Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Dianne Palmer-Quay <R_DQuay@compuserve.com>]

My experience with double digging beds is that is can be very helpful with
heavy clay soil but is not so important with sandy soil (I have both - 2
different growing areas).  Also, while tilling dry soil may be less harmful
to soil structure, if you have clay it is much EASIER to dig when damp! 
Our red clay is impossible to till when it is baked dry.

My method is to double dig the first time and then use mulches, cover
crops, and a limited or no till approach.  The orange-red clay is slowly
turning a nice dark brown.  The main challenge for me is planning for cover
crops than then can become mulch at the right time for planting the crop I
want in that bed.  I am still working on that.

Dianne in SC