Last year I created a narrow flower bed. The soil is poor and shallow.?

Before the winter set in I covered it in horse manure which is not rotting down very well although I've tried to encourage birds into that part of the garden. Two questions: should I boost it with some compost and if so, what sort. I'll need to buy it in. Secondly, what should I grow on it until I decide what I finally want to put there. It's by a fence so I thought sweet peas might look nice.

Last year I created a narrow flower bed. The soil is poor and shallow.?
A good flower bed needs to be at least 1m (preferably as wide as possible) so that you can really improve conditions underground. A narrow bed of cultivated soil could create a 'channel' through which rainwater can flow and nutrients are washed away. Try to make the bed as wide as possible, turn in the horse manure as deep as possible (at least a spit) - the manure may be too fresh? It should be dark and crumbly and non-smelly if it's rotted down enough - either way the digging in will help. Throw in some chicken manure pellets or blood, fish and bone mix and as you turn the soil over assess what you have - clay, loam, sand? pan? any worms? and read-up or google what you find to research the best way to manage each soil type. Test the soil if you can and find out the PH so you can plant accordingly. Good luck with your bed - Seet Peas sound lovely! :-)
Reply:Compost certainly couldn't hurt. Here, I can buy composted very old cow manure for the price of topsoil. If you have a truck.....its pretty cheap. Sweet peas are great...but they poop out in the heat of the summer. For a perennial vine, try clematis. Other annual vines that will flower all summer are morning glory and thunbergia. Think about planting perennials in front of the vines. Without knowing where you live..it's tough to give advice. Think about Russian Sage, Shasta Daisy, Coreopsis, Monarda, Nepita, Rudbeckia (all bloom all summer).
Reply:You may not have to add more organic material because the manure should enrich the soil enough. If you want, add these:


- Spent mushroom compost (if you have a mushroom grower nearby they'll probably give it away for free)


- Bought compost


- Sand (sharp or fine) IF you have clay soil with poor drainage


- Lime IF you have an acidic soil pH





I would dig in your manure with your existing soil. Dig down about the depth of your shovel/spade head. At that time, dig in your compost and other additives too. Often people use a single dig system of digging out a trench and then filling that trench with the soil next to it to create another trench. The last trench gets filled with the first soil you dug out. Oh, and take a garden fork (big one) and poke the bottom of each trench to improve your drainage.





If you use a rotavator or rotatiller go over your bed once. If you go over your bed with a machine there is a danger you'll over till and loose your good soil/crumb structure. If you hand dig this isn't a danger.





Dig out your perennial weeds. Hoe off your annual weeds. If you have to, use gypsophate (Round Up) but wait a few weeks to plant to let the herbicide dissipate.





Sweet peas are excellent because they are a legume which has a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. They can grab nitrogen from the air and lock it into their roots. After they die they dig them in and you've just enriched the soil with nitrogen. They're brilliant and if you want, you could put out bamboo canes and grow them in the rest of your bed. I've seen them grown straight up canes or up tepees of canes. If you do that next season you'll have gorgeous soil.
Reply:You might get all vine and few bloom this year, but sweet peas are one of my favorites. Oh, there is a perennial form out there with no fragrance so check your specs, if it has a fragrance the seedsman will mention it in the description, also sweet peas like a fairly early sowing say 1 April in zone 5.
Reply:Day lilies make a nice border planting and the greenery still looks good after the flowers quit.
Reply:Don't use a LOT of manure. The PH in the soil should have a high amount of acid if your growing vegetables, but to much will burn your plants. You don't want to burn your plants. Get some topsoil and mixed in the horse manure.
Reply:you need to work the manure into the soil not just leave on top. i would put some brick/rock to border in front to hold more soil. then put in good top soil, humus. bassically just about any flower you like should grow.

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