Whole leaves take longer to break down then mulched leaves so it depends if you want to take the time to crush them or just turn them under. You will not know the difference come next fall. I'd also get the soil tested just to make certain of the ph then amend depending on what you are planting.

Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials

Maybe the manure is a necessary addition to your soil but the peat moss will do nothing that the grass clippings and leaves already there will not do, better. Any "top soil" you buy will be 95 percent what you already have, the mineral component, and about 5 percent of what your soil really needs, organic matter, so paying for "topsoil" is a waste of your money.
What types of leaves do you have on that bed? Some are difficult to "break down" whole while others, maple for example, are readily digested by the soil bacteria. Out in a forest with a lot of different tree species I mostly see on the ground whole oak leaves telling me that the others are easily digested by the Soil Food Web that is there.
How do you know your soil is acidic? What is the soils pH? When did you have it tested? Contact your local office of the University of Masschusetts USDA Cooperative Extension Service about having a good reliable soil test one so you know what your soils pH is rather than guessing about it.

Here is a link that might be useful: UMASS CES

I'm pretty sure it's acidic because everyone in my area claims it is and at my local garden center I've been told to make sure I add lime to my lawn because of the high acid soil in the MA area. Also, all my Endless Summer Hydrangas have blue flowers which is supposed to mean the soil is acidic, they would be pink if it was alkaline.

I do have a soil tester that I purchased in Home Depot and plan to test the soil this weekend. I know my soil needs to be ammended somewhat just by looking at the consistancy, there's parts of the soil that look like clay with a reddish tint. I'm not an expert by any means and plan on using the information given above by kimmsr to see exactly what my soil needs.

I just purchased this house last August and planted a few perennials (Clematis/Hydrangas, Hostas) but I ammended the soil around the plants and shrubs I added.

As far at the types of leaves on my bed, I really can't be sure, I have a number of trees on my land and so do my neighbors and the leaves blow from all over the neighborhood. I have a very large northern catalpa tree, which has huge leaves, I have a maple and a few other types. The neighbor beside me has an oak I believe and those leaves fall more into my yard then theres.

So the best thing would be to rake most of the leaves off of the bed, should I leave the newspaper and grass clippings and add compost over them and try to til them all into the soil?

Thanks for the advice, especially regarding the topsoil.

Linda

Linda,

About the leaves. In my experience making lasagna beds, shredded leaves are much better, but since you have whole leaves, if you find there are too many, take some off and mix a remaining portion into the soil/mix.

You might like to try and create a leaf mold pile with the remainder. These are great, especially if left for a couple of years. When you get back to the pile, you will find great stuff to place in those lovely gardens. Black and crumbly. I discovered an old pile just last week - Oooooh!! :O) Mine are here and there behind huge boulders on the property. One of my neighbours has a humungous one. He set chicken wire in a circle 8 feet in diameter and just dumps the leaves in. In the spring, he just shovels the black gold from the bottom and in the fall he just adds leaves to the top.

Forget the peat. You don't need to add more acidic content to your soil. I have the same as you in terms of highly acidic - it's a north east seaboard thing. Not a curse though. Highly manageable and most gardens do well. Any compost added as mulch in mine reduce the acidity a bit and always improves the friability of the soil.

You can leave whatever is left in the beds you created (newpapers, compost, grass clippings). If you feel there's not enough 'soil' an option is to create a hole where you will plant, fill with soil and plant. In that way you don't have to till everything and you can expend your energy elsewhere. Any and all organic matter will incorporate itself into the soil and area with time and the help of worms. This works great for me.

Thank you Tiffy,I really appreciate your input. I have been after my husband to make me a compost bin with some screen and wood so I can just add all the leaves, old newspaper and grass clippings (I have a huge pile) to this bin and also keep throwing in all my kitchen scraps, coffee grinds, etc. Hopefully he will do this for me this summer.

I did have two bags of Manure/Humus that I threw on one of my beds and tried to work into the soil with what leaves, newspaper and grass clippings that were left. It's a lot of work though, I did as much as I could, I'll let nature to the rest. I have a bag or two or compost from the garden center that I may also dump on the beds, just to level them off, ones a bit lopsided from where I removed the lilac tree. I plan to use your suggestion of digging a hole and amending the soil where I plant. That will save my back, legs and arms and ton of work. Then every fall I can add more crushed leaves, grass clippings and hopefully some nice black soil from my soon to be made compost bin.

After all, some of the plants I managed to put in my beds last year did okay and appear to be coming up this year. The real test will come when I see how all my winter sown seedlings do this summer and next.

Linda

And there's a difference between acidic and highly acidic. Maine has acidic soil, but I generally consider it a bonus. I put down wood ash every other year or so. But I was told by a Maine Extension soil test to lay off the wood ash once.

If you really want a good soil test, have your extension service do it. It's easy. I think it's about $10 in Maine and I ask for organic recommendations. They will tell me very specifically things like: Apply so and so many lbs. of magnesium lime per 100 sq. ft. Ammend with 50 lbs. of sheep manure or 30 lbs. of cow manure, etc. that kind of thing. Soil tests are a lot of fun.

Most vegetables and many flowers prefer an acid soil. Beets like a limed row.

Did the local Garden Center who told you to apply lime also sell you the acidic peat moss?

No, the garden center did not sell me the peat moss, I purchased that last year to use when I planted all my Clematis. I added a little peat moss, some bone meal and compost to the hole and then planted my Clematis, I also did the same with my Hydrangeas and it seemed to have paid off, they are coming back pretty nicely this year.

I am going to look into having my soil tested in my area. I also have a little machine that I purchased at Home Depot that has two tests, one is the PH and the other I believe is the NKP ratio but I'm not 100%, I need to pull it out this weekend and try it out.

The only thing I have been adding to my soil, other then what's already in there, i.e., small amount of crushed leaves, grass clippings, coffee grinds, egg shells from last summer, is manure/humus. I don't think that can do any harm, if anything, it should help somewhat.