Understanding what digging is
First of all, it is important to understand what we are talking about when we talk about digging the vegetable garden. Traditionally, we use a spade, a tool that consists of a handle and a rectangular blade, but it is also possible to use a spade-fork if the ground is stony. For digging, the traditional technique consists of:
- Place one foot on the base of the blade.
- Using your body weight, press the blade vertically into the ground.
- Press the handle downwards to extract the cut lump and turn it over.
If you practice digging, you unfortunately know that your back does not emerge unscathed from this arduous task. But this operation allows you to turn over and decompact the soil in the vegetable patch or gardenaccording to your needs, and in depth.
The different digging techniques
To help you understand what digging involves, we have talked to you about the traditional technique, but it is not the only one, any more than the spade is the only tool you can use.
Digging by turning the soil
This first technique is the most widespread and yet the most widely contested. This work can be done in two ways:
- Manually, as we saw previously, with a spade or a fork spade. It is then called simple digging, because the earth is only turned over to a depth of 25 cm, which corresponds to the height of the blade of a spade.
- Mechanically with machinessuch as a tiller, a tractor, etc., which allows you to save your back, but has the disadvantage of eradicating earthworms.
Digging without turning the soil
To avoid turning the soil over, which is not without consequences, another technique has been devised and is widely used in organic farming: work the soil with a grelinette or aerobeau, that is to say a kind of spade with teeth.
The task then consists of plant the tool deeply and stir the soil without turning it over. This allows it to be decompressed while still having a lesser impact on microscopic fauna who lives underground and who can then continue to work to transform and improve the soil on your land. Let us add to this that this technique is less tiring than classic digging and less traumatic for the back.
Digging, a controversial practice
Although digging the land you want to cultivate is widely used, this practice is increasingly discussed, because it presents risks for the soil even if it has advantages.
Advantages
- The soil is decompacted at depth which allows water and air to infiltrate.
- Digging allows amendments, such as manure, compost, etc. to be buried quickly and efficiently.
- It limits the regrowth of weeds and contamination by fungi.
- It helps improve clay soils.
The inconvenients
- It disrupts the balance of the soil.
- It destroys microfauna. You should know that the micro-organisms necessary for plants work at a depth of 12 to 15 cm, which means that by digging you dislodge them and bury them at a depth where they can no longer help the plants.
- It impoverishes the soil and causes a decline in its fertility.
- After digging, the soil is left bare until the next sowing. It is then more sensitive to leaching.
Why dig in winter?
In the vegetable garden, after a growing season, the earth is depleted, exhausted and compacted after being trampled by your comings and goings. The vegetables you grew took all the nutrients from the soil.
Winter is therefore the ideal intermediate season for pampering the soil and help it replenish itself before sowing and planting that you plan to do in the spring. But be careful, in winter, yes, but not when the ground is frozen or snowy.
In addition, the soil should be neither too dry nor too wet.
By digging, you will therefore decompact the soil, aerate the soil structure and allow air and water to infiltrate. This means that when you plant in a few months, the roots will be able to develop and work their way into the soil.
Furthermore, you can take advantage of digging to bury compost or manure which will nourish the soil. If the soil in your vegetable garden is heavy and clayey, the advantage of digging in winter is that you will create large clods which will crumble under the effect of frost. Then all you have to do is use the rake to finish breaking them.
Alternatives to digging
There are other solutions to avoid having to dig your vegetable garden and to avoid back pain and other inconveniences linked to digging.
- Some gardeners opt to work the land as little as possible., based on the principle that nature takes care of itself. Indeed, the best soils are those which are left to their own devices, such as in forests where the soil benefits from very intense animal and bacterial life.
- In the same principle as above, some gardeners choose to keep the soil always coveredfor example, with green manures, etc. This helps prevent the appearance of possible weeds in favor of plants that will enrich the soil, such as rye, mustard, alfalfa, clover, etc. .. There are some for every season and every type of terrain.
- You can cover the floor with a thick mulch.
- Less natural solution, it is possible to cover the plot with a plastic tarpaulin or unprinted cardboard.