In the past, repeated tilling was thought to be a good practice to improve the soil in gardens. In recent years we have learned that this is not true. Repeated tilling can hurt the soil and your plants. Tilling breaks up the soil by mixing amendments into it. It also exposes weeds so they can be removed and loosens the top layer of soil so it can receive amendments or planting. When you continue to the soil, you break up that top layer of soil and have to till again to expose it again. This breaks up more of the top layer and you must till again. The result is a ground so broken up that there are few worms because they cannot live in this environment. Once tilled, amended and planted, you do not need to till again until next year unless there is a problem with weeds or erosion from recent rains or snowmelt that has disturbed things.
Why Repeated Tilling is bad for Your Soil
When you take the spade and tiller to the earth, you are destroying the good soil structure, texture and fertility. The soil becomes granular and is not good for roots to develop. It is like walking on a beach with a granular surface that is hard on the feet. Roots need soil that clumps together and is soft and spongy so they can grow easily and deeply. If you repeatedly till you are reducing the soil's ability to hold water and nutrients. Soil structure is important because it determines how easily air and water can travel through it. Good soil structure has pores that are large enough to allow air and water to move down to the roots. On the other hand, if pores are too big, water will drain out of the soil too quickly, leaving the roots thirsty and stressed. Soil texture refers to how finely or coarsely the soil is granulated. Soil texture affects the rate of water and nutrient flow through the soil.
The Importance of Worms in Gardening
Worms (Swelling Soil) in the top layer of soil, feed on the organic matter that you have added and are responsible for much of the good garden soil. When you till, you break and destroy the soil, killing the worms and the soil suffers. You need to understand the importance of worms and the soil environment they create. The worms are responsible for most of the good soil. They eat the organic matter and “swell” the soil. If you till, you kill the worms, stop the soil from being “swelled” and reduce the ability of the soil to hold water and nutrients. If you use the spade to till, you break and destroy the soil. If you use a rototiller, you break and destroy the soil, kill the worms and have to till again. If you till you have to till again and again. This is not a good way to garden.
Destroys Soil Fertility
Repeated tilling of the soil, especially with a rototiller, chops up the soil. This exposes soil particles to the air and they oxidize and become “poor” soil. When you till, you add no organic matter and you kill the worms. Soil amendments such as compost and manure are buried so they are not available. Repeated tilling destroys soil fertility. The best way to build soil is to add organic matter such as well-rotted manure and compost, cover it with a layer of topsoil and let it fertilize itself. Tillage destroys the soil and has to be repeated. This is a bad practice.
Destroys Soil Aeration
When you till, you mix the top layer of soil with the lower layers. The lower layers contain the “bad” soil that has been buried for years. This soil is heavy and does not aerate well. It also has no worms. When you till, you mix this “bad” soil with the topsoil, destroying aeration. The topsoil is light and has worms in it. When you constantly till, you continually mix the light soil with the heavy soil, destroying aeration. This is a bad practice that shortens the life of the garden.
Destroys Soil Structure
When you till, you bring down the topsoil and mix it with the lower soil. The topsoil is light and the lower soil is heavy. When they are mixed, they form a muddy mess. This is not good for plants or growth. The best gardens have light, fluffy topsoil and heavy, rich lower soil. When you constantly till, you mix the two, creating a muddy mess. This is a bad gardening practice. Tillage of the soil mixes the top third of the soil with the lower two-thirds. The uppermost part, consisting of the loose and fluffy surface soil, is the most important to the gardener because it contains most of the microorganisms and plant nutrients. When this upper layer is mixed with the heavy loam below, it becomes compacted and loses its ability to hold water and nutrients. Repeated tillage is the worst way to till because it takes a long time for the soil to become loose and fluffy again.
Conclusion
Gardening is a wonderful hobby and can be very rewarding. At the same time, it can be very frustrating. Successful gardening requires a lot of hard work, but it can also be very time-consuming. One of the best ways to save time when gardening is to follow good practices when tilling the soil. Repeatedly tilling the soil can hurt your garden because this practice can destroy the soil structure, texture, and fertility. Instead, it is best to till the soil only once, when you first start gardening for the season.
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