When and How to Till Your Garden

Fall is the best time to till your garden but when you wish to till is still a matter of preference. I prefer tilling twice a year, fall before the first frost and again in the spring after the thaw. Each time you till your garden you should add organic matters such as shredded leaves or peat moss. When composts are added and decompose they also add needed nutrients to the soil.

These added nutrients help to build strong healthy plant roots. As your soil is turned it allows for better air circulation and helps with the decomposition of any added organic matters.

Fall temperatures and the soil moisture are more favorable to tilling because they too help with the decomposition of added composts. Fall tilling also helps to prevent the growth of new weeds in the spring and prevent garden pests and insects and their nests from over wintering in the soil.

In the fall when the soil is roughly tilled it will hold more snow which in turn will improve the soils moisture levels which and will improve the soils drainage conditions.

Good garden soil will release nutrients, retain water and drain well. Pine bark or chips, straw and peat moss make excellent soil additions in the fall. Remember also that you should not till your ground more than twice a year tilling more often can cause damage to the soils structure and its balance of needed microorganisms.

Over tilling can and will ruin well established garden soil by burying some organic matters that need to be near the top to break down properly. Tilling once a year is still recommended, fall tilling simply allows your organic matters to break down right into the soil over the winter enriching it for the spring planting.

The Importance of Tilling Your Garden - Your Plants Will Love You For It

Fall clean-up should go hand in hand with garden preparation. When you are raking up your yard, toss those left over fall leaves and grass clipings into your garden. All the leaves and clippings leftover from the fall and winter should also be worked back into the soil the following spring. Doing this will add both organic material and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus to the garden. Additional top soil along with peat moss and green manure (clover, barley, winter rye and buckwheat) should be added as well. This allows any soil amendments you use to break down, thus becoming available to the plants. Soil amendments are materials that you can add to the soil to modify the pH level, provide specific nutrients to the soil, increase organic content or improve drainage and soil texture - or vitamins for your soil.