Double Digging – how to do it..

Digging is best done in the autumn as it gives time for the soil to be broken down by frost. But if the weather conditions don’t allow – early spring will be fine.. Incorporate a layer of good manure or home made compost when you dig. All this organic matter will help improve your soil and encourage worms and micro organisms to work their magic on their plot. By double digging you also dump most of the weed seeds that are on or near the surface right to the bottom of the trench as you turn the soil over, which in most cased will kill them as its too deep for them to grow. But alas they will be back from nowhere to haunt you again! Also it will loosen the soil a lot which is very good for root vegetables, like carrots and parsnips. And it is useful for any vegetable as after sowing the vegetable seeds they will germinate more freely and the root system will be able to develop more easily.

There’s no doubt about it – digging is hard work – so it’s important that you know your limits. Start off slow and your body muscles will soon tone up.. To make it more of an enjoyable job, it’s better to do it over a period of time. A bit each time you go to the plot soon adds up and you will find that as you get used to it you can do more each time.

Here is a basic way to double dig. You will almost certainly have to do it at least once when you make a new bed or I would suggest you do your whole plot if you can manage.

  1. Firstly you must dig a trench to a depth of at least two spade depths.  This is about 18” deep and about 12” wide, saving the soil to use later on.
  2. Fork over the bottom of the first trench to loosen up the subsoil. Add manure to the bottom of the trench or it can be added before you start as a layer on the top.
  3. Then dig another trench behind the first one, turning that soil into the first trench as you dig.
  4. Repeat 1 – 3 until the whole plot is dug filling in the final trench with the soil from the first trench.
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( p.s. this is not my drawing – it is one I found on the tinternet)

Gavin Conway
Moved to the UK from Zimbabwe in 2001. We had a 12 acre plot with a 2 acre normal garden, loads of Koi ponds, a 2 acre veg garden, 3 orchid sheds with over 400 plants, bonsai shed, granny cottage and workshop area.. Comming to the UK and into a 3 bed semi was a shock!! But we knew what to expect and just got on with our lives. I love growing veg and started to grow on my flat garage roof for a few years then moved on to a couple of garden shares then onto a full sized allotment at the end of 2011. I have done loads of work with it and got it looking good. see my blog site at www.gavinconway.net Hope I can help others with info on growing and getting ground and allotments to their liking. Self employed with Kleeneze www.HowWeEarn.com Gavins grafix doing vinyl signs www.gavinsgrafix.co.uk and a personal courier with Yodel..

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