Like many fellow gardeners, I am busy planning new flower beds at my home in Auburn. My husband just expanded a parking area near our house, and it sticks out like a sore thumb. A new flower bed wrapping two sides of the parking pad will help it blend into our existing landscape.
But to establish a new flower bed, I will have to remove some turf grass. Because it is not enough to warrant renting a turf cutter, I’ll be doing it the old fashioned way with a straight-edged garden spade.
After the turf is removed, I will still have to break up the soil. In the past, I might have convinced my husband to pull out our tiller and go at it.
I talked recently with Dr. Charlie Mitchell, an Extension soil scientist, about tilling. He told me that tillers and tractors can actually increase soil compaction. He and some of the state’s Master Gardeners did research several years ago on how common garden tillage practices affected soil compaction.
Dr. Mitchell tells me the best option is a garden tillage technique called double digging. It involves digging a trench the depth of a garden shovel along the length of the row. Another shovel depth is dug into the subsoil, and this is then flipped. The topsoil is placed back over the trench, and the crop is planted over the double-dug row. Gardeners who use this method get good exercise because the process is labor intensive.
After my visit with Dr. Mitchell, I think I will give double digging a try in this new flower bed.
Be sure to tune in to Backyard Wisdom at 2 p.m. Saturday on Troy Public Radio to hear more about tillage.
Other Links:
Good Explanation of Double Digging with Photos and Illustrations