Tilling Depth?
 

Hi Everybody,

I have found a small space with (I *think*) just regular dirt,
etc. I can only use, perhaps, one "row" of this space for
vegetables. I am willing to put in whatever will fit (lettuce,
broccoli, etc), except anything needing a wide "cage" support,
like tomatoes (I already have those in buckets.)

I can protect this area with a border of "garden edging" if
needed. The area has been neglected for years, with just regular
grass, etc, and I suppose that the soil is compacted, etc.

So my question is... How deep should I till down through this
soil (I will be doing it by hand)? I figure that the need is to
turn over the grass, etc, and fluff up the soil for veggies to
have a good root-pushing environment. I plan on mixing in a bit
of manure and blood-n-bone meal to feed it.

So... How deep to till?

Thanks in advance!

-V

--
Guide To DIY Living
http://www.self-reliance.co.nz
(Work in progress)

Tilling Depth?
 

Down Under On The Bucket Farm said:

I can protect this area with a border of "garden edging" if
needed. The area has been neglected for years, with just regular
grass, etc, and I suppose that the soil is compacted, etc.

So my question is... How deep should I till down through this
soil (I will be doing it by hand)? I figure that the need is to
turn over the grass, etc, and fluff up the soil for veggies to
have a good root-pushing environment. I plan on mixing in a bit
of manure and blood-n-bone meal to feed it.

Double-dig. Dig out a section one spade depth and set that soil
aside. Break up the soil underneath and layer in compost or aged
manure. Move down the bed and turn the topsoil into your first
trench. Repeat until you move down the length of the bed and
at the far end, you lay your reserved soil back on. Spread some
more compost or alfalfa meal or pellets over the whole bed and
'fluff' it in by running a spading fork just below the surface and
wiggling it back up through the soil.

A longer description:

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_soil_wat...372205,00.html


--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

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

Tilling Depth?
 

On Thu, 4 Dec 2003 22:24:38 -0800, Down Under On The Bucket Farm
wrote:

So my question is... How deep should I till down through this
soil (I will be doing it by hand)? I figure that the need is to
turn over the grass, etc, and fluff up the soil for veggies to
have a good root-pushing environment. I plan on mixing in a bit
of manure and blood-n-bone meal to feed it.

So... How deep to till?

Most veg roots don't need more that 8-10" (there are *some*
exceptions) of fluffy stuff. Fertilizer is good to dig in, but don't
forget compost. That helps a *lot* to keep the dirt fluffy. Good
luck with your dirt!

Tilling Depth?
 

Dirt is what is under fingernails and behind ears. "Soil" is what is
below our feet.

Down Under On The Bucket Farm wrote:
=

Hi Everybody,
=

I have found a small space with (I *think*) just regular dirt,
etc. I can only use, perhaps, one "row" of this space for
vegetables. I am willing to put in whatever will fit (lettuce,
broccoli, etc), except anything needing a wide "cage" support,
like tomatoes (I already have those in buckets.)
=

I can protect this area with a border of "garden edging" if
needed. The area has been neglected for years, with just regular
grass, etc, and I suppose that the soil is compacted, etc.
=

So my question is... How deep should I till down through this
soil (I will be doing it by hand)? I figure that the need is to
turn over the grass, etc, and fluff up the soil for veggies to
have a good root-pushing environment. I plan on mixing in a bit
of manure and blood-n-bone meal to feed it.
=

So... How deep to till?
=

Thanks in advance!
-- =

Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky
2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal

Tilling Depth?
 

Dirt is what is under fingernails and behind ears. "Soil" is what is
below our feet.



Down Under On The Bucket Farm wrote:
=

Hi Everybody,
=

I have found a small space with (I *think*) just regular dirt,
etc. I can only use, perhaps, one "row" of this space for
vegetables. I am willing to put in whatever will fit (lettuce,
broccoli, etc), except anything needing a wide "cage" support,
like tomatoes (I already have those in buckets.)
=

I can protect this area with a border of "garden edging" if
needed. The area has been neglected for years, with just regular
grass, etc, and I suppose that the soil is compacted, etc.
=

So my question is... How deep should I till down through this
soil (I will be doing it by hand)? I figure that the need is to
turn over the grass, etc, and fluff up the soil for veggies to
have a good root-pushing environment. I plan on mixing in a bit
of manure and blood-n-bone meal to feed it.
=

So... How deep to till?
=

Thanks in advance!
=

-V
=

--
Guide To DIY Living
http://www.self-reliance.co.nz
(Work in progress)

-- =

Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky
2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal

Tilling Depth?
 

g'day v,

why not put a raised bed in? i never till/dig and find raised beds
much easier to manage, also that way you don't need to worry about
what the original soil is, check my garden page for how i do it.

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://home.dnet.aunz.com/gardnlen/

Tilling Depth?
 

In article ,
Down Under On The Bucket Farm wrote:

[snip]

So my question is... How deep should I till down through this
soil (I will be doing it by hand)?

It depends on the nature of the soil: its composition (especially sand vs.
clay concentrations), history (has it been trampled on by people or
machinery?), what kind of plants you want to grow (how deep are their roots
going to be?) and how much of a rush you are in (top production what year?).

The heavier the trampling, the more clay, the deeper rooted plant, then
you better get started tilling as soon as the ground (and water saturation)
will allow.

OTOH I finally got around to double-digging some sandy loam that hadn't been
walked on in a few years. Side by side comparison with another bed that
hadn't been double-dug -- also planted with carrots -- showed absolutely
no benefit (both did well).

If you don't have a good method for determining your soil type, I recommend
the method Steve Solomon describes in his book (sorry, don't remember the
name, it's probably 20 years old now).

HTH...
-frank

--

Tilling Depth?
 

Digging by hand or by spade you are restricted to the length of the blade
i.e. between 6" to 9" depending on the spade.
You must also consider the depth of your top-soil and its condition. Horse
manure is good as it contains straw which will rot to produce humus, blood
and bone meal are slow release fertilisers.
How well you are going to fluff up the soil depends entirely on the type of
the said soil.
"Frogleg" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 4 Dec 2003 22:24:38 -0800, Down Under On The Bucket Farm
wrote:

So my question is... How deep should I till down through this
soil (I will be doing it by hand)? I figure that the need is to
turn over the grass, etc, and fluff up the soil for veggies to
have a good root-pushing environment. I plan on mixing in a bit
of manure and blood-n-bone meal to feed it.

So... How deep to till?

Most veg roots don't need more that 8-10" (there are *some*
exceptions) of fluffy stuff. Fertilizer is good to dig in, but don't
forget compost. That helps a *lot* to keep the dirt fluffy. Good
luck with your dirt!