"Worn out" , tired, depleted, sweet, sour, acid, alkaline, clay, compacted: all describe some soil condition. Perhaps they want instant results next year and won't take the time to refurbish the existing soil. One can probably overdo it with organics for vegetable gardens.

I think it would be hard to overdo it with organics in a veggie garden. Look how some plants do in the average compost pile.

To me, a worn out soil is achieved by over tilling with no organic additives over a long period of time and the liberal use of fertilizer. The result is very poor soil structure, hence, the term 'worn out'.
In my opinion, most people don't add enough compost to their soil.
Mike

"worn out" and needs replacing.

==>>> no... never ...

there should NEVER be a need.. nor reason to REPLACE SOIL ...

the more i think about it.. the angrier i am getting.. lol ...

name one place in nature.. where soil died.. got worn out.. and mother earth.. had to replace it ...

obviously ... if you take from the soil ... as in a production garden... you must return something.. to replace what you took ... compost.. amendments.. ferts ... etc ...

but to think you have to bring a backhoe in.. and cart out the old.. and bring in the new ... is ridiculous ...

ken

That's what I thought. One of these gals did bring in the backhoe and replaced her soil with many loads of fresh topsoil last year. I'll be interested in her garden this year, I wonder if this stuff will "wear out" too. I'm still working on my "worn out soil" with adding leaves, manure and stuff.

after years and years of adding organic matter, my fear would be excessive N and P and OM in general. is that "worn out soil"?

Diseases/pests can build up and soil structure can breakdown. If adding organics soil structure should maintain or improve unless excessively tilled.

Diseases and pests like nematodes can build up in garden soil. These can be very difficult to manage. Replacing the soil in say a raised bed might be the best way to deal with that situation.

Landscape gardening is different than veggie gardening. Let's not paint them with the same brush.
Mike

What is excessive tilling?

You can ruin the tilth of the soil if you rototill it too much. It breaks it down too fine for good root development and air and water movement within the soil. You end up with soil as sticky as pottery clay, no matter how much organic material is in it.
Here's my rototiller with the newly installed Klingon cloaking device. I call it Atilla the Honda.
Mike
{{gwi:642017}}

The Abies looks alarmed.

I'm using a 2" brush rather that a broad one. Some vegetables I wouldn't want planted in a compost pile.

Thanks Mike. You do have a beautiful garden there.

I guess if you are using "topsoil" that was constructed of mostly sand and some compost, then maybe it wears out, mostly because it isn't the same as a well-maintained plot of earth. There's so much more to good soil, and it's different, imho, to buy a load of manufactured stuff than it is to carefully work a plot of land over time. But I guess if you over-till or dont balance the soil amendments or control pests or consider the beneficial bacteria and want fast results in a raised beds, then maybe that's a reason for "worn out" soil. My clueless neighbors have that problem because they think that you should be able to buy soil and grow vegetables year after year without replenishing the nutrients in the soil. They are pretty put out by the idea that gardening requires soil amending.