Grow Your Own Magazine

Have spread some well-rotted horse manure over one of my beds that will have the squash and cucumbers in it. I've turned it in a little with one of those twisted forks but have a couple of questions:

1. Do I need to really dig it deeply in, or can I leave it?
2. Should I cover with black plastic?

I'll sow the squashes and cucumbers in the green house in the next couple of weeks and then plant out in april / may, depending on how warm it is. Will that be enough time to have left the bed?

To get the most from courgetts/squahes etc, you either need to pile the muck on really thick and plant on the top of the pile or dig a hole about a foot deep and layer manure and soil two or three times, pressing it down with your feet. This gives the tap root a good moist reserve of growing medium. In fact, you don't have to water every day even at the height of summer because there is plenty down below. My grandfather taught me this method and I've been using it with great success for years. If you want to grow a giant pumpkin, I would either plant directly on top of the compost heap or dig out a really big hole and fill it with muck, but otherwise the above is suffucient. Saves on muck too!

should be ok if you dont want to dig but you must sow in a soil pocket or the plants wont take very well cover with plastic only if you want to i would just use a hoe will be some time yet before any thing goes in outside