If I haven't already done so, Welcome O. Henry. I am overjoyed at your long
term commitment to desist alcoholic consumption. As an aside, last year I
worked with a client on a long term residential design project which took
several months to install, and I'm still friendly with the very familial
neighborhood... one of the immediate neighbors was a life-long alcohol
abuser... one morning I arrived on site to hear the news he had been found
dead in his sleep (he was in his mid-40's). So sad, and completely
unnecessary. Anyway, to respond:

"The Other Harry" wrote in message
...

Now then, today's question:

My back yard includes a small garden plot (maybe 8' x 16")
which has been fallow for many years. It is currently
overgrown with weeds of various types.

Reads like what my house was like only yours is on a smaller scale.

What I would like to do with it this year is simply to get it
ready to use next year. In my mind -- so far at least --
doing this will involve installing some raised borders (I have
already researched previous posts to this group with regard to
what to do and not to do in the border department), and to
prepare the soil.

When you write 'raised borders', do you mean an elevated garden bed, or a
defined border of some material (brick, stone, wood, etc.) separating garden
spaces?

The soil is typical Virginia clay. I have read about that
also. The general advice being to add compost, organic
materials, and maybe a bag or two of gypsum every year or so.
Mix everything together, and the soil should gradually
improve. In the fall, my impression is that things like
leaves and lawn trimmings can go right in.

Absolutely. Clean grass trimmings (no chemicals, few if any weed seeds
please) can be sprinkled thinly on your beds after every mowing. I
especially like doing this in the fall, as the combination of shredded brown
leaves and green grass seems to be the perfect combo for quick composting.
If you have room, a compost pile would be great too-- bear in mind it takes
an enormous volume of organic material to create a small amount of compost,
so the bigger the better.

That gets me to my question, which concerns tilling.

- Should I just go ahead right now and till those friggin'
weeds directly into the soil? (along with some compost, I
suppose) Or should I remove the existing weeds before
tilling?

Maybe the best approach would be to lay black plastic sheeting over the
areas you are going to work and then wait several weeks. The heat and lack
of light will not only kill the existing weeds, it will also cook the
millions of weed seeds in the soil waiting for the chance to germinate after
you disturb the soil by tilling. After things are thoroughly cooked, you can
then spread as much amendment as is humanly possible and till it in. If it
were me, I would try to time this in the fall so that after tilling, I could
broadcast a green cover like winter rye or mustard, which would not only
crowd out many winter-germinating weeds which may have squeaked through, it
will also provide soil stabilization and is a natural 'fumigant'. See

http://www.ibiblio.org/london/agricu.../msg00035.html

and

http://www.ibiblio.org/london/agricu.../msg00036.html

For more good info.

A related question concerns power tillers:

- Am I going to want to buy one? If so, any recommendations?

As large as you can muscle. Those little electric things are ridiculous
(pardon me anyone who uses them) and cannot till very deeply. I would
suggest visiting several rental centers and perhaps trying out a couple
different models before purchasing one.

I do realize that many of you will laugh at the notion of
getting a tiller for such a small plot. I tried manually
tilling that SOB with a pick and a shovel last year, and,
given the current condition of the soil, that is not something
which I look forward to doing. I'm not even sure I am
physically capable of doing it.

Yeah, double digging is the pits!

Dave
Fairfax, VA