Why do you feel you need to add amendments? In most cases, it is advised to plant in the indigenous or native soil with any amendments reserved for a mulch or top dressing.

It’s what I’ve read to be honest! I bought some gardening books and they mostly all say to work compost etc into the soil. Like I said I really have zero experience so I’m just using different resources such as online and books to get my information.

I constantly add organic amendments to my soil and often plant there immediately. What kind of soil do you have? What is your climate? What do you plan to add?

I understand you have a perennial bed in mind. After planting you will not be able any more to amend the soil there for many years. Then it will be time for applying mulches.

I have sandy soil, and I add amendments such as well composted manure to the entire bed before planting anything in a new bed. After that any amendments get added to the surface. I typically work on a bed as I have time in the summer and then plant in the early fall. I wouldn’t have any hesitation about prepping now and planting in a month.

@NHBabs I’m in zone 6a nNH with sandy soil. I was planning on adding some compost and maybe fertilizer. Also I need to raise the ph for some of the flowers I would like to plant!

We have loamy sand according to gov't survey. (In some places we even have white beach sand!) I have not tried all the amendments, but I have done some with and some without amendments (compost and water retention). Plants do great both ways. I put it down to the fact that nothing has been planted there for a while (except weeds) and I mixed all the vegetation into the soil with a Mantis--takes forever, but it seems like it works.

GG, I've heard that advice for shrubs/trees, but why perennials? I've tried planting some natives right in the clay in order to begin a meadow area, and many were not very happy. I thought most garden soil for herbaceous perennials did better with ammendments. Would love to hear your thoughts so I can learn! It would be wonderful to not have to amend the area I'm trying to create as a meadow! I'm trying to do a better job of picking plants, but the native soil here (or the builders fill from 30 years ago) does not provide much in the way of nutrients.

Not sure why perennials should be treated any differently than the woodies......

I just don't amend, period. Maybe if I was starting a new garden from scratch I might reconsider....but I doubt it :-) I just don't find it to be necessary. Most herbaceous perennials grow just fine in their native, unamended soils. But I do mulch regularly and usually with compost. That is more for weed suppression and moisture retention in our dry summers but it also provides a nutrient supplementation as well.I also never fertilize :-)

A meadow wants low fertility, the opposite of most perennials. I would cut all growth and rake off rather than turn under. There’s a plant recommended to sow that will take up nitrogen and speed up the process. Anyone know i? Monty Don are you reading this??

Chelsea, I have found that changing soil pH anywhere but a veggie garden when is turned annually can be a challenge. pH comes from the underlying soil minerals, and when our acidic rainfall and irrigation is added, it is not a permanent solution IME. I grow things that like or tolerate acidic soil, and experiment with things that are said to like more neutral soil. Supposedly lilacs and clematis like sweeter soil than I have, but both do just fine with no pH supplements. What are you trying to grow that needs less acidic soil?

PS if you turn on messages on your myhouzz page, I can send you a message.

@NHBabs z4b-5a NH Sorry I just saw you comment last night! I believe I have turned my messages on now. I would love to get some help with all this.

Some of the flowers I had in mind to plant were hyacinths, foxgloves, daffodils, and creeping phlox. Not sure which ones but those were on my list. I decided I am going to plant some hydrangeas since they love the acidic soil.

I don't think you can hurt sandy soil by adding about as much organic matter as you want. It will also help with water retention in fast draining sand.

The general question of when to amend vs. when to plant should not be an issue. You can amend and plant immediately (just make sure compost is fully composted), or you can amend and wait. For perennials, shrubs and trees, I've found fall planting works great.

Organic amending of long term plantings like those consisting of trees, shrubs and infrequently divided perennials is pointless because the plants will probably still be in place long after the amendments have broken down and disappeared. In hot climates particularly organic amendments can sometimes vanish surprisingly quickly, for instance in one Oklahoma study peat added to a soil was no longer visible one year later.

The Myth of Soil Amendments, Part III
“Healthy soil has high organic content”

https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/soil-amendments-3.pdf

What I did with my heavy clay was to amend when first planted, then use degradable mulches for years afterwards. It's slower but the organic matter did eventually get into the soil, and now it's better. Not arguing that healthy soil doesn't always have to have high organic content. However in my case the poor drainage in wet weather, rock hard conditions in dry weather, and difficulty plants had in getting established, needed to be addressed. The texture, friability etc. has greatly improved. Now we mulch just enough to keep weeds down.

It will vary by location, conditions and which plants you are growing.

In other words the mulching has been the primary source of improved growing conditions. Same as with natural models where litter falling on top of the ground is integrated into the soil system.

kitasei2 maybe you are thinking of what he called "yellow rattles"? I've been binge watching Monty Don's Gardeners World on Britbox. Started with 2018 a couple of weeks ago but it's no longer listed. What he said about yellow rattles was that it helped get rid of grass when you are planting a meadow. It's hemi-parasitic, whatever that means. From Wikipedia: In Ireland and Scotland, this species is often associated with Machair habitat. Research at the UK's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology has shown that encouraging yellow rattle to grow in hay meadows greatly increases biodiversity by restricting grass growth and thereby allowing other species to thrive. The seeds are spread very effectively by traditional hay-making practices.