Forking, Compost and Rototilling

First things first.  I must prepare the soil for the victory garden.  There are three steps to preparing the soil.  First, I will dig and fork the soil to loosen any compaction that has occurred over the winter months.  As you can see from the image below the ground in my backyard is extremely hard and compact.  In addition there is a bit of clay like soil which needs to be forked and mixed with additional soil, compost or gypsum to help break down the thick sticky texture.

Stage 1: Hard compacted dirt

Stage 2: Forked soil

The second step is to spread out the compost all over the garden.  This is also a good time to add in any soil or gypsum to help break down the clay in sections of the backyard.  I have spread out and mixed in gypsum a few years ago and have found that our homemade compost breaks up the clay nicely and no additional gypsum is needed.

Stage 2: Main gardening area is forked!

Lastly, I rototilled the ground to mix in the compost and break down the soil into a find soft powder.  This soft texture will allow the seeds to grow without any hard obstacles of dirt or rock in the way and makes the leveling of the ground a lot easier.  

Stage 3: Rototilled soil and compost mix

After all of that work my body is sore and tired.  I have to admit that this part of the gardening process is the hardest and most labor intensive.  However, I do feel a great sense of accomplishment after seeing the nice fluffy dirt ready for planting.

Begins with a shovel, seed and water.

Victory Garden in 2001

There has always been a garden in my life.  Since I was three and running around on a 10-acre farm in Central California I have seen lettuce open up to the sun, corn shoot up to the sky and potatoes bulging up through the earth.  I admit that gardening has not been my favorite past-time when I was a teenager but I have learned to appreciate the organic fruits of my family's gardening labor.  I do not live on 10-acres of land anymore but the small plot I find myself inhabiting now is enough space to grow a variety of vegetables and herbs.  This is the first year where I have taken charge in preparing the soil, organizing the layout of the garden and planting the seeds and sprouts.  I hope to include a weekly account of the growth and harvest of each item in my garden.  But first... we must prepare the soil.  Wish me luck!