Digging double digging

There is always something new and exciting to learn on the farm. Yesterday, I couldn't wait to get home from work to try and do some double digging of a bed. I have been reading and watching material on it plus I just want to get my hands dirty, it's that time of the year. But I should have known that excitement of this magnitude can lead to some rushing in and hurrying things where you shouldn't be rushing in and hurrying things.
I got my digging board and my newly-purchased spade shovel and spade fork and went out to the spot where I would try the bed. The Biointensive method that I have been studying shows a lot of promise but I have to temper my enthusiasm and slowly work my way into doing it. So I have decided that I am going to do some beds this year using the method and see how it works out. It may be the way of the future or it may not, depending on my goals long range for the farm.
First thing I needed to do was lay out the bed. I know 100 square feet is recommended and I have plenty of room, so five feet wide and 20 feet long it is. That was easy. Then came the first baby steps of a Biointensive bed farmer.
I plunged the spade shovel into the ground and turned to dig the 12-inch deep and 12-inch wide furrow. I noticed right away that I was doing more work than I was supposed to and a red flag went up in my head. Nonetheless, I "plowed" forward and did the first trench. I did not have buckets or a wheelbarrow as recommended so I piled the dirt next to the trench. That was the second thing I noticed that I had hurriedly mis-calculated. Oh, well, it couldn't be that big a deal. Dirt is dirt. The soil from the first trench would go back into the last trench anyhow or be used for a future compost pile.
Next thing I noticed was that the soil was still wet six inches into the ground. The top is sandy loam so it drains easily but after that you get into a mix with clay and that was where the water was sitting. This was a big mistake digging at this point because you never mess with soil when it is wet. Compaction and a break down of the structure are disasters waiting to happen.
But my enthusiasm did not wane because I wanted to experience the event so I foolhardedly moved on. I then had to decide if the trench needed to be cleanly formed or if it was good enough to have it opened up. I noticed that I was taking up the next strata and mixing it with my top soil, which was a no-no. It was at this point that I decided that I needed to go back and re-read the manual. God bless enthusiasm. I plowed ahead. Now I know what they mean by a bull in the China shop. I found myself stepping into the trench as if I were digging a grave. Another no-no. I was compacting the soil! I quickly jumped out and tried to figure things out.
Evenutally, I got the trench clean to the point where it was time for the next step, aerating the next 12 inches. I took my spading fork and plunged it into the soil. I was really working up a sweat at this point but I kept going. I lifted the dirt and turned it over in the trench. Now I was ready for the next trench, where I would put the top soil from the next 12 inches into the first 12 inches.
I did that and forked the second trench and did a third trench before stopping. By this time the bells in my head were ringing like a 6-alarm fire call and luckily it was getting dark. I stepped back and observed my work. Wet soil, a sore body and not much to speak of. It was time to go back to the manual and find out what I did wrong.
I decided rather than reading over and figuring out what I did, I would pop in the DVD and watch someone else do it. Good move. Here is what I saw compared to my experience.
First, I neglected the step of taking my spading fork and loosing the top layer before I started to dig the trench. That was half the reason why I was working so hard! The other half was that the soil was still heavy with water because it has been slow to drain due to the cool temperatures.
Then I noticed that the buckets used to move the soil were a good organizer for the latter steps. Memo to self - go to Cedar Brook Hardware and get eight buckets.
I was right when I dug a 12-inch deep and 12-inch wide trench, so I patted myself on the back. But the third and final mistake was that when I went to work the second 12 inches with the spading fork, I just needed to plunge the fork in 12 inches and loosen the soil, not turn it over in the trench! Another reason why I was working too hard.
I took solace in the fact that it was my first attempt and luckily I have only done three trenches instead of a whole bed.
This morning as I was reading the farmer's almanac, I noticed that next week is supposed to be the best time to make a bed. So I will wait at the right time and armed with my experience and new knowledge, give'er the old college try again. One thing's for sure - my enthusiasm has not been tempered.