Peppergator said:Loving this thread so far. What's everyone's opinion on tilling? I till in my compost and any additives the first few inches and call it a day. What do you think?
It depends on what I'll be using the garden space for. Areas where I plan on planting starts I leave untilled and just dump compost on top. The less I do to break down soil structure the better. But I till areas where I will be planting seeds. My compost usually ends up pretty coarse-textured and seeds tend to have a harder time germinating in it than in tilled soil.
I should clarify that by "tilling" I mean "forking". Just enough to turn it over, incorporate added compost/nutrients and even out the surface. Forking leaves intact a lot of the porous, spongy soil texture that my worms work so hard to build. Rototilling obliterates that texture, leaving soil susceptible to compaction.