Just a word of caution - you don't want to till too much. Generally, just a couple of passes in different directions is sufficient. An excessive amount of tilling will destroy the soil structure and can help to create an impermeable layer of hardpan below the tilled portion.

And no need to worry about N unavailability or tie-up 'ruining' the soil. Just adding some high N fert....like urea or urine......will offset any issues.

Thanks for the comment. We're tilling mainly because we used the tractor to dump the loads of stuff in and it's got to be mixed. Doing an area that big by hand would be too labor intensive. is there a better way? We're hoping to never till again after this.

I grow in 3' - 4' wide beds. Because the land here in E. Tn. is so heavy, when I first create those garden beds I use a tiller. However, the reason for the beds - instead of a traditional garden with rows - is because once the beds are formed, I never walk in them. I also amend them with organic matter, and keep them mulched throughout the year. The result is that after that first tilling, they remain loose enough to turn with a digging fork. If you maintain such a regimen, once your soil reaches a nice friable state, you even have the option of going 'no till'.

So, are there better ways? That's a subject bound to bring up a variety of opinions. My advice, for what it's worth, listen to what other's say and when you hear something that will work better in your circumstances, be humble enough to apply it in the way that works for you.

I have no objection to tilling! For a large area, it is the most efficient way to amend the soil. Just avoid over-tilling :-)

If someone thinks that their tilling might be making a compact layer under neath the tilling, they could get a potato fork and loosen it deeper without turning the soil.

For what it's worth, I both till and walk on my soil...ymmv.

I'm assuming it's clay? (I'm in Oklahoma) This fall rake up leaves. Scratch the leaves into the ground with a rake. Water well. Keep adding leaves until it's too cold making sure the leaves get a good soak either with the hose or weather. When early spring comes a month before planting time, scratch in a few more leaves. Give it a good soak if the ground is too dry. The leaf mold will be all you need to condition the soil. The worms and microbes will do the tilling for you for next year. They know what to do because they're already there in that wonderful environment you have. Meanwhile, make compost over winter. Add a layer of compost in the true spring before planting.

just my 2 cents

Tilling in the mulch probably wasn't a good idea, but it doesn't sound you did it in a big way, so, no big deal.

I mildly disagree with Gardengal's assertion that you can compensate with additional N. I have deliberately tilled in mulch with the idea that I could compensate all summer long with N. It just didn't work. Perhaps a particularly deft gardener could manage, but I couldn't.

Fortifying compost that isn't quite finished yet is doable. Or compensating for your minor transgression is as well

If you do find that the soil beneath the tilled soil level is not draining well then you could plant some tillage radishes like one called Groundhog that will grow 12-18" deep roots into the soil with a tap root that goes down 3'. These will not only break up any soil compaction at depth but also act as a bio-accumulator and add lots of nitrogen to the soil when they decay over winter. In SE Missouri, the tillage radishes would need to be planted by early September. You will probably still have tomatoes and peppers going at that time but perhaps some area of that garden will be vacant. You can get tillage radish seed at any Missouri Farmers Association (MFA).

chickencoupe, we've actually got really good soil, but it's 75% rock! We've pulled out at least 2 truck beds full of huge rocks, and they just keep coming. So after tilling it all up and removing the rocks, the area was quite sunken in and needed to be built back up. That's why we added soil. Your leaf idea is perfect. I plan on bagging (we've got an attachment on the tractor) all the leaves that DH mows up this fall and putting it on top of the garden and beds to act as a mulch. I'm also starting a compost pile now, using straw bales. I'll add kitchen scraps in and layer with cardboard, twigs and whatever else life gives me to put in. Your name brings up our next project, as well! We're planning a large chicken coupe/run inside this area, fenced in of course. My idea was to actually have the compost pile inside the run so that our chickens can eat/scratch through it and fertilize it at the same time. I've not researched that enough to know all the pros/cons yet however. Any feedback welcome!

I definitely still think my motto of "no wrong way to garden" is true! And I love your post, it's absolutely spot on. I do tend to overthink/worry about little things. DH calmed me down a bit last night. He's the cool cucumber of our marriage. That said, I'll still read anything and overthink it! LOL

The buckets I was referring to were tractor buckets on our John Deere. To compare, we put in 3 buckets of topsoil, 7 compost and 2 of mulch/chips. The area of tilled land is apx 15'x20'.

Lone Jack, great ideas with the radishes! Got any that will push all the rocks out for me?! ;)

There is not much point with initiating an argument about what incorporating a wood mulch into a soil intended for gardening purposes will do. It is a scientific fact specific to soil biology. Wood chips take considerable effort for the bacteria to consume and decompose due to lignins and tannins contained in the wood that naturally resist decay. This effort requires consumption of N on the part of the micoorganisms, which is removed from the surrounding soil and other available, non-wood organic matter. This a measurable phenomenon and does exist. But once the wood has decomposed sufficiently, the N is released via the dying quantities of microorganisms whose purpose for being has now ended and the system comes back into balance.

But during that period of decomposition of the woody material, the nitrogen IS tied up and becomes unavailable to any growing plants. It has a far greater impact on shallow, small rooted plants like annuals, many perennials and of course, veggies, Larger shrubs and trees are less affected. But this is easily offset by applying a source of supplemental N, especially a fast acting source. You just need to supply in sufficient quantity and for a sufficient duration to offset the temporary N unavailability. Understand that this phenomenon only occurs when the wood mulch is incorporated into the soil - when used just as a mulch or topdressing, the N tie-up is minimal and only occurs at the soil surface, not affecting plant growth.

Same thing with excessive or over-tilling. The fact that it can destroy soil structure as well as creating an impermeable hardpan profile below the tilled profile is unquestionable and scientifically demonstrated.

Why we are wasting time arguing scientific facts is a bit of a mystery and non-productive!! Let's just accept what is and move on to a productive discussion!

I certainly don't want to waste time arguing and really did come here for productive conversations. I took what was said to be "everyone has different experiences and just because it happened here, it doesn't mean it'll happen there". Which, I probably need to hear often! I feel like everyone has something useful to say, even if it's not "used" and I'm thankful for all the posters here.

That said, I do plan on adding blood meal in, or potentially, some fresh cows blood from a neighbor who's getting ready to slaughter. In regards to the tilling, I don't think I'll be creating more of a hardpan than the layer of rock already existing at the bottom.

These differences and shared experiences can continue to pile up lol.

Be careful with blood meal. It is quickly available to plants. I'm not saying don't use it, I'm just saying be careful, it's easy to add too much. The woody mulch you added will buffer, so that is a good thing... just remember that with highly available N products, you can always add more, but too much will burn your plants overnight and there is often nothing you can do to reverse it.

I would use it, but it's actually 'against my religion' to buy it lol. Now, I've never used fresh blood, so I really don't know if there are any concerns. While I would guess it too is quickly available - and might also be something to use with care - I really don't know. Putting fresh blood on the ground is actually in line with my religious teaching, I just happen to be a vegetarian, and don't know anyone who slaughters meat around here.

htwo82, my comments were not directed at you so please do not take them personally :-) The problem with discussions like these on an open forum is that the ,information or advise you receive may or may not be valid, so my intent was to inform that scientific data exists that is really beyond any discussion or contradicting personal experiences. And is pretty darn easy to find online if you look :-)

One thing you want to be aware of is that using blood meal (and very likely fresh animal blood as well) will tend to attract all manner of critters that think you are providing them with dinner - any roaming neighborhood dogs and cats, raccoons, foxes, skunks, opossums, really any carnivorous wildlife. They will dig and root through the soil wherever this material is applied until all the scent has worn off, so a strong potential for disturbing any plantings you may have.

Thanks gardengal48, no offense taken at all. I just wanted to specifically state my purpose here. I really do want to learn and enjoy everyone's opinions and thoughts. I also enjoy being able to share my plans and have people expand on them based on their experience. Like one poster above said, I plan on listening to everything and deciding if I can use it or improve it.

I've considered the smell and the critters it will attract. So far, just because of the future plan for chickens, we're fencing the entire perimeter with 4" welded wire, then with a 1/2' wire mesh going 2' up and 2' feet out, staked down. We'll then put a bit of dirt on top and seed it well with grass seed. The ground is just to rocky to bury it. Our thinking is that whatever wants in will have to dig down, then 2' over to get in. IF they even get that far. We have 3 dogs, one of who is a female German Shepherd who does a really great job of attacking anything that dares step foot inside "her land", lol. We had a fox den on the property until we moved in. She quickly ran them off and they're mean! If it moves, she's on it and she does not take kindly to strangers. I'm going to train her to patrol the garden perimeter. She's extremely smart and loves to have "jobs". Eventually, I'm going to have DH build a small garden shack that will include her night quarters, since she currently sleeps on the opposite side of the house.

SE MO? I'm in the Columbia area, great to have you! You said the soil is great other than the rocks. Is it silty then? I would have guessed clay or silty clay but some folks are lucky and have less clay.

I've found that when you remove rocks, more rocks 'swim' to the area and surface after the winter freeze and thaw. So they should keep coming up all by themselves. :-D

Woody material in those proportions probably won't do much. If you had tilled in 6-12 inches of fresh wood chips, with nothing else, I'd be a bit concerned.

My idea was to actually have the compost pile inside the run so that our
chickens can eat/scratch through it and fertilize it at the same time.
I've not researched that enough to know all the pros/cons yet however.
Any feedback welcome!

One way to do this is to have the chicken coop between two garden beds, with three or four access "yards". One small one is for collecting the manure from the coop. The two or three equal sized ones are alternately the "run" and the garden. You toss all the "compost material" into the 'run" for the chickens to eat and rummage through. The next year you till in the remainder and this years run is last year's garden.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/save-time-and-energy-with-the-fenced-chicken-coopgarden/ 

You can do a 3-pen system too - one garden, one in cover crop (that you let the chickens demolish a few times) and one run where you toss the compost materials for them. And rotate the use.

Other people make covered raised planting beds inside the run and let the chickens wander around them eating weeds and bugs. When you are through with a bed, remove the cover and let them eat the remainder.

Ah, southWEST Missouri. Haven't been to Nixa but I've spent a bit of time in Springfield. Cave city down there, sounds like you have a lovely piece of ground.

Soil particles are generally divided into sand, silt and clay. A quick test is to take some damp soil and smoosh it into a ball in your hands. If it sticks together when you let go if it, it's clayey. If it holds loosely but breaks up pretty easily, it's more silty. Sand would not make a ball at all. Most soils are a mix so you may have silt with a little clay in it. The fact you are in a river valley may mean your soil is river sediment, which can be a nice silty clay or clayey silt in MO.

Happy gardening and keep us posted on your progress.

Whoops, I meant South West! I'll definitely stay posted up here on our progress. Thanks!

Southwest Missouri makes more sense! Land of rocky soil. I've broken a few golf clubs and nearly broke my wrist playing golf at rocky Branson courses years ago. Many places there is maybe one inch of top soil and then rock.

Sorry, I don't think the tillage radishes are going to be able to move those rocks for you!! They would be more likely to hit a rock and make a 90 degree turn.

Yeah, I'm thinking it'll just be a long, rocky road...

Another topic, I found some japanese beetle grubs in last summers soil. We planted a few things but never cared for it, as we were busy finishing the house. Before I really noticed, we'd dumped 3 tracter bucket loads onto the new garden area. I hand picked about 40 out, but there's no way I got them all. I quickly researched nematodes and ordered these guys. Anyone have any experience using them, or better yet, ridding soil of grubs?

I'm thinking of using the stuff myself because I have a linden tree that has been decimated by Japanese beetles two years in a row. I haven't got to it yet though.

htwo You're doing great. Remember: Trust the process and be patient. I tend to overthink stuff and I messed some things up or made it more difficult when being lazy was the best answer. This is true if you've got a good micro climates and I can tell that you do. Sorry about the rocks, tho. I haven't had to deal with rocks. I haven't had to deal with that gawd-awful red clay, either. My back yard came bundled as fertile prairie soil, basically.

I've haven't tried nematodes for Japanese Beetles. They really only showed up here in the KC area 2 years ago and last year was the first that they really caused any problems for a few weeks. I haven't noticed as many grubs this year in my garden beds as I did last year. If they cause a problem this year I plan to treat around my garden area with Milky Spore in late summer. It is a little pricey but a single treatment is supposed to last for years.

Thanks, chickenchoupe! I'm definitely going to take that advice and just let it do it's thing. We'll see how it goes this year. I wanted to ask, hows your chickencoupe set up in relations to your gardens? Do you let them roam through empty bed during the fall/winter months?

LoneJack, the more I look at these guys, the more I wonder if they're June bugs or Jap beetles. I haven't yet found a good source for ID, but what I'm reading is that ID is in the rear ends. Milky spore looks like a great option for long term protection of the garden and lawn! I'm going to be diligent about watching for beetles showing up this summer so that we can best target them. The old "drop them in a bucket of water" trick sounds like it may be fun. Hopefully we'll have our chickens by then and I can make treats of them!

No chickens, yet. Chickens will be the very last thing I do. Not looking forward to it, but I like to eat. When that time comes.. well.... I'll be using a chicken tractor. I'm on 1/6th of an acre, but it's a micro forested area with critters and all the usual hazards.

Your grub worms:
The problem of grub worms will noticeably decrease when you do things to activate your soil -namely covering it up/protecting the soil with mulch, especially leaves. Doing so not only invites microbes, but it invites the larger critters. In mine this is not only grubs but crickets, ground spiders, roaches, et. al. And all these invite the larger critters. What to watch for: pencil-sized holes in the ground indicating garden snakes like the small brown ones or larger holds indicating salamanders, lizards and regular sized garden snakes like the common garder snake.

I'd imagine you'll need to watch out for the venomous ones where you are, too. Think twice before reaching. Make noise when disturbing and area before you uncover something, etc. You probably already know that part.

What I describe is the evolution of the micro climate and pertains to the part where I suggest you "trust the process" and it can happen faster than you would imagine. for me and mine, as little as one season.

Grubs were a problem the first year. So many of them! But since then I never even think about it. They are still there, but the numbers are mute. I never see them in the garden beds, but I do see all those awesome critter holes and I trust that as long as I help the soil along, they'll stick around eating them all up.

Update, we planted the garden this past weekend and the soil looked and felt great!! I ran into several earth worms, and no beetle larvae! Now, we wait for veggies :)

Excellent! Post back some of your produce. :-]