Improving soil quality

[Argonaut]

No quite an Alotment but 3 very large veg beds ... I only grow eatables.

Question on re-purposing Landscaping Bark.

I have 3 fairly large raised veg beds .. on the floor around the walls I paid a pretty substantial amount, to lay down Hardwood bark chips.

It was good initially and then after a few years became wet & sodden, full of spiders, worms & weeds, as a lot of it broke down.
I took it all up, and have 2 x 1 Tonne bags of this.
I know its not a rich growing medium, but is it any use as a soil improver?

Opt 1 …

I take top 6” off beds, layer on the bark, rotovate it in, then replace soil and rotovate that into the mix

Opt 2.
I am just about to open up some trenches for potatoes ….. wondering if adding 4” of this in bottom of trench, then equal quantity of compost … rotovate it together then plant spuds and back fill

Opt 3
Just use it as mulch around my hedges.

[Snoop Puss]

Bark will add humus to your soil, but it could take a long time to break down depending on its state. Are you able to post a photo of what it currently looks like so members can see if you might do well to use it to mulch your hedges, leave it longer to compost or add it to your soil as is for either of your first two options?

[Mark Rand]

Mix it in with green stuff in the compost heap?

[ameno]

I would sieve it, and add the stuff which passes through straight to the soil (either as a mulch or dig it in; either works), then put the larger bits on the compost heap.