Teaching Organic Farming and Gardening

Tillage and Cultivation

Unit 1.2 | 29
Students’ Hands-On Exercise

Hands-On Exercise:

French-Intensive Soil Cultivation

for the student

The following tillage exercise will help

you develop the skills needed to culti-

vate and maintain traditional French-

intensive raised garden beds. In this

exercise you will be asked to evaluate

distinct soils—both unimproved and

improved—for their tillage needs and,

from start to finish, execute the neces-

sary steps to develop soils for horticul-

tural purposes. Please document the

rationale for each tool, technique, and

sequence used during this exercise. This

information will later be shared with

your instructor. During the exercise your

instructor should observe and critique

your tillage skills.

PreParatiOn and MateriaLs

•   Step-by-step    instruction sheet   (pp.    25–28,  Demonstration   

1)

•   Soil    moisture    chart

•   Tools:  Spade,  fork,   or  U-bar;  stakes  and string, wheelbarrow,

tape measure

•   Stabilized  compost

exercise

Document the rationale for each tool, technique, and se-

quence used during each of the following tasks:

•   Prepare 10  feet    of  unimproved  garden  soil    using   necessary   

soil improvement techniques

•   Prepare 25  feet    of  an  improved    garden  bed using   

necessary soil maintenance techniques