Bastard Trenching

At times the mattock comes in handy.

I don't have a picture to go along with this note, however I discovered one evening that I have been misrepresenting myself as double digging my garden, when I have actually been Bastard Trenching it. Apparently here are the differences. In some soils or locations, you can dig down and remove two spade lengths (spits) of soil from your trench before you hit subsoil. I use both a Round Point Tiling Spade, a Square Point Shovel with a short handle, and at times a Mattock. The subsoil imagined, as soil not remedied with organic matter and undesirable to mix it in the topsoil. Then having removed approximately 24 inches of topsoil, the underlying subsoil is broken up once again by the Round Point Tiling Spade. Then one takes a potato fork and works in manure or compost in this layer which is three feet down from the surface. However  Bastard Trenching is used,( such as in my case where the subsoil is pure wind deposited clay), and only 12 inches down from the surface. The good soil is only 12 inches deep. So it is removed and then the second layer, broken up amended and so forth. In this case one inches deeper over the years until the soil can be properly doubly dug. Sorry if I have misled any one on this point of distinction.

Trench Composting Manure, and Double Digging my raised beds.

I have been trench composting manure and double digging my raised beds since last fall. Double digging doesn't seem too popular in gardening circles right now. I am convinced it is worth the trouble, for maximum production in  quantity, and quality, and size of your vegetables. For each 4 square feet of room in my beds I have worked in two wheel barrow loads of manure. I am in the city so I can't compost it, above ground, both because of the odors it would cause, and the volume that I am applying. I bury each pickup load as it arrives. Even with the freshest manure there is no odor when I am done. I am starting to get some very good soil. This is my third season. It has been a little heavy going. Even though we have had very little rain, the beds are quite saturated with water. If I didn't have such high percentage of organic matter I wouldn't have been able to work them up. They say that the organic matter absorbs seven times it weight in water. No matter how hard the rainfall I don't lose a drop in runoff.

Double Digging and Spring Seeds planted

Last week I worked into the garden 3 cubic yards of compost. All of the garden was "double dug" last fall, and then a second time this spring. I open up a trench and then fill it with compost. Before I put in the compost, I use a potato fork and break up the subsoil. The second time through the beds are pretty much fluffed up to about three feet. I planted Bush Crop Cucumbers,Atlantic Giant Pumpkins,Yellow Doll Watermelons,Bush Sugar Baby Watermelon, Royal Burgundy Bush Beans,Butter Cup Squash,Honey Bun Hybrid Cantaloupe,Double Yield Cucumbers,Reimer Bush Baby Squash,Homemade Pickles Cucumbers,Spacemaster Cucumbers,Dill, and Venezuelan Corn. Then we had a very nice rain over the weekend. I also transplanted some Swiss chard, and various lettuces.

Double Digging my raised beds with compost.

I have started preparing my raised beds for next spring. I might yet try to plant some mustard greens. This is where my corn was grown. I found out that in about three hours I can double dig a twenty by 3 foot raised bed. I dig a trench and then fill it  pretty much to the top with compost. Then you move over about twelve inches and dig a new trench and throw the dirt on top of the compost. So the whole bed is sort of floating on twelve inches of compost. At the bottom of the trench, before you add the compost, you take a potato fork and push it all the way. Then rock it back and forth to break up the subsoil. I also had to use a mattock/hoe. The subsoil is almost pure clay, and hasn't been broken up in several thousand years. The French Market gardeners who invented the intensive gardening system used to use horse manure and bedding. They would fill the trench and tromp it down every time they would work there beds. The horse manure heats up, providing bottom heat, and allowing the gardener to start his garden earlier in the spring and continue into early winter. They also used wooden frame sides and windows on top to have miniature green houses. This way in their intensive French gardening system they could have high plant populations and maximum production . In the 17 and 1800's near Paris they had a highly developed production system.

Turnips- Purple Top

I planted these July 30th. They are in a double dug bed with lots of compost. I think I am going to have some really nice Purple TopTurnips. They are about as big as a quarter. They will really grow the next five or six weeks. They love sunny days and cool nights.They are much easier to grow in the fall and taste much better too. They are at there best in November.To eat them we peel the skin off with a knife, slice, and sprinkle a little salt. They are a delicious snack.

Start a new trench and move the soil over the top of the compost.

Start a second trench and throw the soil on top of the compost. After the bed is dug in this manner, I dig several inches of compost into the first 12 inches of soil. Fluff it up with a potato fork, rake it and plant it.

Loosen the soil at the bottom of the trench.

Break up the bottom of the trench with a potato fork. Then leave this layer undisturbed. Try not to step on top of your bed because you will compact it. You can place a piece of plywood to step on, on top of your bed.

Double digging

The first step is to dig a trench 12 inches deep, at one end of your bed. Temporarily set the soil aside.