"Pete from Boston" wrote in message
oups.com...
Jungle Jane wrote:
I have a new 8x10x1 ft raised bed this year in a higher and dryer part
of my yard because my previous (not raised) beds got washed out by our
recent flooding in this area. So now that we're finally drying out I
got 3 trucks of soil from our landscaping place, and that was fine
except it was pretty wet when we got it. Like cement wet. But I busted
my hump and got it all broken up and raked in and figured I'd give it a
few days to dry out and then break it up and rake it in some more. Well
you know what happens to cement when it dries? It's as hard as a rock! I
now have a garden full of rocks! The average is about an inch or 2 in
diameter and no amount of raking will break them all up. I spent about
an hour last night busting them up by hand and only got about 1 square
foot done! The trouble seems to only be on the top exposed layer,
underneath is nice and dark and rich and loose. Does anyone have a
better idea to break up those rocks of soil? I was thinking of wetting
it down again but was worried that might make it worse. Any ideas? Thank
you, Jane

Did you consider wetting it down again and adding lots of organic
material in while it's loose?

I think Pete is right, although I'd wait until I had the crumbled the soil
before forking in the organic matter. A few inches of dried grass clippings
worked into the top couiple inches will do wonders to keep the upper layer
friable.

Wet the top few inches of soil on Day 1, then on Day 2, go out and bust the
clods by swinging the end of a spade or potato fork at them. If the clods
are too wet to break apart, try again on Day 3.