Roberts Jeremy

Julie Anne wrote:

Roberts Jeremy wrote:Hi
Bought in a load of compost for No Dig beds which looked fine on the WET day it was delivered.
Now had first rain for 6 weeks and only top 1cm is damp after 2 days of consistent light rain - totalof 26mm so far.
Internet quick search seems to suggest it could be hydrophobic. Don't really want to dig the compost into soil as it's 10cm deep and aim is for No Dig system.
Any ideas on resolving this issue (ideally a quickfix as have cold frames full of transplants to go out) would be much appreciated. Got around 70m2 of raised beds that need "repairing"
Thanks

https://youtu.be/f68Q2l0by6w

This guy uses ecos dish soap in his potting mix blend to make it absorb water. Maybe try that on a small patch and see if it helps?

Thanks. I've given it a try. I will wait and see for a few days to see how quickly the beds dry out after this rain.

Hi
Bought in a load of compost for No Dig beds which looked fine on the WET day it was delivered.
Now had first rain for 6 weeks and only top 1cm is damp after 2 days of consistent light rain - totalof 26mm so far.
Internet quick search seems to suggest it could be hydrophobic. Don't really want to dig the compost into soil as it's 10cm deep and aim is for No Dig system.
Any ideas on resolving this issue (ideally a quickfix as have cold frames full of transplants to go out) would be much appreciated. Got around 70m2 of raised beds that need "repairing"
Thanks

Thanks. I'm going to have a lot of cedar and not much area to store it (about 40 trees that need heavy pruning and thinning). The early finished beds have either oilseed radish , caliente mustard or buckwheat in. Was going to cut these when ready then apply the cedar / hazel mulch on top.
Some of the hazel has gone into compost piles and breaks down quickly and nicely. But again have a surplus. It's something that produces a lot of material every year - cut them twice  a year. Very leafy and soft wood - shreads easily. But not ideal for pathways etc as it breaks down so fast.
We're a bit late here for any new summer crops and it'll be hot and dry from now until October.
Already have some mushroom activity from old wood that was buried in the old beds a couple of years ago.

Building new raised beds for next year. I have  a large amount of hazel and cedar that needs pruning/cutting back.
I'm shredding the waste which obviously contains a lot of leaves as well as wood. Is it a good idea to lay this quite thickly on top of the new beds? If so is it worth covering with plastic to maybe speed up it breaking down in time for next spring? Intention is to try a no-till approach.
Any input most welcome.