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How to improve soil in pots?
Skylarks
Posts: 379
Hi, newbie here 
I started growing veg in pots & raised planter a couple of years ago (my soil in the garden is too clay like). I've just been out today, taken off the top 3rd of the soil & used veggie mesh to cover them to stop weeds.
How can I improve the nutrients in the soil for next year & when would I do this?
Or, does it depend on what veg I grow? I've heard carrots don't like a soil that's too rich.
I started growing veg in pots & raised planter a couple of years ago (my soil in the garden is too clay like). I've just been out today, taken off the top 3rd of the soil & used veggie mesh to cover them to stop weeds.
How can I improve the nutrients in the soil for next year & when would I do this?
Or, does it depend on what veg I grow? I've heard carrots don't like a soil that's too rich.
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Posts
It would certainly depend what you want to grow though, and whether you have anything growing just now, or want to grow in the near future. Otherwise, you could just add good compost nearer planting/sowing time.
Carrots don't like recently manured soil, so you'd be fine to put something down on the beds just now, as it would be ok in time for sowing those next year
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
You could add manure to the raised bed and cover that with cardboard which will stop weeds and provide a lovely environment for worms and other soil organisms to work and play over winter. Come the spring it should be perfect for sowing and planting but not carrots which tend to fork if the soil is too rich.
Just before sowing or planting next spring, refresh the top few inches of compost in your pots with new compost. You can put the stuff your remove on your raised bed, on top of the cardboard which should have rotted down by then and added to the mix. If not, just plant thru it. If you're planning on growing brassicas, add some lime to the mix as this helps them fight off club root.
For the rest of your garden, an annual mulch in autumn of well-rotted garden compost and manure will help break it down and you will end up with gloriously fertile soil. clay usually contains lots of nutrients. The fibrous matter will be worked in over winter and eventually you'll have a looser texture that's easier for you and plant roots too.
The clay soil is under the lawn. I dug up a strip at the bottom of my garden this spring to see if anything would grow, not much luck. I was trying to work out what to do with the dug up part. I'll try what you've stated & if it does improve, I'll dig up more of my lawn.
If the clay has lots of nutrients, would it be a good idea to add a thin layer of the clay to the raised bed before adding the manure & cardboard?
The raised bed will be fine with the manure and cardboard.
All my gardens have been on clay, and it can be hard to deal with unless you address it, but if you do the right things, it is one of the best growing mediums. Organic matter is the key component, as already said.
I have a mix of raised beds, and standard borders. The border created from compacted grass was just stripped back, and a layer of manure put on over one winter. I then planted into it, adding compost with each shrub put in. Over the next few years, it's just had spent compost [mainly from tomatoes and sweet peas] added around the planting. Everything grows well.
If you're growing veg, you just need to look at what each type will require in terms of aspect, and cater for them accordingly. In pots, it's easier because you can add the appropriate matter to each one, but you then need to give them more attention in terms of food and water because it's more restrictive.
Good luck with it - and if you have specific queries, you'll get lots of help here from people who grow a lot of veg.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thank you for all your replies. The forum has been full of useful advice and seems very friendly
Leave some leaves on the ground for the worms to work over and into the soil too.