Prepare soil now for spring planting

Wednesday, January 21, 2004

Preparing the ground now for planting lets you get your first seeds into that ground earlier in spring. Although wet soil often delays spring soil preparation, in fall the soil is usually just right for digging -- moist, but not sodden. Fall tillage is less work because your goal is to leave the soil in rough clods, rather than to create a fine seedbed. Freezing and thawing in winter breaks those clods so simple raking crumbles them into a smooth seedbed.

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