putting the beds to bed

This morning I spent a couple of hours at the Sunken Gardens helping get the beds ready for winter. I'd been there this spring to "wake up the beds" & wanted to see what happened in the fall. The annuals had already been pulled up. Our job was to turn over the soil with our spades. Big clumps of dirt were desirable. Then a 2-3 inch layer of compost was deposited over the soil. I learned that the freeze & thaw that will happen over the winter helps incorporate the nutrients into the soil. It's what has made the garden look amazing each year. And with the good group of volunteers on hand it went quickly. The white marks on the soil indicate where the sprinklers are.