We may be nearing the end of summer, but growth and change go on. The gold raspberries are still producing fruit, and of course the zucchini plants are bountiful. We have buckwheat planted in the farmhouse garden as a cover crop. The two hydrangea bushes continue to put out new flowers.
It’s a lovely time of year, and the songbirds are starting to visit more in their search for food.
We’ll be focusing some effort on the farmhouse garden this fall with cover crops and possibly edging the plot. Cathy and Jeff on our staff are great gardeners who are taking charge of this aspect of the farm. That garden has been there for a long, long time, and the analysis of garden soil shows more fertility than in our hayfields. We want to protect the tilth of the garden.
Tilth
Soil tilth is a commonly used term, but the exact meaning is unclear to many people. Tilth is related to the physical condition of soil. Soil scientists consider the nature of aggregated soil particles, moisture content, amount of air space in the soil, rate of water infiltration, and drainage when describing soil tilth.
For us, good tilth simply means a garden soil that is well suited for the growing of typical garden crops. We want to avoid compacting the soil and we want to increase organic matter in the soil.
