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I finally quit digging out my raised beds every fall, and one neighbor in Spokane called it lazy
Two autumns ago I stopped turning over the soil in my three raised beds and just topped them with two inches of compost and a layer of straw. My neighbor Dale, who has gardened on the same lot since 1988, walked over while I was spreading it and asked why I was being lazy about the beds. He swears by double digging every October and says leaving the soil alone lets pests and disease build up over winter. But my zucchini and tomato yields went up about a third the next summer, and I saw way more earthworms when I poked around in April. Dale has not come back over to talk about it since. Has anyone else skipped the fall dig and actually seen their soil get better?
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the_alice19d ago
That bit about "pests and disease build up over winter" is the part I always wonder about too. I read a thing from a county extension office that said leaving soil alone actually keeps the good bugs and worm tunnels in place, and tilling is what stirs up weed seeds. Dale might come around once he sees your worms.
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