Re: Double-digging

dear Donald

I recently saw a TV program which dealt with your concerns.  It seems that, according to this individual who is involved in total
organic gardening, that double digging is in fact detrimental to the soil.

He cites the fact that the micro-organisms in the initial sub-soil is far different from those in the deeper layers.  The plants
require the organisms in the sub soil to thrive and mixing the soil substructure, by double digging, dilutes the micro-organisms in
the topsoil and so delay or set back the plants.

He cited the fact that farmers now do not plow their fields as deeply and  now  harrow them.  This method does not dig into the
soil as deeply and so has less disruption on the micro-organisms in the top-soil.  

I am not a farmer so I can not vouch for this.

I do not know if the TV program was right, but it is food for thought.  The program I watched is called Growing Organically.

Frank for
glmichaelis@man.net
"Perennially in Trouble" in Warren, Manitoba, Canada.
Owner of Great Landscapes. USDA Zone 3 - 5.
Chairwoman of the NALS International Seed Exchange.
Manager of the NALS' Lilium-L   

----------
> From: Donald Mosser <dmosser@southconn.com>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <iris-l@rt66.com>
> Subject: Re: Double-digging
> Date: Thursday, July 10, 1997 6:39 PM
> 
> At 11:41 AM 7/10/97 -0600, you wrote:
> >A final thought. I am wondering if the often recommended method of "double
> >digging" is a good practice. On the surface it seems to me that it is not
> >wise to change the soil profile by exchanging top soil with sub soil. I
> >would welcome comments on this.
> >John Montgomery
> 
> John, 
> 
> I've done a little double digging over the last few years. However, I am
> always careful of mixing my clay subsoil with good topsoil.  I usually dig
> off the top soil and place it onto a plastic tarp.  I then mix organic
> matter into the exposed subsoil.  Finally, I put the topsoil back and mix
> the topsoil with generous amounts of organic matter like compost and well
> rotted horse manure.  My topsoil is mostly sand and I found that even when
> I do mix the two strata, subsoil and topsoil, they usually form distinct
> layers again within a season or two.  I guess that I really do a modified
> form of what you usually see in the gardening books as double digging.
> 
> -Donald
> 
> 
> Donald Mosser
> Member of AIS, HIPS, SIGNA, SSI, SLI, SPCNI, and IRIS-L
> dmosser@southconn.com
> http://www.geocities.com/rainforest/5570
> 
> North Augusta, South Carolina, USA
> On the South Carolina and Georgia Border
> USDA Zone 7b-8
> 
>
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