Did you know that winter is actually the perfect time to recharge your raised bed soil – and even better, that you can do it for free with three simple by-products that come from your kitchen almost every day?
After a long spring, summer and fall of growing everything from flowers to vegetable plants, the soil in raised beds can be all but lifeless. And without re-energizing that soil before planting again next spring, it’s more than likely your plants will struggle to thrive.
But as the soil in your raised beds sits idle over the winter months, you can take advantage of the downtime to replenish its nutrients, improve structure, and prepare it for a flourishing growing season ahead. And you don’t need to look beyond your kitchen to do it!
The Perfect Trio Of Ingredients – How To Recharge Raised Bed Soil Over Winter
The good news is that you don’t need expensive fertilizers or soil additives to recharge it. As it turns out, your kitchen can provide all you need with 3 perfect ingredients. And even better, all from things you usually throw into your compost pile – or simply throw away!
Coffee grounds, pulverized eggshells, and banana peels are three everyday kitchen scraps that, when applied to your raised beds can quickly return your soil to a rich, fertile state. One that will be more than ready to power your plantings next spring!
Here’s a look at how each of these ingredients can work their magic – and, more importantly, how to use each one just right to recharge your soil this winter.
How To Recharge Raised Bed Soil Over Winter – With 3 Simple Kitchen Scraps
#1 The Power Of Coffee Grounds & Filters
Spent coffee grounds are a powerhouse ingredient for recharging soil. They are rich in nitrogen, which happens to be an essential nutrient that plants need for strong growth. But beyond nitrogen, coffee grounds also contain trace nutrients like potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium.
All of these nutrients play a vital role in supporting overall plant health. In addition, they are also great for boosting microbial activity in the soil. But it doesn’t just stop with adding the grounds from your morning coffee – you can throw the coffee filter in too!
Used coffee filters are an added bonus to raised bed soil. Not only do they break down quickly, they also add organic content and humus to the soil. The combination of coffee grounds and filters is truly amazing. Together, they improve soil structure, help its ability to retain moisture – and add critical nutrients. All from something you normally would just toss away.
How To Use Coffee Grounds In Raised Beds – How To Recharge Raised Bed Soil Over Winter
It couldn’t be easier to incorporate coffee grounds into your raised beds over the winter months. There is no need to dry them as long as your bed soil is free of snow and ice.
If you can still dig in your soil, simply create a small hole a few inches deep. Next, bury the grounds right along with the filter. Many gardeners will tear up the filter a bit to help it decompose, but you will be amazed how even whole filters will be completely decayed by spring.
If you live in a colder climate where the ground freezes over from time to time, filters and grounds are easy to save in a 5 gallon bucket to use when the temperatures warm. Simply keep a bucket outside and throw both in – the cold temperatures will keep the grounds from molding until it warms.
Listen In To Our Podcast Below On Using Egg Shells & Coffee Grounds!
As for how many grounds you can use in your soil – applying two to three filters and grounds per square foot is a good rule of thumb. By the time spring rolls around, the coffee grounds and filters will have broken down, delivering nutrients and leaving your soil better than ever.
#2 The Power Of Pulverized Eggshells – How To Recharge Raised Bed Soil Over Winter
In addition to using the remnants of your morning coffee – you can also use the leftover scraps of many a morning breakfast – egg shells!
Eggshells are an often overlooked source to recharge the soil with calcium. Calcium is an extremely critical nutrient for plants. It helps build strong cell walls, ensuring healthy stems, leaves, and fruit development. It’s also important for preventing issues like blossom end rot in tomatoes and peppers.
But when it comes to recharging raised bed soil, tossing whole or roughly crushed eggshells into your beds isn’t the most effective approach. Large pieces of eggshells take a long time to break down. And it can severely delay their benefits to your soil.
The best ways to use egg shells is to first pulverize them into a fine powder. This allows the calcium to absorb into the soil almost immediately. And that means it will be ready to power plants as soon as you plant in the spring!
How To Use Eggshells In Raised Beds – How To Recharge Raised Bed Soil Over Winter
Making egg shell powder is easy with a coffee grinder. Although you can chop up a few egg shells at a time, it’s best to save a few weeks worth in a resealable freezer bag and grind up all at once. Keeping the bag in the freezer keeps the egg shells from smelling while you wait. See our article: The Best Way To Easily Save & Store Egg Shells In The Winter.
Just rinse your eggshells to remove any leftover egg residue and place in the freezer bag. You can even “pre-chop” them a bit by smashing them down in the bag. Then, when you are ready, use a coffee grinder, blender, or even a mortar and pestle to pulverize the eggshells into a fine powder.
To help re-energize your raised beds, sprinkle the powdered eggshells evenly across the soil. For best results, work them into the top layer of soil to ensure they decompose quickly and their calcium becomes accessible.
As for how many egg shells you can use, a quarter to a half cup of egg shell powder per square foot is ideal. Over the winter, the powdered eggshells will integrate with the soil, providing a slow, steady release of calcium that will support your plants all throughout the growing season.
#3 The Power Of Banana Peels – How To Recharge Raised Bed Soil Over Winter
Last but not least – it’s time to use all of those banana peels! Banana peels are loaded with essential nutrients like potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. They also have important trace elements like magnesium and sulfur as well. These nutrients promote strong root development, robust flowering and healthy fruit production.
One of the best features of banana peels is how quickly they break down,. It makes their nutrients available to plants relatively fast compared to other organic materials. Additionally, their fibrous nature adds humus and organic matter to the soil, improving its ability to retain moisture.
How To Use Banana Peels In Raised Beds – How To Recharge Raised Bed Soil Over Winter
Banana peels are the easiest of all to add to raised bed soil. Simply cut the peels into small pieces to speed up decomposition. If possible, bury the pieces a few inches deep in the soil to prevent attracting pests and ensure quicker breakdown.
By the end of winter, the banana peels will have fully decomposed, enriching your soil with vital nutrients and enhancing its overall texture.
The Perfect Trio Working Together – How To Recharge Raised Bed Soil Over Winter
What makes coffee grounds, eggshells, and banana peels such an effective trio is their complementary properties. Coffee grounds supply nitrogen, eggshells provide calcium, and banana peels contribute potassium and phosphorus, covering a wide spectrum of essential nutrients.
Together, they support balanced soil health and ensure your raised beds are re-energized and ready to go come spring. Another key advantage is how quickly these ingredients break down, especially when added throughout the winter.
Here’s to recharging your raised bed soil this winter with coffee grounds, filters, egg shells and banana peels!
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This Is My Garden is a garden website created by gardeners, for gardeners. Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books and speaking for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. They publish three articles every week, 52 weeks a year. Sign up today to follow via email, or follow along!