hay over my tomato plants. The berries I obviously leave growing, but overtime the mulch will break down and I'd need to keep refreshing it. Do I just pile the new stuff on top? Rake off the old stuff before putting on new? Then I don't know what I'd do with the old stuff though..

I had been intending on raking off all the hay and tossing it into the compose but now that I write this - I don't like to compose things that have been in the dirt under tomatoes. I might just rake up the hay and burn it this fall.