Gardening question....

[modern_pioneer]

Consider that I grew up on a farm, we would plow the fields every year.

It has been 3 years since I plowed my garden, I have tilled it every year, and continue to add organic materials.

Do I need to plow it still?

I till it about 8 inches deep, and wonder if I need to plow it 12 inches to help the soil?

The soil is getting better, did you notice I said soil and not clay?

Although we are about to get hit with 7 inches of snow tomorrow, I have my seeds and garden tools ready.... :tools

 

[bigredfeather]

Some books I've read say not to plow your garden. Reason being is that it is believed rain water creates a drainage path, and once it's established, you don't want to disrupt it. Others will say it is better to plow because it brings new dirt to the top, and along with it fresh nutrients. Personlly, I plow mine 12"-14" deep every year. Like you, I add leaves and straw every year to promote increased humus. I have to plow to get that stuff turned under so it will break down.
Guess I didn't really answer the question, but it at least gives you something to ponder.

 

[vfem]

I am going with the fact you have tilled in nutrients over time, you don't need to bring up any nutrients or such to the surface soil.

I do like to think that those water pathes and air pockets in the soil are important to the roots systems of the plants you are going to grow. Worms, old plant roots and water have created spaces roots can get to easily. Even roots need air, and those only some roots take up nutrients, and some roots take up water... each set of roots will look for the best spot to 'set up shop' when growing.

Let it rest now, and plant... that's my advice!

 

[Ridgerunner]

You can find books and such supporting many different ways to do it. There are advantages and disadvantages of each. If you get deep enough, you can bring some rarer nutrients or minerals to the top where plants can get to them. You may not always add those nutrients back by amending the soil. These are usually only required in minute trace amounts, so I am not talking about much. How critical they are depends on what is in your soil and what crops you grow. I think that is one of those things that are usually not really very critical. Maybe one of those items we tend to overthink about and most of us can safely ignore.

I don't turn mine with a plow. I use a shovel and turn the soil, usually reaching down to the top of the subsoil where it starts changing colors, then use a tiller to break up the dirt clods and level it. I often put amendments before I turn it, before I level it with the tiller, then put more in the row.

When I turn it with that shovel, I can easily tell where I walked between the rows and where I never walked. If I was using a gardening method where I never walked on it, like a raised bed system, I would probably not turn it at all unless I needed to turn a green cover crop under or remove weed and gras roots.

We all have different conditions. I can't tell you what is right for you, but I personally do not see anything wrong with what you are doing.

 

[digitS']

You don't say how much topsoil occurs naturally in your area, modern_pioneer. It seems like my gardens have always been started on land with only about 8" of topsoil.

The subsoil sometimes has minerals in amounts that restrict plant growth. I have seen the term "unkind subsoil" and that is certainly true in this area!

Most garden plants grow best in topsoil with plentiful organic matter.

Steve

 

[journey11]

I would say it is not really necessary, because with most veggie crops the roots will go deeper than that on their own anyway (particularly when the need for water is great.) (Here's a chart of avg. root depths.) If you feel your soil has a hardpan layer of clay beneath what you regularly till, then you might want to go ahead and do it for this year. You could also plan this fall to plant a deep rooting cover crop like rye or winter wheat, the roots of which can penetrate around 5 feet deep! Greatest depths are reached in sandy or loamy soil, but they can do a lot to help break up clay too.

 

[GrowsLotsaPeppers]

Your dirt and mine are different. Your climate is different. Your crops are likely different. Your background and experience are different. Why would you take my experience over your own?

My garden spot was clay. Black, gummy clay. There are now raised beds on that area, that once was a dog run. The soil is all mixed and imported and amended, and grows very nice veggies. The tilling has been done with a little Mantis tiller that finally wore out after ten years. Never anything more. We may do something more radical this year, but we may not. It depends on how ambitious my grown sons are.

A good friend of mine uses what he calls no-till methods. Says he hasn't tilled in close to ten years. And he top dresses with stuff I'd compost first. He and his wife eat very well from their gardens.

 

[seedcorn]

The reason people plowed was to kill annual weeds (or so the thought process went--later we found out this was faulty reasoning) and to allow the clay grounds to "melt" during the winter so that the vegetation on the top of the soils were brought into heavy clay soils thus making them fluffier (that also was proven to be incorrect) so no one uses plows anymore.

I could go on about plows but tilling is good enough.

 

[boggybranch]

My garden has never had a plow OR tiller on it. The "topsoil" is about 6 to 8 inches thick with a thick clay base under that. So I elected, a couple of years or three ago, to go to the Ruth Stout No-Till Method and build soil up from the top layer. The only thing I do contrary to her method is make and incorporate massive amounts of homemade compost each year, using nothing but a Garden Claw.

 

[Kim_NC]

We only till ours. We add compost, leaves, etc and till those in.