Last summer, after the rather disastrous growing season in our little garden, I took over from Dad. Instead of leaving our red clay soil as is, I broke it up using an all-steel shovel and very many hours of slicing and dicing the brick-like slabs into small crumbles. Even more hours went into schlepping mulch from the other end of the trailer park. Each time, I would spread a thick layer, let it rain, then turn it all under. I did this for three layers. Finally, I tilled it all two more times with the shovel.
Then I covered it all in pine needles and left it for the winter. It stayed above freezing just below the surface, and was damp throughout the recent drought. I know this because there is only one weed in this area which likes pine needles — we call it chickweed. Edible, but not very tasty and not especially nutritious. It grew immediately after the first snow thawed, and stayed green through unusually low temperatures and more snow.
That meant in order for me to make it ready for spring planting, I had to pull off the pine needles, pull those weeds, and turn it all under a couple more times. It looks more like potting soil than hard red clay. That’s done today, and the pine needles are back down just in time for our first spring rain tonight and tomorrow.
We plant later this week, starting with blue potatoes. We also have some strawberries, tomatoes, beets and a few other goodies. The choosing and planting really isn’t my department. I’m just the rototiller.
