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Compacted soil in raised beds fully planted

john85a66Px9john85a66Px9 Posts: 1
in Problem solving
Hi, I'm new to gardening/ growing my own (lockdown to blame lol) but have started second year of raised beds with mix of topsoil and compost. Last year was just compost but read that should be a mix. Now my seedlings have all started to appear I have noticed my soil is very dense and when watering the a lot of water stays in puddles. 

Is this normal? Everything seems to be growing well but the soil does seem a little compacted compared to when just had compost last year. 

Should I be concerned about water getting down to the roots?

And how do I loosen the soil if the beds are full? 

Thanks. 
John 

Posts

  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    Top soil is rather claggy and heavy. Depends on what you grow there, but if you have a lot of annuals/perennials, they tend to prefer more free draining soil. You can mix in grit or more multi-purpose compost in to make it more lighter. For shrubs and trees, they may be able to cope with more heavier soils.

    Another common problem is exposed soil compacts easily due to rain impact. Consider ground cover plants if you have a lot of soil space exposed. 

    Even when plants are in, you can just pour grit or compost over the top and turn the soil over carefully, it will help to loosen the top 6 inch layer.
  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    If everything is growing well, I wouldn’t worry about it.
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I had a similar situation in my raised beds.
    The mix had too much top soil and not enough organic matter and like you, plants grow well, but it does puddle when it rains and then is a solid pan in dry weather.
    I've been adding rotted farmyard manure and home made compost over the last few years and it's getting better and a lot more worms are appearing too

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    You  need to mulch the top with compost, manure or soil conditioner. You can loosen the top by hoeing, or tilling with a pronged cultivator.  MPC should be kept for pots and smaller containers.  
    AB Still learning

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