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How to dig
Honestly, this isn’t a ‘how to boil water’ thing, but it's like learning to drive - it's easier to learn good habits than to ‘unlearn’ bad ones. So bear with me.
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- A digging spade
- A digging fork
- Well-rotted organic matter
- General organic fertiliser such as blood, bone and fishmeal
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And remember, keep your back as straight as possible while digging and take regular breaks between trenches to avoid back strain.
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1. Remove perennial weeds and rubbish
2. Start at one end of the bed and dig a straight trench, about 25cm (10in) wide along the width of the area. Pile the soil you’ve dug out at the other end of the area to be dug.
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 3. Fork in a 7cm to 10cm (3in to 4in) layer of organic matter into the bottom of the trench all along its length.
4. Working with your back towards the pile of soil, dig another 25cm (10in) wide trench across the area (only dig to the depth of the spade - one spit’s depth) and turn each spade load of soil so it lands upside down in the first trench, covering the manure.
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5. As you go, remove any perennial weed roots you find.
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6. So, by the time you reach the end of the row, you’ll have filled in the first trench and made a second one about 25cm (10in) further down the plot.
7. Then, use the fork and bash any big clods of soil earth down to walnut-sized lumps.
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8. Continue steps three to seven until you have dug the whole area, and use the original pile of soil to fill in your final trench.
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 | Get back to basics with this clip about how to dig.
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View plant lists on:
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Find thousands more plants in the 91Èȱ¬ Gardening database.
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Get back to basics with this clip about how to dig:
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