Tillage & CultivationUnit 1.2 | Part 1 – 51b) Well-developed soils: Soils indicating no nutrient deficiencies or significant chemical
imbalances often require only periodic deep tillage. Maintenance applications of
compost or mineral amendments in such soils proceed by incorporating amendments
into the top 4–6 inches of the surface soil, thereby assuring the availability of essential
plant nutrient in the root zone of the crop.
B. Soil Cultivation Preparations
- Remove and properly store cover crops, crop residue, or weed cover
a) Removal
i. With a spade, skim standing vegetation at soil surface
ii. Root systems of cover crops, crop residue, and weed cover may be removed during
the cultivation process
b) Storage
i. All succulent, green vegetation should be removed and stored at the composting site
- Lay out garden bed
a) Staking
i. Mark the four corners of the bed with stakes pounded firmly into ground
ii. French-intensive beds are commonly 48 inches wide or two times the length of
the gardener’s arm, allowing for ease of access to center of the bed for weeding,
harvesting, etc.
b) Stringing
i. Stretch string along the length of the growing bed to serve as a visual guide. Soil
amendments and cultivation techniques should always be consistently and evenly
applied to this entire area.
The site is now ready for cultivation, as described in Demonstration 2 and the Hands-on
Exercise
Students’ Step-by-Step Instructions, Demonstration 1