permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>]

On 1/6/2011 7:23 AM, Lawrence F. London, Jr. wrote:

This paragraph has been changed:
> You use the UBar to loosen soil below the depth you have excavated with
> your digging spade and spade fork, i.e. loosened/tilthed in situ but not
> inverted, left in place. This is the process followed periodically after
> the beds are done and you need to tilth them seasonally or between
> crops; inverting the soil is not done then or ever after initial bed
> construction. The UBar can be used from the start to make double digging
> go faster and it is generally a good idea to use it throughout as long
> as you do not compromise the double digging process,
> which is orderly for a reason, efficiency and thoroughness of tilthing.
To this:
You use the UBar to loosen soil below the depth you have excavated with 
your digging spade and spade fork,
i.e. loosened/tilthed in situ but not inverted, left in place. This is 
the process followed periodically
after the beds are done and you need to tilth them seasonally or between 
crops; inverting the soil is not
done then or ever after initial bed construction. The UBar can be used 
from the start to make double digging
go faster and it is generally a good idea to use it throughout as long 
as you do not compromise the double
digging process, which proceeds in a controlled and orderly fashion for 
a reason, efficiency and thoroughness
of tilthing and incorporation of amendments added. Thoroughness of 
tilthing means conversion of compacted unimproved
soil to soil with more biological activity and therefore more naturally 
occuring tilth and fertility. Less tilling
is better then more but when you are working with compacted clay soil 
you may have to go to some length to achieve this goal;
often involving improving soil in growing beds in a rotational strategy. 
Excavate soil and leave it to break down and loosen,
with the addition of compost, naturally over a longer period of time. 
Meanwhile you are completing the final prep stages of
other beds that are almost ready for planting or mulching and/or cover 
cropping, then planting with food crop.

The entire document, containing this thread, can be see here:
Gardening Hand Tool Sourcelist
January 6, 2011 Revision
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/documents/gardening-hand-tools.faq
===================================================================
Biointensive Gardening Guide and Farm & Garden Hand Tool Sourcelist
===================================================================
Permanent No-Till Biointensive Double-Dug Raised Bed Garden Preparation 
and Handtool Information & Sourcelist