October 08, 2006
POO!
Six hundred pounds of horse manure, more or less, packed in 20 feed bags, waiting to be dug into the front garden.
The plan is to take half a day or so (Wednesday is possible, though there's rain in the forecast) and double-dig the whole front bed, which has been abused over the years between our dumpsters and piles of construction waste, and Mr. Concrete's concrete edifices.
What's double-digging? It's explained well here, but I can't help but notice the all-hope-abandon-ye-who-enter-here warnings all over the Internet:
Double digging is recommended on a new vegetable or flower bed and, on heavy soils, every three or four years thereafter. It can be hard work if you are not used to it, but you can introduce yourself to it gradually, there's no need to complete a bed in one session, half an hour a day will get the bed dug in a reasonable time without putting your back out.
http://www.gardeningdata.co.uk/soil/double_digging.htmDisadvantages of double digging: the process is strenuous, labor intensive, and expensive, given the amount of organic matter that is incorporated into the soil. "You will hear a lot about something called double digging . . . it is said it will double the life of your garden, but it may also halve the life of the gardener." --- Elsa Bakalar
http://hcs.osu.edu/mgonline/Herbaceous/gen02/07gen02.htmNo matter what you call it, it's the most backbreaking method of gardening. However, it's also the surest way to super soil. While it takes a tremendous amount of effort up front, the payoff--in the form of healthier, more productive plants--is almost immediate. Caution: If you have back problems or other health problems that prevent you from performing strenuous activity, forget about double-digging.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_soil_water/article/0,1785,HGTV_3632_1372205,00.htmlThis is, no two ways about it, a labor-intensive approach. But if the soil where you want your garden is very dense or hard-packed, making the effort to do this will pay you back handsomely as your garden grows.
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-19-934,00.htmlDouble digging may be hard work but it is perfect for creating new borders and deep topsoil.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0105/double_digging.aspThere are a couple of situations in which double digging might not be for you. First, if you have back problems or other health problems that prohibit strenuous activity, don’t undertake double digging. No doubt about it, double digging is physically taxing. That’s not to say you can’t hire someone to do the hard part, while you supervise from under a shade tree sipping lemonade! Second, if you don’t have access to adequate organic material – compost or manure – then wait on the double digging until you do have these materials at hand. Otherwise all of that hard work will be in vain!
Posted by Patrick at October 8, 2006 06:12 PM
http://www.farm-garden.com/feature/double_digging_gardeners_workout