• Overview

  • In this video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shares readies a raised bed for the winter.

    Steps:
    1. Rake the raised bed clean of all dead plant debris; dump debris into compost bin.
    2. Spread 2-inch layer of compost, topsoil and sand over the bed.
    3. Sprinkle a light coating of ground limestone over the soil to raise the pH level.
    4. Turn over the soil with a spade fork.
    5. Loosely spread early-blooming tulip bulbs over the entire bed, then push the bulbs 4 to 6 inches into the soil with their pointy ends facing up.
    6. Spread winter rye seed over the raised bed, then lightly rake it into the soil.
    7. Water the bed each day for three days.
    • Difficulty: Easy
      It requires a fair amount of handwork, but the job goes pretty quickly
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      Mixture of compost, topsoil and sand, for enriching soil in raised bed

      Ground limestone, for raising pH level of soil

      Early-blooming tulip bulbs, for planting into raised bed

      Winter rye seed, used to create winter cover crop in raised bed