[Swing Swang]

I bought an Irish spade last year - it's a little narrower and a little longer than the conventional sort, maybe an inch and a half longer. I'm well into my winter digging and have dug up so many bricks that I've enough to build a kennel for the dog I haven't got. Never thought that increasing the spit depth would have such a profound effect.

I think that this means that I'm going to have to consider * trenching next year.

SS

[gimli]

I think that this means that I'm going to have to consider * trenching next year.

ummm what trenching lol

[gimli]

I think that this means that I'm going to have to consider * trenching next year.

ummm what trenching lol

[Rampant_Weasel]

yes what is it exactly?
know how u feel, when i first started digging my garden up i found no end of bricks, bits of concrete, broken glass etc. did find an old fashioned penny and an old bottle tho which was quite interesting

[Glyn]

Its what the old men of the 40's call double digging. So i am lead to believe.

[DD.]

Its what the old men of the 40's call double digging. So i am lead to believe.

Be careful what you say, you young whipper-snapper. There's members of this forum that still do it.

[richyrich7]

Its what the old men of the 40's call double digging. So i am lead to believe.

Be careful what you say, you young whipper-snapper. There's members of this forum that still do it.

Aye and I'm in my 40's    best thing out for bad drainage etc

[gimli]

aha i see thank you
made   me giggle though

[Salmo]

* trenching is the lazy mans double digging.

Instead of double digging you just take one spit out and then break up the bottom of the trench with a fork.

Very good it is too!!!

[corynsboy]

There's nothing lazy about that! After digging a 1/4 of my very large plot that way.  I was calling it a lot worse than * digging!

Interestingly I thought what I was doing was double digging.  The soil in this part of the plot is very sandy and quite shallow so it is only a little deeper than one spade depth anyway.  Does that still count do you think?

[corynsboy]

Oh Pictures.  Is this right?  

http://growingyourownveg.blogspot.com/2008/10/can-i-dig-it-yes-you-can.html

[PinkTequila]

* trenching is not lazy  double digging but double digging done properly. I am trying to find a picture of it but can't be bothered scanning one in from my old book. People may mock double digging but it achieves brilliant vegetables and a topsoil of over a couple feet deep with great drainage. I think it would do a few plots good to properly dug. There is also full trenching in which you go three spits deep which even I view as  bit over the top. MOst people cannot even do single digging properly!

I would say the picture posted are not double digging however hard the work felt! Sorry. You don't rake the soil back in but start another trench and fill the first with the soil from this one working across your plot. I would also use a trench of 2 foot wide.

[corynsboy]

Excellent clarification.  So it silly * Trenching that I'm doing!  

Even with my half baked approach there has been a massive difference in the level of the soil even taking into account the organic matter I've added.

[Salmo]

Nearly right.
They are making hard work of it .

OK up to the point where they returned the soil to the trench.

Instead of returning the soil to the same trench and starting the procedure again you should be turning the second trench into the first and so on right across the plot.

When you get to the far end you are left with an open trench. This is filled in with the soil from the very first trench which should have been barrowed there in the first place to allow you to start at the very edge when you begin.

It is easiest to split the plot into two strips. The soil from the first trench is moved across on the the edge of the second strip beside it. Dig down one strip to the end leaving an open trench. Move across to the adjacent end of the second strip and open a trench . Use the soil to fill the open trench on plot 1.
Dig your way back to the other end of plot 2 and use the soil from the start of plot 1 to fill in the final trench.

Sounds complicated but is simple.

[PinkTequila]

It is pretty simple once you start, I do it at work each year. In my own garden I take the easy route and just do simple 'cheats' digging, but I am on peaty soil, I double dug it once the first year. I still get very worked up though when people dig and it is not level after, there is a skill in digging that people seem to have lost, but I am a bit sad that way.