Garden Soil Prep Fall 2025
Turning the Ground
There comes a point when the soil needs more than a top-off. It needs to breathe again. This summer, the garden reminded me that sometimes you have to dig deeper—literally.
Breaking Ground Again
Some soil just doesn’t give in easily. Our garden sits on glacier till, beautiful country but tough for roots. The first year Dori, Ella, Karl and I laid down compost and covered the walkways with cardboard and wood chips. It worked well enough, but this summer (2025) the winter squash told on us. They were a little pale, not the deep green we expected. I realized I’d never really broken up the ground beneath that compost. It was time.
Heavy Machinery, Light Soil
A regular rototiller won’t touch glacier till. Luckily, we’ve got the backhoe. Two long, dusty days later, that stubborn ground finally opened up. Before, you could walk across it without leaving a mark. After tilling, we sank in, soft, springy, and ready for roots to breathe again. There was a lot of raking and rock picking too. Does anyone need some rocks?
The wood chips and compost we put down a few years ago have been quietly doing their work, building the soil layer by layer. As the larger chips break down, they first become little sponges, holding water and slowly releasing nitrogen back into the mix. In glacier till, anything that holds water is welcome.
Holding It Down
The next morning, to keep weeds from racing in, Karl and I spread tarps and added a light layer of wood chips to hold them in place. It’s not fancy, but it buys time and keeps moisture in.
What Comes Next
Come spring, we’ll still have plenty to do: define new beds, laydown fresh compost, define the paths with cardboard and wood chips. But these fall steps already make a difference, fewer weeds, softer soil, and happier plants waiting for their turn. In the meantime we will work on getting that third greenhouse up!
