You might help the environment by not bothering to till at all. Just pile it all on and let nature do it's thing.

Glad you are enjoying your retirement! :)

Your procedure sounds quite sound.

It is a variation of things I have done in the past and worked very well.

Depending on the condition of your soil tilling may be work you don't neesd to do. I would put the manure down first, and maybe till that in, followed by the compoat and then the shredded leaves. That might leave your soil ready for planting next spring.

thank you all (luckygal,RpR, and kimmsr) for your advice . That's why I like this site. Always some great gardeners willing to help. Thanx again.

I do the same thing: add whatever is most composted to the top of the soil, then partially composted stuff if there is any, then uncomposted vegetation like leaves, grass clippings, etc. Let it do its thing till spring. The worms will till the stuff in, the upper layer acts as mulch, and by spring the soil underneath will be delicious.

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The medium sized crystals are the ones to use in veggie gardens. You'll be amazed how much a little upfront cost now will reduce your water bill later.

I'm not affiliated with these guys, just a happy customer.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cheap time release water crystals

I have been tilling my garden for 30 years & the environment around my garden is just fine. With 8 acre of trees around it, it is in better shape then many city plots.
I agree with RpR.
I have tilled in leaves,grass clipping, animal manure & coffee compost in the Fall, then again with more compost a few months before planting & again after each crop season.
I do not know where you are gardening, but no till & continues mulch works great in the Northern State with the cold bitter Winters. But here in the warmer humid South, we need to let thing dry out to kill the fungi & blight that will attack & rot our plants.
Tilling also kills bad bugs hibernating in the soil, up to 90% in some studies.

Several scientific studies of no till in the southern USA found yields to be equal to and sometimes greater then conventional tilling produced. Several people that live in the southern USA that I correspond with tell me that once they get their soil into a good, healthy condition the problems with plant diseases and insect pests diminishes greatly.

Here is a link that might be useful: no till in the southern USA

I agree that tilling isn't necessary. It does make digging easier though, no doubt. I've reclaimed grassy spots using only smothering, by digging off the grass, and by starting with tilling.

Areas that I've turned into beds without tilling have improved much more significantly in regard to tilth and fertility over the same amount of time. As said, the worms and other dirt-dwellers will mix it up for you, that's their job. It seems like a lot of them would be killed by tilling but I don't have enough experience in general with tilling to make a call on that.

After comparing methods, I won't bother tilling anything here anymore, or digging out grass. It's far easier and seems more beneficial to just smother and pile on the organic matter, already composted or not, just a little more patience required the first year in regard to the ease of hole-digging or waiting to make sure the grass is definitely dead. Unfortunately drying out too much is the problem in this drought-prone area and a thick layer of OM helps a lot to combat that, especially in the tilled and grass-dug-out areas which dry out much more quickly than the smother spots.

I would do everything you said, except the tilling part, especially since it's been done recently, but clearly others would disagree. It's good to hear different testimonials, so you are more able to understand how these options might work best for your conditions, available tools and materials, lifestyle, energy level, budget, soil type, what you hope to grow, etc... One of the coolest things about gardening is that two people can do two completely different things and come up with the same result - great plants. I hope whatever methods you choose work well for you!

Whenever one is killing bad bugs, the good bugs are usually killed also.

I would never put those moisture crystals in the ground or in pots. Bought them once and nothing good happened and have since read too many professional opinions that they actually draw moisture away from roots. They do make a cool vase though.

I have NO earth worms in my garden & do not know of any other good bugs to kill when tilling. But I have fewer tomato worms when I till old tomato beds. I think some of the don't are opinion, not fact. Tilling & compost is the s most useful things in my garden.
I tried the no- till bed & the Bahia take the old beds back in 3 months completely covered them & killed all vegetables & other weeds in two years. It dose not work in all types of gardens & nothing, including covering the bed with 12-18 inches of compost will stop the Bahia grass.

If the soil you have has no earthworms there is a problem with the soil that need to be corrected.
Tilling something like Bahia in does not eliminate it, although tilling will slow its growth.
Good soil stewardship will solve your soil problems.

"If the soil you have has no earthworms there is a problem with the soil that need to be corrected. "

Horse feathers. From the USDA, "Not all healthy soils will have earthworms."

Lloyd

Here is a link that might be useful: Introduction: Earthworm habits and their effects on soil

I reread MY post, where did I say I tilled in Bahia grass?
I said I tried No-Till bed & the Bahia grass take it over.
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Tomato plants over 6 feet tall with nothing but coffee compost ,leaves & grass clippings. No earth worms.
Earth worm snob or not, I would not change what I am doing.
By the way this bed was grass for 15 years before I tilled it this Spring.