julieseward1 said:My house has a raised brick flower bed completely covered by the eves. It's really hard to keep anything alive because it drains out so quickly. What can I add to the dirt to help retain moisture? I have not added any mulch as I have all annuals in there but I think I may need to.
1) Does this bed get any light?
2) How deep is the soil in this brick bed? How wide is the bed?
3) Is this bed right up against the wall of the house? Are you sure that you want to retain moisture against the house?
If there's room for a bed in that location under the eves... It is a simple solution to get in there with a shovel and try to dig down into the native soil.
Digging into clay usually works a treat for retaining moisture...
After getting some soil depth... yes, add lots of compost/manure to help retain moisture and give the soil some texture (humus) then plant and then mulch the plants... and... you shouldn't have to water near as much.
