Starting Digging – It is enough to make you spit!

You may spit in more ways than you think because I want to start with some definitions, then after your hard work you may end up with an aching back.

A spade is the key digging tool costing from £15-£75 and coming in several sizes and blade shapes but an average one that doesn’t lift too much and has a stainless blade is my favourite and cost me £34.

A fork is the pronged implement used for breaking up compacted soil or turning material like straw or garden compost.

A spit is the spade depth of a hole about 12 inches

Double digging is where a row one spit deep is removed to form a trench. Then the base of the trench is dug again often with a fork and to include compost. The next row is then put on top until at the end of the patch the first soil removed is replaced.

If double digging try not to get sub-soil brought up to the surface. This is the compacted layer of clay, shale, rock ledges, gravel beds, deep sand, or hardpan under the surface of good soil that is so deep it hasn’t got any accessible nutrients or bio activity may make the development of garden soil extremely difficult or impossible.

Tilth is the top soil that can be broken down into finer crumbs of soil for planting and seed sowing

A rake is used for weeding and to even out lumpy soil and create a good tilth

Reasons for digging:

• To get necessary air into the soil,
• To allow water to penetrate,
• To assist drainage if the soil is heavy so that plant roots can penetrate deeper without becoming waterlogged,
• To help worms and friendly insect activity.
• To incorporate organic matter such as garden compost
• To help remove weeds particularly those with long roots
• To get a good soil structure and open tilth

Double digging probably isn’t worth the extra effort in most cases unless you have a particular problem eg with drainage or want to grow particular crops eg. parsnips.