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  • From: "clanSkeen" <sgian AT planetc.com>
  • To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Yields
  • Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2004 13:07:38 -0500


This material has been recycled four times since the 1974 typewritten
edition. I regret to report it is no longer up-to-date gardening knowledge, it will intimidate beginning gardeners, and it will bore experienced gardeners

I was a dedicated Jeavonite double digger and have the worn off shovels in testimony to same. Experience has made me change my mind about that. The first doubts were planted, as it were, by the book "Better Vegetables the Chinese Way" by Peter Chan. He refered to Jeavon's double digging with the comment that it was unnecessary. Heresy!! But I've come to agree with his comment that as far as the second foot of earth goes "it is not concrete, the roots can penetrate it if they are of a mind to.." Now I either turn the ground one spade depth (10") maybe, or not at all. As time goes by it is more of the 'not at all'. It's like the difference between growing cover crop after cover crop to build the soil or dumping about 30" of organic material on the plot. The former will build the soil making the latter unnecessary but the latter is years quicker. It's true that earthworms will drag down organic material but mixing the top 10" once or twice really speeds up the process. A lot of this had to do (for me) in viewing the role of digging as mixing the soil and not, as in conventinal gardening and farming, a method of weed control.

I don't recommend double digging any more. When you knew better you did better.


James





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