A possible good way of digging?

(As long as the soil is light enough.)

Push spade fully into earth.
Push it forward, letting topsoil fall into the space created behind the
spade.
Repeat.

This assumes the ground is not weedy.
It keeps the micro-organisms at the appropriate levels.
It deepens the fertility of the soil.

Silly or sensible?
--
Chris

"Chris" ] wrote in message
]...
A possible good way of digging?

(As long as the soil is light enough.)

Push spade fully into earth.
Push it forward, letting topsoil fall into the space created behind the
spade.
Repeat.

This assumes the ground is not weedy.
It keeps the micro-organisms at the appropriate levels.
It deepens the fertility of the soil.

Silly or sensible?
--
Chris

I love the way you say "letting topsoil fall into the space created behind
the spade". In my garden if you put a spade in you have trouble getting it
out again. :-)

My wife has been reading up about no-dig gardening. It involves piling more
compost on the top each year and letting the worms do the digging. Seemed to
work this year :-)

"CWatters" wrote:

My wife has been reading up about no-dig gardening.
It involves piling more compost on the top each year
and letting the worms do the digging. Seemed to work
this year :-)

It's been working for Mother Nature for billions of years.

Mel W.

"Chris" ] wrote in message
]...
A possible good way of digging?

(As long as the soil is light enough.)

Push spade fully into earth.
Push it forward, letting topsoil fall into the space created behind the
spade.
Repeat.

This assumes the ground is not weedy.
It keeps the micro-organisms at the appropriate levels.
It deepens the fertility of the soil.

Silly or sensible?
--
Chris

---------------------------
Every time I changed my Address, - (i.e., - went to live somewhere else),-
I "Double-Dug " the garden.
I always had got plenty of rotted animal compost, sand and fertiliser powder
ready to hand before starting.
With a good chromeplated spade of normal size, --(neither too large or too
small.
Right! - to Work!....
At one end of the garden dig a trench two-spades width and two - spades
deep. As you work, barrow the soil to the other end of the garden and
empty the it at the OTHER END of the garden .. BUT!, not at the full length.
Dunp it parallel to the end, but two spades width further in from the end..
Right!, - Orft we jolly-well!. Continue that pattern until you have dug
from the far end and now reached the end where you started. What do you
find? - there is a two-spade width and depth channel with no soil in it!.
Bingo!. - Sitting where you first started is the pile of soil which came
from the far end of the garden, - just waiting to fill the that empty
trench!, Voila! - t'job's a good'n!,
Don'tfoget to spread the fertiliser in each trench - as you go.
Don't swank to impress 'Her Indoors' by trying to do the job in one go. Do
it Nice'n Easy, just do it a bit at a time.
Otherwise she'll be bringing upstairs a cup of Ovaltine and aspirins and a
bottle of linament for your back.
Don;t laugh!, - I have done quite a few garden-digging jobs in my time.!
Douglas Adam Denny.
--------------------------

In article ,
says...

"Chris" ] wrote in message
]...
A possible good way of digging?

(As long as the soil is light enough.)

Push spade fully into earth.
Push it forward, letting topsoil fall into the space created behind the
spade.
Repeat.

This assumes the ground is not weedy.
It keeps the micro-organisms at the appropriate levels.
It deepens the fertility of the soil.

Silly or sensible?
--
Chris

I love the way you say "letting topsoil fall into the space created behind
the spade". In my garden if you put a spade in you have trouble getting it
out again. :-)

My wife has been reading up about no-dig gardening. It involves piling more
compost on the top each year and letting the worms do the digging. Seemed to
work this year :-)



That's what we have been doing here for the last 20 years, never dig the
garden, even the veg beds remain undug. admittedly our soil is very light
but the constant mulching has improved things no end.

Question for the OP, Have you actually tried this? I suspect the soil
will just stay put.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

In article , Charlie
Pridham writes
In article ,
says...
"Chris" ] wrote in message
]...

A possible good way of digging?
(As long as the soil is light enough.)
Push spade fully into earth.
Push it forward, letting topsoil fall into the space created behind the
spade.
Repeat.
This assumes the ground is not weedy.
It keeps the micro-organisms at the appropriate levels.
It deepens the fertility of the soil.
Silly or sensible?

I love the way you say "letting topsoil fall into the space created behind
the spade". In my garden if you put a spade in you have trouble getting it
out again. :-)
My wife has been reading up about no-dig gardening. It involves piling more
compost on the top each year and letting the worms do the digging. Seemed to
work this year :-)

That's what we have been doing here for the last 20 years, never dig the
garden, even the veg beds remain undug. admittedly our soil is very light
but the constant mulching has improved things no end.
Question for the OP, Have you actually tried this? I suspect the soil
will just stay put.

Yes - I do it all the time in my 5' x 3' deep beds.
The soil is in superb condition.
It falls in behind the spade.
It seems a good method for a small deep bed because it doesn't cause
much disturbance in such a small area.
Has anyone else tried it?
--
Chris

In article ], ] says...
In article , Charlie
Pridham writes
In article ,
says...
"Chris" ] wrote in message
]...

A possible good way of digging?
(As long as the soil is light enough.)
Push spade fully into earth.
Push it forward, letting topsoil fall into the space created behind the
spade.
Repeat.
This assumes the ground is not weedy.
It keeps the micro-organisms at the appropriate levels.
It deepens the fertility of the soil.
Silly or sensible?

I love the way you say "letting topsoil fall into the space created behind
the spade". In my garden if you put a spade in you have trouble getting it
out again. :-)
My wife has been reading up about no-dig gardening. It involves piling more
compost on the top each year and letting the worms do the digging. Seemed to
work this year :-)

That's what we have been doing here for the last 20 years, never dig the
garden, even the veg beds remain undug. admittedly our soil is very light
but the constant mulching has improved things no end.
Question for the OP, Have you actually tried this? I suspect the soil
will just stay put.

Yes - I do it all the time in my 5' x 3' deep beds.
The soil is in superb condition.
It falls in behind the spade.
It seems a good method for a small deep bed because it doesn't cause
much disturbance in such a small area.
Has anyone else tried it?

But why do it at all? unless you are one of the happy band of gardeners
who actually enjoy the work :~)
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:19:17 +0000, Chris ] wrote:

possible good way of digging?

(As long as the soil is light enough.)

Push spade fully into earth.
Push it forward, letting topsoil fall into the space created behind the
spade.

I'd like to see you do it on my allotment! The soil is very clay-ey;
sticks like mad when wet, sets like concrete when dry.
I do add manure and mushroom compost but not enough.
I cnnot dig with a spade as there are too many stones, so I don't dig
much at all!


Pam in Bristol