Now is a good time to till. We just finished tilling our main garden and a new flowerbed. If you aren't planning to put in a seasonal garden (cool season crops) you may want to add as much organic material as you can (grass clippings, compost, leaves) and till them in. It helps loosen the blackland prairie soil that we share! Rich stuff, but a challenge to get a garden started in. Any dry clippings or leaves that you can use as mulch during the growing season also helps when you turn the garden over. Have you taken a soil sample to your county extension agent for a soil test? He/she can tell you what your soil is lacking, and now is a good time to add any necessary nutrients. The soil has all winter to absorb additives. And you are not a "baby" gardener--you are a gardener starting on a life-long adventure, packed with enjoyment!

When I till up a new bed, I always add lots of compost, cow manure and Landscapers Mix that I get at HD to help loosen up this black clay. There's also a product called "expanded shale" that's supposed to really help the drainage, but it's EXPENSIVE, so I only add little bits of it, probably not enough to do much good !

Carol

IMO there are many good things you can add that will make a good mix and you can do it now or wait until your ready to plant. The only reason you would do it now for planting in the spring is if you want to add raw compost.

Raw compost like leafs, grass, and stuff from the kitchen, which is some of the best compost, needs time to decompose. You could dig the whole now and just throw stuff in it over the winter. Just read up on how to make it cook fast... good luck

Get started now, so you get a feel for the sticky black soil that will be your gardening companion. :)

I recommend:
Leaves & grass clippings
As much compost as you can afford/make/beg borrow or steal
Earthworm castings
Greensand
Lavasand
Compost

Bury some, put some on top, tromp some in, set some around the edges.

Then go back in a week and see if anything looks different. Whatever you did that made a difference, keep doing that! :)

you might consider a no-till garden its called lasagna beds and sheet beds. I have been doing this for 3 years and it works great, read the faqs here on the gardenweb.. hope this helps.. bill

Hi, Any chance you live in Plano? Last month, we turned half the back yard into gardens. Personally, I feel the hardest work is done when you have the soil prepared and it is well worth doing it right. It is almost mandatory (to me) that you have a tiller. I agree with the lady who uses landerscaper mix and I use it generously. I added a little peat but it is expensive. We have compost available from our city and we put two pickup loads of that in plus some rather fine mulch that I got cheap. It just adds more texture and better drainage. It is an ongoing project and mulching will break down improving your soil each year. I still need to do that. It also keeps the weeds down. That doesn't need to be done until after planting your babies, however. I have been transplanting and love working in the new soil. The transplants are already happy, too. This is a great time to get your garden ready - good luck!!