Preparing Soil for Spring

Inca Heat 2/27/2011, 2:52 am

Hello All,

Hope winter has been kind to you. It's been awhile since I have been in the forum. I am in zone 6 in CT. How are people preparing their soils in their already established square foot gardens.

I plan on removing a couple of inches worth of soil from the top of my boxes and amending with some compost. What are others doing? Is my approach even a good idea? Thanks

**camprn** 2/27/2011, 8:36 am

Welcome back Inca Heat! I am a few hours north of you.
I believe that you do not have to remove any of your mix this spring, just add some compost (a bag or 2), mix it well, set up grid and plant. If the snow is gone and you can work the soil you should be able to sow seed of peas, spinach and beets as soon as the end of next month. cheers

As part of my fall garden clean up chores, I amended my Mel's Mix last autumn by adding a wheelbarrow full of homemade compost to each 4x4 garden box. Hopefully the snow will be gone by the first week in April. I am almost ready to get going What a Face

Weedless_ 2/27/2011, 1:21 pm

Permaculturists believe that tilling isn't good, because old roots that rotted over fall and winter created "aeration" system for your new plants. There is no need to mess with this. For that same reason they don't believe you should pull out weeds and grass that crawl into your beds, just cut them with scissors underground, and leave the roots to rot.

I just throw fresh compost on top before I plant. Worms will do the rest of the "mixing". When seedlings are about 2 inches tall, I mulch to preserve moisture. That's it.

BackyardBirdGardner 2/27/2011, 2:39 pm

I will lay plastic over the soil for a couple of weeks and pray for sunshine to warm me up and out of the 30s. Then, I will add my compost to "recharge" my beds and give 'em a shake......I just stir with my hands by splashing the stuff around a bit.

It's already so loose and friable, I don't know that I am even aerating the soil as I splash. It just mixes the compost a little deeper is all.

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Preparing Soil for Spring

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