How to Grow More Vegetables : And Fruits, Nuts ... - Shroomery

20 BED PREPARATION
crop, except for autumn compost crops. Some people prefer to
do this only once each year. As your soil improves and the large
clods disappear, your bed may not raise as high as initially. Do
not worry about this. It is just a sign that you and your soil are
successful. The goal of double-digging is not the height of the
bed, but the looseness and good structure of the soil.
Once a good structure has been established by doubledigging,
it may be better to use surface cultivation (the
loosening of the upper 2 inches of the soil with a cultivating
tool) for several years. In this way, the developed structure
and soil organic matter are better preserved. One simple way
to determine whether your soil has good structure follows.
Squeeze a sample of reasonably moist soil firmly in your hand.
Then open your hand. If the soil falls apart easily, it does not
have good soil structure. If it holds the shape of your hand
even when you press it gently with the fingers from your other
hand, it does not have good soil structure. If the soil breaks
apart into small clumps when you press it with your fingers, it
probably has good soil structure.
When surface cultivation is used, compost made without soil
will be used, because soil will not be removed from the bed
during the soil preparation process. Whenever the lower soil
becomes compacted, the bed may be double-dug again to
encourage reestablishment of a well-aerated structure.
The soil’s texture is determined by its basic ingredients: silt,
clay, and sand particles. Its structure is the way its ingredients
hold together. With your assistance, “threads” exuded by microbial
life and “glue” exuded by plant roots help to loosen a clay
soil and improve a sandy soil. The goal is to create a sumptuous
“living sponge cake.” Bon appétit! 5
5. For more information on growing soil quality and soil structure, also see “Table 20.1—
Qualitative Soil Health Indicators,” in U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agriculture Research
Service, Soil Quality Test Kit (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agriculture
Research Service, 1999); and Fred Magdoff and Harold van Es, Building Soils for Better Crops,
2nd edition (Burlington, VT: Sustainable Agriculture Network, 2000).