I would say that everything depends on using the correct spade. Mine above were made by Elwell and are 60 years old and still going strong.
The spade needs to be sharp, well balanced & the correct length for the user. Quite honestly, I would be whacked if I attempted to double dig with some of the monstrosities on the market today.
You may notice my own spade is worn on the front right side...after many years of use, this wear happens depending on whether you are right or left handed. I'm right handed, had I have been left handed, the wear would have been on the opposite side.
Students get taught the daftest things. Having been through the system several times I am now convinced that formal education is nothing more than a business, a sausage machine that churns out ill-equipped graduates but keeps the dons and professors and readers and lecturers in a job.
My mother, when young, studied at college to be a dressmaking pattern maker. She was taught how to make a pattern. Fair enough. But then she had to make the same thing over and over again in every size from something which would cover a zeppelin down to doll size.
When I was at school I remember us being forced to learn by heart the order of every book in the Bible. Isn't that what an index is for? Never ever read the Bible after school or needed that bit of "knowledge" for a pub quiz.
Good luck with the double digging. Forced marches next week, no doubt.
Apophthegm - a big word for a small thought. If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
What does it achieve? Do you get plants or yield double the size? Does it keep the undergardener out of mischief?
Double-digging improves the aeration of the soil, facilitates root penetration, and is especially recommended for crops such as carrots that root deeply, helping to prevent forking. It’s beneficial for new garden beds with long-term plantings, such as vegetables, perennials, cane fruits, and shrubs.
Double-digging also improves soil drainage by breaking up compaction and removing hardpan on soil.
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What happens when you can't double dig because of bedrock?
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
.....or don't want to because of laziness....
Or just can't see the point
In the sticks near Peterborough
I would say that everything depends on using the correct spade. Mine above were made by Elwell and are 60 years old and still going strong.
The spade needs to be sharp, well balanced & the correct length for the user. Quite honestly, I would be whacked if I attempted to double dig with some of the monstrosities on the market today.
You may notice my own spade is worn on the front right side...after many years of use, this wear happens depending on whether you are right or left handed. I'm right handed, had I have been left handed, the wear would have been on the opposite side.
where my first polytunnel is sited, there was about 6inches of soil then solid rock.
I'll provide tea and biccies whilst someone shows me how to double dig there.
What does it achieve? Do you get plants or yield double the size? Does it keep the undergardener out of mischief?
You and me both then Hosta.
Students get taught the daftest things. Having been through the system several times I am now convinced that formal education is nothing more than a business, a sausage machine that churns out ill-equipped graduates but keeps the dons and professors and readers and lecturers in a job.
My mother, when young, studied at college to be a dressmaking pattern maker. She was taught how to make a pattern. Fair enough. But then she had to make the same thing over and over again in every size from something which would cover a zeppelin down to doll size.
When I was at school I remember us being forced to learn by heart the order of every book in the Bible. Isn't that what an index is for? Never ever read the Bible after school or needed that bit of "knowledge" for a pub quiz.
Good luck with the double digging. Forced marches next week, no doubt.
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
what about adverbs, pronouns and "past participle"
As much as I love grammar, I'd be pushed to define many of the things we had to learn.
Who gives a rat's what the area under a graph is? Nobody ever told me why I might need to know.
Double-digging improves the aeration of the soil, facilitates root penetration, and is especially recommended for crops such as carrots that root deeply, helping to prevent forking. It’s beneficial for new garden beds with long-term plantings, such as vegetables, perennials, cane fruits, and shrubs.
Double-digging also improves soil drainage by breaking up compaction and removing hardpan on soil.