Double digging

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Double digging is a gardening technique, where the soil is loosened in two layers, and organic material is added.

Double digging is typically done when cultivating soil in a new garden, or when deep top-soil is required. On poor or heavy soils, or for vegetable gardens, double digging might be required every 3-5 years. In other cases, double digging is only really needed on starting a new garden, or on total replanting.

First the top layer is dug off with a spade, forming a shallow trench, and then the under-layer (at the bottom of the trench) is dug with a fork. Once this is done, organic matter may be added to the soil.

A second trench is then started, backfilling the first trench. This process is repeated until the whole bed has been treated. There will be soil left over from the first trench, which is used to fill the last trench.

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