Soil Compaction Recovery – Step 3

Step 3 of my soil compaction recovery plan may seem like a repeat of step 2. Not really. I think it is important to acknowledge nature’s part in the process. Sure, I prepared the soil and planted the seeds, but while I was traveling in the fall, celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas, watching weird plant movies in January, working several major deadlines at work, and studying trees during the spring semester at Merritt College, nature was quietly doing the real work.

Cover crop in November.

I checked progress over time, in between rain storms and when it was light enough (difficult when I was leaving for and arriving from work in the dark). Each time I was thrilled at the progress, and excited to see a whole different palette of plants grow. I grew up in Southeastern Alaska, so I’m not exactly a city girl. But we didn’t have crops. What can I say - it’s a thrill! I rooted around the soil a bit also. I can’t say that I can report anything major, but the soil remained broken up and porous.

Cover crop in late May.

However, things did get out of hand between March and May, when I was steeped in travels to Southern California and Spokane, deadlines at work, and my Tree ID class. Basically, I did not plough under my crop in February as I should have (or in March, April, or May). I’m afraid Farmer David would be aghast, and lecture me that I’ll be pulling pea and vetch weeds for the next couple of years. But my real goal is improving the soil – that part may still be a success.