How to Double Dig

Digging your whole planting area twice sounds like a lot of work, and it is. But your plants - particularly your perennials - will thank you for your labors by giving you lush, healthy foliage, exuberant blooms, and long, healthy lives.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Compost
• Shovels
• Spading Forks
• Compost
• Carts Or Wheelbarrows
• Shovels

1. Dig a trench one shovel-length deep (nine or ten inches) and the length of your planting area.

2. Pile the soil in a wheelbarrow.

3. Loosen the soil at the bottom of the trench another nine to ten inches.

4. Add organic material, such as compost, and any necessary soil amendments. Using a spading fork, thoroughly mix them into the subsoil.

5. Dig a second trench parallel to the first and repeat steps 2 and 3.

6. Use the topsoil from the second trench to fill the first one, adding more organic matter and mixing it in.

7. Repeat the procedure until you've dug, enriched and amended the entire planting area.

8. Fill the last trench with the topsoil you put in the wheelbarrow when you dug the first trench, enriching it with organic matter as you did before.

Tips & Warnings

• Compost (preferably homemade) is the star of organic materials, but well-cured manure, seaweed, dried leaves and even newspapers will make soil healthier and more productive.
• Double digging is more important for the well-being of perennials, whose roots extend far into the soil, than it is for more shallow-rooted annuals and vegetables (though perennial veggies such as asparagus and rhubarb welcome this extra TLC).