DIGGING THE DIRT TO MULCH OR NOT TO MULCH, THAT IS THE QUESTION

This month John Holloway is in a quandary - does he do what he's always done with the soil on his plot, or give in to temptation and mulch?

- John Holloway

One of my favourite Spoonerisms is 'Ye worthy tons of soil', rather than the intended 'sons of toil.' I think Dr Spooner's word slip has some credence. For what are allotmenteers without their worthy tons of soil? If we don't look after it, productivity dips. If we overwork it, crop yields suffer. Enter the argument over double-digging, light digging or no digging. There is no consensus, other than that there is no consensus. Perhaps it's a subject that will endure without a conclusion. There are huge variations in types of soils, and opinions will always be divided as to what feels instinctively best or scientifically proven. On our 10-plot allotment there is no consensus, probably because not one of us knows what is correct. We work our soil the way we do because that's what we've always done!