How to Plough a Garden

Ploughing, also known as ‘tilling’, is the act of preparing your soil for planting, by loosening and turning over the layers of earth using specific heavy machinery or hand tools. This process is vital for aerating the land and helping plant root penetration and free growth. 

It is best to plough your garden in the autumn and spring, though we recommend the autumn if your soil is particularly heavy or you are hoping to make amendments that could take a long time to take effect. However, if your soil is light and porous, ploughing in the spring will do. 

In this article, we’ll take you through the step-by-step process of how you can plough your own garden by hand, without the need for tractors or other heavy machinery.

Tools for Ploughing and Working Garden Soil

There are a number of hand tools you can use to prepare your soil for planting, each with its own implementation and unique strengths. Below are some examples of useful tools you could use during the tilling process, depending on the size of your garden and marked plot.

• Digging Spade: The ultimate multi-purpose tool in the gardener’s arsenal. A good quality spade is essential for ploughing soil, especially those with d-shaped handles, which help to improve grip and drive. Also, the slight curve to the squared tip allows for both a wider carry capacity and better soil penetration.

• Digging Fork: If the spade is a gardener’s left hand, a robust digging fork would be their right. They are sometimes referred to as ‘tilling forks’ as they are so useful for loosening, cultivating, and aerating soil. Again, look out for a d-handle for optimal use.

• Soil Miller*: Specifically designed for crumbling dense soil into a much finer tilth, ready for sowing seeds. It can also be used to remove weeds from the plot and mix up various combinations of manure, fertiliser, and peat into the soil.

• Garden Trowel: Despite its size, this is a useful little tool. It can be used for a whole host of purposes around your garden, including tending to/preparing the soil. Our model from Darlac comes with a durable stainless steel head and ergonomic rubber handle.

• Cultivator*: Another tool used for breaking up soil, the cultivator is geared more towards medium soils than heavy ones. You can use the tool to manually loosen and aerate your soil, all to promote better drainage and nutrients-absorbtion.

• Hand Fork: Reserved mostly for working soil in flower beds and cultivated plots. Larger tools are great for covering wide areas of work quickly, but sometimes smaller equipment such as this is essential for detailing and finishing.

• Level-Head Rake*: This tool is fantastic for finishing off. Your rake will help to give shape to the plot and smooth out the surface. Alternatively, it is also very good at pulverising or clearing away large clods of dirt. Once your plot is well-raked, it should be ready for seeds or transplanted rootballs.

*Our robust and reliable range from Wolf Garten will require a Multi-Change Handle to use properly. These can be switched out with other heads as required, so you should only require one long handle and one d-handle for a full range of potential implementations.

High-Powered Garden Tillers

There will be certain instances where ploughing soil manually is not possible or practical. In this case, especially for large gardens, we recommend investing in a Mechanical Garden Tiller.

These heavy-duty machines are designed to efficiently till the land using rotating blades, to break up all kinds of soil and dirt in preparation for planting and transplanting. They are operated in a similar way to standard lawnmowers, in that they are pushed via a sturdy crossbar.

We stock a range of micro models for small gardens and projects, as well as much larger industrial models, so whether you are an experienced gardener or someone working on a commercial project, we’ll have the tiller for you.

Choose Your Preferred Ploughing Method

Just as there are a number of different tools to use when ploughing your garden, there are just as many ways to do so. Choosing the right one should depend on the size of your garden, your experience level, and the tools available to you.

Some common methods include:

• Hand Ploughing: This can be done using the ‘double digging’ approach, which involves spreading compost on your soil and then digging a trench that is roughly ten inches deep. Then a second trench should be dug and the dirt from the first is turned into it. This process is repeated until the area is well-prepared. 
• Rototilling: Using a motorised tiller to pulverise and break up large clumps of soil into a much finer texture. 
• No-Till: This is a modern method which does not disturb soil like more conventional approaches. There are two types, conventional and organic, the former utilises herbicides to kill weeds and crop residue, while the latter utilises a cover crop which smothers weeds, which crops can then be planted on top of. 
• Shallow Tillage: Also known as ‘reduced tillage’, and uses a chisel plough to loosen and aerate patches of soil.
• Conventional Ploughing: Mostly utilised by larger farmsteads, but this method involves working the land with discs attached to an axle, that rotate and break up the soil. This method requires several passes.

• Hand Ploughing: This can be done using the ‘double digging’ approach, which involves spreading compost on your soil and then digging a trench that is roughly ten inches deep. Then a second trench should be dug and the dirt from the first is turned into it. This process is repeated until the area is well-prepared. 

• Rototilling: Using a motorised tiller to pulverise and break up large clumps of soil into a much finer texture.

• No-Till: This is a modern method which does not disturb soil like more conventional approaches. There are two types, conventional and organic, the former utilises herbicides to kill weeds and crop residue, while the latter utilises a cover crop which smothers weeds, which crops can then be planted on top of. 

• Shallow Tillage: Also known as ‘reduced tillage’, and uses a chisel plough to loosen and aerate patches of soil.

• Conventional Ploughing: Mostly utilised by larger farmsteads, but this method involves working the land with discs attached to an axle, that rotate and break up the soil. This method requires several passes.

How to Plough Your Garden by Hand in 7 Simple Steps

1. Test Your Soil

The first step should always be to check if your soil is ready for working. The best way to do this is to take a handful of soil in your hand and squeeze it into a ball. Now, press your thumb in. If the soil breaks apart easily, the ground is ready to plough. If, however, the ball feels sticky and crumbles into clumps, you should wait for your plot to dry.

2. Clear the Area

Once you have determined that your soil is ready for tilling, you should clean away excess growth and debris. Pull up weeds and dead plants by hand or with a trowel or fork. Then rake the surface to gather up the loose vegetation and any rocks that may be hiding in the topsoil.

3. Dig a Trench

Now the space is cleared of debris and potential hazards, dig yourself a trench that spans the length of your garden or plotted area. This can be done with your multi-purpose, d-handle spade. The trench should be around ten inches in depth.

4. Loosen Your Soil

In your trench, break up the harder areas of the topsoil using your digging fork. Work your way into the subsoil, aiming to reach down about twelve inches. Pulverise any hard clumps you come across and remove rocks as you go.

5. Dig Additional Trenches

Now, dig a second trench beside the first. This should be the same as the first in both depth and diameter. Then dig up a third identical trench, repeating the process, whilst filling the second trench with the dirt from the third. Repeat this cycling process of adding and removing soil until your whole plot has been worked.

6. Distribute Your Compost or Peat

With your plot ready, if your soil is particularly poor in quality, you can spread about two inches of compost or peat over the area. This will offer additional nutrients to your crops and promote better drainage.

7. Finish Off

Now that everything is ready, you can finish the plot by raking out any heaps or uneven areas. When you are finished, your plot should be level and smooth, and ready for planting.

The first few weeks and early months of growth are vital to ensure your new hedge gets the best start possible. Be sure to water regularly, especially over dry periods. Watering must continue for the hedge’s first two years of growth. 

General-purpose fertilizers can be used yearly, simply sprinkled on the topsoil to promote healthy growth. Also be watchful of weeds that could hinder the growth of your hedge, removing them as and when they are spotted.

Depending on their species, your new hedges will reach their full potential between three and seven years. For faster growth, you can purchase hedges that are already semi-mature, though these can be much more expensive.

Tools for Long-Term Care

As your hedge reaches maturity, its foliage will need to be trimmed in order to promote new growth and keep up the overall appearance of the feature. We offer a wide range of hedge trimmers to help you maintain the ideal shape and look of your hedges, with both corded and cordless options to suit your preference.