Raised beds have no room for compost

[Chad D]

My beds have no more room for compost. The current compost is at the very top of the raised bed lip. What do I do? Do I dig out a couple inches of soil? Do I try to compact the soil more? Or something else? Not sure what would hurt the soil less.

[charles]

It sounds like the beds were filled originally with soil, or some soil.
Unlike compost, soil does not sink or settle.
So yes you may need to remove some.
Or remove the bed’s sides, mulch paths with thick card if not weed free now, and pull some of the bed onto the path. make the bed a little wider in the process. You can walk on no dig beds.

[Chad D]

Thank you! Yes the beds are primarily soil. I found your method years too late in my bed process.

[HowardHill]

Hope you managed to solve this. I highly recommend the solution that Charles shared as it’s the easiest and most affordable one to do. When I ordered items from this raised bed kits UK seller, I also filled them with too much soil, being afraid that the roots may fail to grow. Seems like it was a common mistake among novice gardeners!

[Cleansweep]

If you MUST keep the sides (Tidy Police!), then you should be able to lift them up as one unit with your now otherwise redundant spade. If they have pegs to support the boards, cut longer ones and insert before lifting. Refix with screws at the required height. Fill the path with (free) wood chip to support the revealed soil.I still prefer Charles’s suggestion but sometimes other parties interfere!

[Author]

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