Tips and Tricks for Your Raised Bed in Autumn
After the summer harvest, you can use the space that has been freed up in your raised bed in a simple and practical way. With a little research and knowledge, you too can have a raised bed with fresh and healthy vegetables during the winter months.
Harvesting All Year Round: Choosing the Right Autumn and Winter Vegetables
1. Winter-Hardy Vegetable Varieties:
- Lamb's lettuce: frost-hardy and thrives even at low temperatures.
- Spinach: fast-growing and resistant to cold.
- Asian salads: for fans of exotic cuisine, Asian salads can thrive in the raised bed in winter without any problems.
2. Cabbage Varieties
- Green Cabbage: This improves in flavour with frost.
- Brussels Sprouts: They take longer to grow but are ready to harvest in winter.
- Kohlrabi: Tolerates the cold well.
3. Herbs
- Chives: can be planted in autumn and harvested in winter.
- Thyme and Rosemary: perennial and hardy herbs that can remain in the raised bed perfectly.
Step by Step: Prepare the Raised Bed for the Cooler Season
- Remove Plant Debris: Dead and withered plant debris should be removed to prevent diseases and pests from overwintering in the soil.
- Loosen the Soil: Improve aeration and cover the raised bed with your selected mulch layer.
- Protect from Frost: Lay a fleece over the raised bed to protect it from frost.
Promote Your Success with Mulching and Fertilizing
To achieve optimal success, mulching the raised bed is essential. This protects the plants from frost and helps to retain heat in the soil. Tip: Use leaves, grass clippings or your own compost as a natural mulch layer.
If you do not want to actively use your raised bed over the autumn/winter, you can prepare it for spring with green manure plants. For example, sow winter crops such as winter rape or rye in autumn. These plants cover the soil over the winter and enrich it with nutrients. When the cold season is over, work the green manure into the soil to improve soil structure and release nutrients.
