Doug Kanter said:

"DigitalVinyl" wrote in message
.. .
"Doug Kanter" wrote:

I reworked the top 18"
of soil...

After this season, do not rework anything but the top 3". You only need to
go deeper for new garden areas, unless someone is walking on, and
compressing your rows, in which case, they should be pantsed and staked to
the ground near an ant hill.

I make an exception:
If your garden is withing reach of tree roots, you should yank a broad fork up
through the beds each year. (The aim isn't to churn over everything, just rip
up the invading roots while they are still small.)

http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/121/

(I'm not sure where you can get a broad fork. I bought mine from Gardener's
Supply many years ago; I've seen other versions off and on in other catalogs.)

I also hold strongly that any time you disturb the soil in a big way (more than
a little raking of the surface) you MUST add some oganic material to compensate.
(Compost and alfalfa pellets are two of my favorite additives.)
--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)