The best landscape plan in the world will turn into an empty dream if the plants grow poorly. So before you turn the first spadeful of earth, ponder this question: How has the weather been? If the dirt is gummy wet, wait until it dries out enough to crumble when you try to squeeze it into a handful. If it’s brick hard, water deeply and then wait until it dries to the moist but crumbly stage. If your spade slides in easily, read on.
SPADE OR SHOVEL?
The hard work of turning up the soil will seem a little easier if you use a spade. It should be square, sharp, and straight or nearly straight in its shank. When you push it into firm earth with your foot, you want all the force to go straight down the blade. And if you use a file to keep it sharpened, roots and clods of soil won’t be major obstacles. A scoop-shaped shovel, with its pointed blade, should be used for mixing or turning loose materials. You handle it as if it were a combination of a spade and scoop. The point on the shovel helps you to slide it into the material and the concave blade keeps the material from sliding off as you lift and turn. A shovel blade is set at an angle to the shaft so it stays flat when you push it horizontally into a pile of material.
In spading up small areas of soil, many gardeners make the mistake of turning each spadeful of earth completely over. If you make the same mistake, any weeds, leaves, or other debris in the soil will form a one- spade-deep barrier that cuts off air and water. Instead, you should lay the dirt on its side (against the previous shovelful) so the original surface is vertical to the ground (see sketch below).
MACHINE POWER
Using a spade to turn the earth is fine for small areas, but for really big jobs you may want to rent or buy a power tiller. Because a tiller is adjustable, it can either scratch the surface or dig down several inches. If you want to add amendments to packed soil but find it hard to make the tiller dig deep enough, start tilling at a shallow depth. Go over the area a second time (or even a third) with the tiller at a deeper setting each time. (Generally, the more powerful the tiller and the higher its horsepower, the deeper it can dig into the soil.)
In adding amendment, you should mix in a quantity that is from a quarter to a half of the finished volume of soil. Don’t pile up so much amendment that the tiller can’t penetrate the soil. To avoid this, start by adding the amendment in 2 or 3-inch layers, tilling in each layer. If the amendment you choose needs nitrogen, add part of the amount with each amendment layer. Finally, don’t till in the same direction each time you add a layer of amendment. For the best mix the furrows should be at right angles to the furrows you made on your previous run. Planting hole should look like this in cross section. Widen the water basin as plant grows so it is always wider than outer plant branches.
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