How To Prepare A Vegetable Plot

[@nickhayley]

I just prepped a plot yesterday. Nothing beats carboard to kill back the weeds. Then dump the compost over the top. Amazing results from no dig.

[@Gardeningat58N]

Yes I prefer no dig, its so much easier, I do no dig for most of my vegetables except for a few direct sown crops.

[@Chris-op7yt]

nice. here in australia we often have heavy clay soil, which requires a digging fork rather than a cheaper garden fork. garden forks here are easily bent, as they're made from soft steel. i also like my rake which works as a leveler on reverse side.

[@Gardeningat58N]

I'm lucky my soil is sandy so apart from lots of stones its easy to dig. Heavy clay is a difficult soil to work, although very rich once you get it to a good condition. I use a mattock for very tough soil or rocky ground as I've also bent several forks.

[@Chris-op7yt]

@@Gardeningat58N : mattock gets the job done, but it's heavy work. there's no deep tilling equipment for backyards, only for farms. rototillers look kinda useless and dangerous. we get by. i did bring in a few inches of concreting sand, to help drainage and infiltration, and to lessen compaction. the story of clay being a potentially rich soil is not true, as it's just imagining high CEC but without the problems of clay, which doesnt exist. anyhow, it's getting better over the years, but deeper down still clay.

[@lola0600]

In my neighborhood we have a lot of deer roaming in and out of our yard. I once counted 14 deer. I have tried to grow cherry tomatoes but they bit into them while still green. I live in Cleveland Ohio, US. Amy neighbor said that about 15 years ago there were no deer and you could grow a garden no problem, but really they have taken over. Sometimes the mother leaves the baby in my yard for days. Wish the city would do something about them.