Some things can take burying the stems more just fine, where others cannot. I wish I knew every item to tell you which ones can take it and which can't. I don't think lettuce is one right off the top of my head.

If the plants are still small enough and they aren't affected too much by transplanting, you could maybe move them out, fill in the bed more, then transplant them right back in... ???

~Angela

I wouldn't add any until your current crop is finished. That's just my opinion.

EG

I agree with EG. The soil in my boxes also settled about 3", but I'm glad it did, as that gives me room to add chopped leaves and composted manure to them once the plants are removed, which will then sit undisturbed all winter and be lovely soil by spring. When your crops are finished, you can add 3" of compost to that entire bed.

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

Hmmmmm.... I'm ABSOLUTELY sure that I don't know as much as you two, but if these beds were 6" to begin with, then they're only 3" beds now. I'm pretty sure most things cannot thrive and grow in 3" of soil. Am I right? I know my seedlings were looking aweful sick in that little bit of soil until I transplanted them. I just added a good couple inches of soil over the stems and plucked off the lower leaves of some of my plants based on what I've been reading is good for transplants here on GW. It kind of seems like if it's good for transplants, then it's good for plants growing in 3" of soil then, too.

Any thoughts are encouraged, of course. You guys got me more than curious now.... LOL

~Angela

that would have been a noteworthy thing to have put in at the beginning (the depth of what I started with) I actually built my beds with 2x10's so they were probably 7 inches to begin with :) the others I filled to the top so the difference seems very significant comparatively. But my plants are doing well enough. I have chard, peppers, basil and other herbs, and now some new lettuce seedlings... Oh ya and I tossed in a tomatoe at one point. My beds are on top of soil that they technically could grow down into if they felt so inclined :) So I guess it turns out to be more of a cosmetic thing really.

Oh yeah...they'll be fine. I think Mel should have spent more time explaining the differences in actual board widths, in my opinion. For the record, he is a retired civil engineer (who primarily works with all aspects of earthen projects), nothing more....

EG

I also made my beds of 2x6 double depth, so even after settling they had a good 8" of soil. One bed is a single one, only 6" (5 3/4") high, and that's where I put the mesclun and mixed lettuces, as they don't have a very deep root system. Also, mine are sitting on good, sandy soil. It was lawn, and I used roundup to kill it out but left the sod in. It should be rotted by next spring, if it isn't already. Mine will all be topped off either this fall or early spring.

Granny