Double Digging

Before double digging, consider the amount of amendment needed to accomplish this task. Consider that you will be adding 8" of amendment over the entire garden area (30% by volume recommended for a 24" depth). In the case of a 100 square foot bed, double digging will require about 16 bales (4 cu. ft.) of peat moss, or approximately 2.5 cubic yards of composted yard waste.




Step	Instruction	What it looks like
1	Dig out the topsoil to the depth of the spade, in a trench one spade wide, along one end of the bed. Set the soil aside in a wheelbarrow or put it on a tarp on the lawn.
2	Turn, break, and aerate the next spade depth. Work in one-third by volume of soil amendment.
3	Turn, break, and amend the next spade width of topsoil. Place the soil on top of the subsoil already prepared during step 2.
4	Repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 down the length of the bed. In doing so, the subsoil will remain beneath the topsoil. At the end of the bed, place the topsoil from the wheelbarrow or tarp over the last section of subsoil and amend it.