Do You Dig Your Soil?

That is “sixties-speak” for whether or not you like the soil handed to you in your garden… do you bloom where you are planted?

Here in Central Ohio I have gardened on clay types of soils. Presently my garden soil is composed of a dark clay loam called Kokomo.

With the way the weather has been here lately, though, there is not much gardening goin’ on.

The reason is that with blizzards and snow melt, along with the rains, we have very wet conditions. Clay soil is awful to work in wet conditions. In fact, you shouldn’t try it just because you will ruin the tilth of the soil for the season. Wet clay clumps together and dries into hard clods. Very ugly, believe me.

So even if your fingers are itching to garden, and the weather gives you some warm, sunny days, don’t dig into your clay soil.

If a handful clumps together into a tight ball, wait until it is more crumbly in texture to start to work in your soil.

There are always many other chores to accomplish in the garden- clearing away weeds or debris, doing some judicious pruning (don’t prune off your spring bloom, however!), pampering your indoor started seedlings, organizing your tool shed… all sorts of jobs to get ready for the coming growing season.

The soils will warm and dry and you will soon be inundated with the joyful occupation of planting your 2008 garden.

Tags: soil, clay