The Complete Guide to Preparing Raised Beds for Winter

One of the most important things a gardener can do is look after and cherish the soil they use to grow vegetables, and this video shows you how I do just that. This is the complete guide to preparing raised beds for winter and offers an updated version of how I go about that, with the addition of new steps designed to propel soil health. Growing your own food is made easier and more productive if we look after our beds properly, and this method is exactly what I use in my permaculture kitchen garden to do just that.

Think of preparing raised beds for winter as an investment in your vegetable gardening. Adding organic matter to the ground replenished all the soil microbes and gives you a head start when it comes to planting again in the beds in spring. An investment in soil yields greater crop returns, provided you use other permaculture principles to limit pest issues. I hope this vegetable gardening method will become a key part of your gardening year and help your kitchen garden or allotment become even more abundant.

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#permaculture #kitchengarden #soilhealth

[HuwRichards]

It's so nice to be back! I'm currently in the garden filming next week's video so please do comment if you have any questions etc and I look forward to replying later this evening☺️🌱

[scoopdecoop]

Great tips, thank you from a lazy gardener

[itsallaboutlight]

So glad to hear that my idea to put my partially composted bin material, on my garden, is better than nothing.

[UrbanHomesteadMomma]

Mulching with garden waste (or chop and drop as you call it) is 100% the best way to feed your garden... tip: use a mower with a bag to chop all your plant matter... it chops it finer and makes it much easier 🌱
Edit to add: I actually mulch it quite thickly... 6” or so deep... the mulch then helps insulate the beds over winter, then during the growing season it keeps the moisture in so you don’t need to water, and it suppresses almost all the weeds! And then you don’t need to be putting plastic in your garden 👍

[rebeccad]

I love Huw and his videos. Hello from Australia 😊

[KingaMarch]

You seem like to be such a nice and kind person, it's so lovely and relaxing to watch and listen to your useful videos, which you put a lot of work in. So thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience, it is truly much appreciated

[martinsuarezmonroy]

Very interesting to learn about the chop and drop method. It makes sense. Thank you!

[McAwesome]

This is great, never thought about this when doing raised beds. Going to start doing this

[marisadaniela]

Oooh sometimes procrastinating works out! I really was feeling I should have put my garden to bed already, but I would have done it the old way without these helpful tips, had I been on top of things! Thank you!

[innerstream]

This was awesome! Glad you’re still sharing your wealth of knowledge! Thank you! 😊🇨🇦

[TheWelshGardener]

Great to see you back on our screens Huw! I took a break from uploading last week before I'll be filming more videos next week (half term)! Stay safe! :)

[ohio_gardener]

Glad to see you back on the channel! Also, glad to see others are getting onto the idea of cutting off plants and leaving the roots in the soil. Have been doing this for many, many years, and by spring the roots are all decomposed and ready to feed the next crops. This is especially important with legume crops that have nitrogen nodules on their roots to feed the microbes.

[janbroekhuizen]

Great to have you back, Huw! Perfect timing on the video too, I'm working on 'putting my beds to sleep' at the moment. I have some big greens around, so they will come in nicely with this method. Thanks!

[LizZorab]

Nice to see you back and looking so well. Another great video Huw, lots of information, thank you.

[mgrey]

Glad you are back! Thanks for the info on leaving roots in the ground! You are so right about soil health being a priority! Thanks for showing us how to build it up!

[micheleyates]

Glad to see you back, Huw. Just planted softneck garlic today! Did some chop and drop on the soil so I am encouraged by this video. Cheers from the humid southeastern US.

[garygariano]

I love your set up that's what I am planning to do

[MyFamilyGarden]

Great technique, I've been teaching this particular method of chop and drop for a few years, nice to see it catching on

[ulrikahogberg]

Finally! Good to see you again Huw! 🌻🍁🍂

[TheFarmDream]

Welcome back! Good to have all your energy back on the screen. Thanks for the info