"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message ...
User Bp wrote:
In alt.home.lawn.garden Guv Bob
wrote:

How's a good way to break up hard soil? Since it's all level, my
first thought is to soak it good for a couple of days. I wonder if
renting an aerator might also be good.

If your soil is like mine, there's a very narrow range of moisure
levels at which it's workable. I understand local farmers refer to it
as "36 hour soil", which is the schedule window for plowing.

Too wet and it's like warm tar, too dry and it's extremely hard. In
the middle, it's rather crumbly. I'd soak a patch and poke it each
day after. _Maybe_ you'll find a day when it's workable.

HTH,

bob prohaska

Hereabouts this is called "Sunday soil", too wet to work on Saturday and too
dry by Monday. The problem with working it on Sunday is that it will always
stay the same, you haven't addressed the problem of why it is so hard on
Monday.

Appreciate all the good info. For breaking up the soil, what about adding a weak solution of detergent as a wetting agent in one of these hose attachments?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/21065376?w...546436&veh=sem