I'd like to maybe use the soil in those two beds for something (though I haven't decided what yet), but I've completely neglected the beds. Can I do something to prepare or REPAIR the soil in those beds? It's simply store bought soil and I do not have access to compost, so that's not an option for me yet.

What should I put in those two beds to enrich the soil for early spring sowing? Please help!

I'm not in a swamp, the soil here isn't clay, but it's not sandy either; and I don't have compost at all. :o( I don't till usually but I tilled the soil in the raised beds once, when I first planted last season, and the soil in the raised beds is store-bought quality. It's not sandy loam. I don't have a soil tester. :o(

My raised beds are six inches above ground and filled with the store-bought soil.

Soil doesn't 'wear out" with one crop of collards.

Might want to plant a bunch of them and then till them into the soil in a couple months?????

Do you drink coffee? Or do you work in someplace where people drink coffee? Would you be willing to stop by a local coffee shop and asked for used grounds? Used coffee grounds are great for your soil, and you can just spread them on top or work them in.

You say you don't have access to compost, but would you consider starting a pile or a bin? It's easier than you may think, and your kitchen scraps and yard trimmings ought to go somewhere, right? This won't give you an garden amendments today, but you'll have them eventually.

Manure can be a great addition to a compost pile, and is easier to acquire than you might think. Even in the city, for instance, you'll find people raising rabbits. Urban chickens are more common than they once were. If you're outside of the city, you really just need to ask around (or check Craigslist), and you'll find plenty of free sources. If you're thinking, "I can't haul that, I don't have a truck!" you can always get some big plastic bins, and haul smaller amounts that way (without mucking up the inside of your car).

Personally, I use aged rabbit manure directly in the garden, though others might compost it first. When I end up with fresh manure, I put it in with the compost.

I also have a large sack of peels from various types of bananas that I've eaten. I have two sacks actually: the first sack contains charred banana peels that I placed in the oven and charred; I was told I should add that directly to my compost bin when I finally have one, which is why I've been saving the charred banana peelings.

The second sack of banana peels are simply air-dryed peelings. They're not charred like the first sack.

For both sacks, I grounded each up finely to a near soil-like texture.

Can any of these items be added to my soil to fertilize it naturally? The soil here wasn't taken care of well enough to begin with, and i'm worried that the ground soil might not crank out much fruiting.

I've seen some manure in the sacks at the garden store, but I've been forbidden to use it because of the smell. :o(

2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains� too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell.

5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

My experience is that aged rabbit manure doesn't smell, either (or at least it definitely doesn't smell bad, or strongly). I have less experience with other manures, but after it's composted, or even when it's just well aged, it won't smell.

Yes, tea leaves and egg shells and banana peels are great for the garden (many plants, not just a couple of kinds of plants), though I usually send them through the compost first. When I used bagged tea, I send tea bags into the compost whole (though if they have a plastic tag, I'll remove it)...the rest will break down in the compost. If you're not going to compost them, I'd get them into the dirt sooner rather than later, because they won't be really useful until after they've broken down. You might consider putting them out immediately rather than stockpiling them -- some people bury kitchen scraps directly in the garden, but I don't really know the details, so you should figure out the best ways to go about this.

I also put egg shells in my compost, but you can't expect them to break down into nothingness at the same rate as kitchen scraps. They take a while to break down, but over time, the minerals are leached out, and the shells become thinner and weaker, until eventually they break down and you can't see them any more. I just toss them into the compost as-is, which usually means in halves. When (if?) I turn the compost, I may poke at them with a pitchfork, or crush one in my hand. You know, if I feel like it. The longer they've been in the compost, the thinner and weaker they are. My Spring garden always has bits of egg shell scattered across it, but now that I think about it, my Fall garden never does.

I think you're on the right track, but I also think you're doing both too much and too little. I say too much, because I think you're going to much more effort with your scraps (charring, grinding, etc.) than you need to, and it's probably not worth the effort. I say too little, because if you want to amend your soil organically, you probably want more volume than that.

In order to get started this year, I'd suggest that if you can't find another source, that you re-think the bagged products (such as manures, though sometimes you can find things labeled "compost") from your local garden center. While they may not be odorless, they won't *stink*. I promise. See what people have to offer on Craigslist, too, because you might be surprised. This will give you a boost while you get your own compost going, and research other sources.

Meanwhile, get a compost bin or pile going. I don't know where you live (state, city/country, etc.), so I don't know what to recommend, but there are lots of options. I live in the city, so I use garbage can compost bins, which I make by taking a 32-gallon garbage can, and drilling 1/4"-1/2" holes all over. The size is just right for my family and my yard (I don't have the volume for a more traditional pile). If you have a larger space, a more traditional compost pile (or something semi-enclosed with wooden pallets or chicken wire) might make more sense. Either way, none of these approaches is difficult, or expensive. Just do it! Take today's banana peels and tea leaves, and START. Eventually you'll have compost.

The truth is a proper compost pile does not smell, and the composting process results in a nice earthy smelling product regardless of the inputs if done right. And it's not that hard to do right.

I'm with leira, get started composting! Stop spending time dehydrating banana peels and ramp this sucker up. :-]