Once the last crop comes out, a bed left bare loses nutrients to winter rain and often crusts over or grows a mat of weeds by spring. Digging in organic matter now, while the ground is still soft enough to work, gives worms and frost all winter to break it down, so the bed is in good heart when you come to plant.

Dig Over and Manure an Empty Bed Before Winter

What you need

1 wheelbarrow load well-rotted manure or garden compost per 2m² of bed; more for hungry crops like squash or brassicas next year
1 cardboard sheets or a heavy-duty tarp optional, to cover the bed if it will sit empty until spring

Step by step

Pull the last of the spent crop and any weeds, forking out perennial roots such as dandelion and bindweed rather than snapping them off.
20 min
Fork over the whole bed to the depth of the tines, turning each forkful and breaking up large clods. Work backwards across the bed so you're not standing on ground you've already dug.
40 min
Spread the manure or compost evenly across the surface, roughly a wheelbarrow load per 2m².
10 min
Fork it into the top 10-15cm, or leave it on the surface if you're going no-dig and let worms carry it down over winter.
20 min
Rake the surface roughly level, picking out large stones and old root fragments as you go.
10 min
If the bed will sit empty until spring, cover it with cardboard or a tarp, weighted down at the edges, to stop nutrients washing out and weeds getting a head start.
10 min

Afterwards

Rinse mud off the fork and rake before it dries hard, and wipe the tines with an oily rag to stop rust over winter. If you covered the bed, check after storms that the cardboard or tarp hasn't blown loose, and lift a corner in late winter to see how well the worms have worked the organic matter in before you plant.

Questions

Should I dig it in, or leave it on the surface as no-dig?

Both work. Digging buries the compost faster and breaks up compaction, while no-dig avoids disturbing soil life and lets worms do the mixing, just more slowly.

Can I use fresh manure instead of rotted?

No. Fresh manure is too strong, can scorch roots, introduces weed seeds and carries more risk of harmful bacteria. Let it rot down for at least six months first.

What if the ground is too wet to dig?

Wait. Working wet clay soil compacts it and can undo years of structure-building. Cover the bed with cardboard and dig once a handful of soil crumbles rather than smears.

How much manure or compost do I actually need?

Roughly a wheelbarrow load for every 2m² of bed. Use more ahead of hungry crops like squash or brassicas, less if the soil is already in good heart.