Tweet
ok welcome to my first post - and sorry guys - question..............
I've prepped three raised beds - I've feed the soil and I've forked the soil and turned it over in the cold to kill off insect eggs ect ect - now I have huge clumps of earth which would look the dogs dangles in a farmers field but are way to big and chucky for me to planet in - someone suggested I need to harrow it - i.e break it all down into a finer soil type which makes sense - question is how? Do I go at it all with a spade, chopping it up - or turn up the music, put on my dancing wellies (no white stiletto's and hand bag jokes please I know im from essex) and stomp it all down under foot??
I need a turn my ploughed field effect into something that looks like it might be plantable instead of being ready for a re-enactment of the Somme!
What do you guys do?
And sorry if this is really basic - its my first day
I've prepped three raised beds - I've feed the soil and I've forked the soil and turned it over in the cold to kill off insect eggs ect ect - now I have huge clumps of earth which would look the dogs dangles in a farmers field but are way to big and chucky for me to planet in - someone suggested I need to harrow it - i.e break it all down into a finer soil type which makes sense - question is how? Do I go at it all with a spade, chopping it up - or turn up the music, put on my dancing wellies (no white stiletto's and hand bag jokes please I know im from essex) and stomp it all down under foot??
I need a turn my ploughed field effect into something that looks like it might be plantable instead of being ready for a re-enactment of the Somme!
What do you guys do?
And sorry if this is really basic - its my first day
I know someone much more experienced than me will be along to tell you what you should do, but just to add my twopennorth, I think if I was wanting to plant something NOW, then I'd break down the clumps by hitting them with the back of a fork, or one of those twisty-cultivator thingies (I've got one but don't know what it's called). If I was waiting another few weeks before planting, I'd leave the lumps a bit longer because I think the frost helps to break them down anyway and it'll be easier to break them then.
All you can do is let the frost do its work first then break it down with a rake by tamping first on the dry clay to break it up a bit. To get a finer tilth on the surface gradually alter the angle of your rake until the shaft is nearly vertical and the blade is just short of horizontal. A bit of old potting compost added to surface as you go will help tremendously.
Comment