Preparing a "Double Dug" Raised Bed
FIRST DIG
The first dig requires the removal of about 10" to 12" (inches) of soil from the bed. I use a rotor tiller to break up the soil and soften it down to the depth that the tiller will reasonably reach.
Next comes the removal of the lose soil down to 10" to 12" (inches). To accomplish this, I put the lose soil on a tarpaulin spread out on the earth next to the wooden frame. You have to heap this soil up on the tarpaulin. This is nice heavy work regiment using a common everyday shovel, or spade.
SECOND DIG
The second dig starts here. I put the rotor tiller back into the bed and again rotor till like was accomplished in the first dig, down to 10 or 12 additional inches.
Add in composted organic matter, such as peat, ground up leaves, perlite, fertilizer, and two 40 pound bags of sand if you have heavy clay soil like I do. You should be adding about 7-9 cubic feet of organic matter to the bed. Run the rotor tiller again until the mixture is thoroughly mixed in the bottom of the bed.
CLOSE UP
Take the tiller out of the bed and put the soil from the tarpaulin back into the bed. Add in at least the same amounts of composted organic matter again, and till the soil well with the tiller.
I find that the bed is mostly full up to the tops of the board frame after the above efforts are completed. It will pack down some, at least you hope it will, which allows for the addition of a couple of inches of mulch once the bed is planted.
FINISH
I finish the bed my soaking it with water to the depth of the dig, and test it with a water meter that I have with a 24 inch probe to assure that the water has soaked to the bottom. After two or three days of drying, I test the soil with the Ph meter for acid content. If needed, I will add limestone when planting as a top dressing. After the ground gets cold, the addition of two inches of mulch will assure that the beds stay moist during the winter and following spring. The mulch does not stop the soil from maintaining a proper drainage the following summer.
The results is a daffodil
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