HERE'S THE DIRT!

  Since we are building this farm from the GROUND UP... the last month at Taproot has been all about SOIL!
  Last year we focused on establishing the garden design and adding some soil amendments, but the crops were a bit stunted.
  When we turned the beds again in the fall, they Slooshed.  "Sloosh" is not a good sound in a garden bed! It means there is lots of clay with poor drainage. Compacted clay holds water like a bowl, like a clay bowl. So we made a promise to our garden that we would invest ourselves in soil improvement this spring. Our plan is to loosen and lighten the soil to create the perfect habitat for earthworms and roots. The goal is to give the tiny seedlings lots of room to stretch out and breathe.
   In early spring we set out to: Add nutrient-rich soil; Loosen and lighten through Double Digging;  Deepen and widen the beds.

  1.) Adding nutrients: Due to decades of farming and mowing without replenishing the soil, the 20-acre plot we purchased is almost devoid of topsoil. Our raised bed design allows us to add a foot of healthy soil above the surface.We knew we needed to add organic material- composted leaves and manure- before we planted a single seed this year. In the future, we will top our beds each fall with our own compost, but this year we had to order it. Organic matter breaks up the clay, but most importantly, it provides the perfect habitat for earthworms. EARTHWORMS are your garden laborers.  The more you attract earthworms with rich, organic, moist matter, the more your digging and turning will be done for you. Earthworms work 24-7- enriching your garden while you sleep!

2.) Double Digging to loosen and lighten the soil: our favorite gardening expert, Ed Smith, teaches the WORD method of gardening (W=wide beds; O= organic; R= rotate crops; D= deep beds). In his fabulous book, The Vegetable Gardener's Bible, Ed introduced us to double digging and we are devoted to it.
   Double Digging is a technique to deeply loosen the sol and mix in rich, organic material. Double digging eliminates that "clay bowl" effect on the bottom of the garden beds.

  After spreading a layer of new organic matter and sand (for drainage) on top of the whole garden, we dig a trench in the garden about 18-20" deep and 10-12"wide. The first excavated soil is set aside on a tarp or wheelbarrow and used in the last trench. The second trench beside it is created by putting the top 1/2 soil layer into the bottom of the first trench. The bottom 1/2 of the second trench (the subsoil)  is layered on top of the first trench. (basically turning the garden upside down :-) We repeat this until the entire bed is completed. Then another layer of organic matter is added on top and turned in. This process "fluffs" up the new bed by aerating and loosening all that compacted clay soil. I can just hear the earthworms getting excited nearby :-)
  Double Digging is hard work but it's a one time job!  Earthworms and plant roots will do the loosening and aerating for years to come.
  It is important not to walk on newly aerated garden beds.  We build our raised beds 4'-5' wide so we can reach to the middle from each side without stepping in.

3.) Deepening and Widening the beds: Double digging helps us reach down to the subsoil and incorporate rich topsoil deeply into the beds. Traditionally, beds were dug only about 8" deep and 3' wide. Farmers laid out narrow planting rows and wide paths to accommodate wheelbarrows and tractors. But the new thinking is to reverse that model- wide rows and narrow paths create more planting space and less compacted soil from foot traffic. The deeper and richer the original soil, the less tilling and turning is needed in subsequent years. We will not tractor till our vegetable beds in the future because we do not want to disturb the earthworm-rich environment we have created.

We are not getting any younger so we decided to do all this heavy manual labor in the first few years of our garden prep... hoping to sit back on the front porch and let the earthworms do the heavy lifting from here on out!

TOOLS are key-

We have learned the hard way that any money you save up front buying cheap tools is lost later. Cheap tools break and require more effort.
We have discovered some awesome tools that we know we will enjoy for a lifetime:

Quality "professional grade" tools- Tim is an advocate of buying professional or construction-grade tools. They are usually forged and designed to fit the handle securely with the metal tool end. We like the ones we have found at Lowes (Jackson brand)  and Southern States.

Fiskar Tools- Fiskars is a Finnish company that makes light weight, long handled (ergonomic) and VERY durable garden tools. We love them!

Broadfork- This ingenious traditional farming tool uses physics instead of the lower back to turn and aerate the garden. I hold the two handles, step on the bar and just lean it back to lift the top 8" of garden soil. The Broadfork  is used to prepare beds for planting, not turn deeply compacted soil.

2-Wheeled Wheelbarrow- 2 wheels in front (instead of 1) distribute weight so it is easier to steer and more stable when parked.

 



  If you don't believe us- just take a look at our first radish this year.
  Check out that long TAPROOT- proof that this is one happy radish!