While it would've been nice to put in a vegetable garden back then, we had plenty of other to-dos on our plate. (For evidence, note how many times I posted here last May.) So rather than rush things, we took a full 12 months to prepare the soil.
We've had a very rainy spring around here, and it wasn't dry enough to get gardening until last week. First, using our electric tiller, I turned autumn's mulched leaves, which had broken down nicely. Next I harvested the "black gold" from our compost bins and worked that rich organic matter into the soil as well.
Today I was back at it again, beginning with the tiller and finishing the job with an iron rake and my dad's old shovel. I worked the 200-square-foot plot for a good two hours, ultimately building five raised beds.I'm thrilled with the way our garden-to-be is shaping up. Right now the aroma is absolutely amazing and the soil is full of big, fat, happy earthworms.
If I were green, this is where I'd want to live.
Some folks probably would screen this soil -- it's fluffy, still with recognizable chunks that haven't broken down completely -- but I've never been much for screening. We'll choose our veggies and seeds and move straight to planting, probably over the next week or two.
