Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
to remove wireworms and grubs as you go along. When I use
either of these trenching methods, I not only put compost in
the bottom of the trenches but add some across the top of the
finished bed and mix it in as well.
True or full trenching is serious work, but it is appropriate for
regenerating soil in beds that have been previously
double-dug or where the soil can be worked deeply without
using a backhoe. A properly maintained bed should never
need regeneration, but true trenching can be useful when
dealing with land that was previously overfarmed using
conventional methods since it exchanges the subsoil with the
top soil. In true trenching, the first trench is dug a
single-spade deep and the soil from that set aside, and then
the same trench is dug another spade deep and that soil is set
aside as well, separately from the soil from the top of the
trench. Then a digging fork is used to break up the soil in the
bottom as deep as the tines will go, and compost is added.
When the second adjacent trench is dug, the spits from the top
are added to the bottom of the first trench, then the spits from
the bottom are added to the top of that. In this way, the topsoil
is buried, and the subsoil is brought to the top. Continue in
this way until the last trench is dug, at which time the top
spits from the first trench are put into the bottom of the last
trench, and then those spits are topped with those that remain.
Because true trenching exchanges the topsoil with the subsoil,
and subsoil tends to have far less organic matter, generous
amounts of aged compost should be added to the top layer,
worked in thoroughly, and allowed to sit for a couple of
weeks before putting the new bed to use.
