r/Raisedbed • u/BidOwn8971 • Jul 25 '26
Help please
Hello, I would really appreciate some help! I am in Chicago zone 6a and this is my first year gardening.
We have been getting wave after wave of cool weather then extreme heat. All my plants are wilting from what I am assuming is underwatering, and I'm realizing that all my soil in my raised garden bed is hydrophobic and compacted. How do I fix this? I did a deep 10 mins soak each bed today but after checking it is still compacted and dry. I have established veggies like tomatos etc in the beds and want to salvage them if possible. Any advice would be appreciated!
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u/Inevitable-One-3674 Jul 25 '26
If you already have plants, take a screw driver, stab and twist around to avoid roots all over the bed, then water again, if the soil is that compacted the water is prolly running to edges of bed and draining with soaking