Cover Cropping in Raise Beds, Super Soil, etc.

[zootallures9777]

Hey everyone. I've been active on the site for the last 2 months or so and I really enjoy everyone's content, advice, etc.

Next year will be my 2nd year growing outdoors. I'm having some success this year but, as always, I can do a lot better. This year, 2 of my 3 plants are in containers while a 3rd is a raised bed that got very little amendment when transplanting (and it shows). I'm already thinking about next year's grow and I'm looking for insights and advice. I've reached out individually to a number of folks on this site inquiring about soils they're using outdoors, feeding, etc. and for those who have responded, I greatly appreciate it. I'm pulling a lot of ideas together and you've been a tremendous help.

First, some baseline info-

Two (2) raised beds in full sun, 4'x10' rectangles, 10" deep
Current soil is a local blend of sandy loam that I have amended several times over the years, primarily for tomatoes. They've done fine, and one year they were great.

What I'm going to do this winter-

mid-November '20: Add a top layer of compost, cover crop both beds with Crimson Clover, Hairy Vetch, etc.
early-March '21: Chop and drop the cover crop, no till. Cover the dropped crop with compost, cover for 30-45 days with a black tarp.
mid-Late April: plant young Cannabis and Tomatoes

Question about Super Soil-

The more I read about Subcool's Super Soil, the more intrigued I am. Question: could/should I mix up a batch of Super Soil and effectively use that as my compost to cover the dropped crop, let it cook under the tarps for 45 days, and then dig my holes (turning the super soil into the existing soil) for planting my young plants? When digging my holes, should I displace some/all of the existing soil and replace with new soil (eg. Happy Frog, Ocean Forest, etc.)? If so, which premix soil might work best in a raised bed situation and why? Would covering my dropped crop with Super Soil just be really expensive compost and should I process the super soil separately, ditch the old soil from the holes and replace with some/all new soil?

Irrigation is municipal tap water (very soft water here, low chloramine levels, slightly alkaline), soaker lines.

Happy take any questions or provide more info. Your help is greatly appreciated. I'm having a fucking blast and I want to get better.

 

[tomatoesarecooltoo]

Hey Zoo,

I am excited see what you decide and see what other ideas pop up. I personally would continue building that soil and not dig it all out. Also I like your idea of topdressing with the amended soil.

 

[zootallures9777]

The whole point of cover cropping/chop and drop is to let nature do its thing. It's just that cannabis is (allegedly) such a heavy feeder, I don't want to short change myself. So striking a balance between "native" vs non-native soil will be trial and error. To be honest, the thing I'm trying to avoid the most is disposal of old soil. Plenty of places around the yard I can put it, not the issue, but it just seems wasteful.

 

[Spiman2u]

Funny thing soil. A Purist would never hit tha bottle {liquid fert} In Cali we get Fox Farms. /.Golden Triangle for a reason./ I mix my own soil butt hit the bottle. Perilte and worm casings my go to amendments. Myself I think Hydro-soilless. So that grow medium is in H2o. bottle :}? I am stuck also. I myself wants off bags. I think we need to start composting. It is nasty. Flies/etc butt damm my bra gives me 10 gal a yr.

 

[Backwoods70]

Funny thing soil. A Purist would never hit tha bottle {liquid fert} In Cali we get Fox Farms. /.Golden Triangle for a reason./ I mix my own soil butt hit the bottle. Perilte and worm casings my go to amendments. Myself I think Hydro-soilless. So that grow medium is in H2o. bottle :}? I am stuck also. I myself wants off bags. I think we need to start composting. It is nasty. Flies/etc butt damm my bra gives me 10 gal a yr.

I have large outdoor compost bins, made out of pallets, so there about 4x4x4 square and keep them full and honestly dont stink at all? Mostly they consist of horse manure, leaves fresh grass ect... lots of coffee grounds and veggie scraps. Being on ground also Full of worms! Awsome stuff !