Walking on Wet Soil Ruins Soil Structure.
Do not walk on wet soil because it will ruin soil structure.
TV programs are demonstrating how to harvest leeks by walking on the wet soil before pulling the leek.
Treading on wet soil has devastating, long-lasting effects on the structure of the soil:
- the soil will be compacted
- crumb structure will be lost
- rain water will collect on the surface as it cannot drain away
- air will be squeezed out of the soil, thus reducing the number of micro-organisms in the soil
Do not walk on wet soil -
- make a platform to stand on
- place a plank on the soil, which will spread the weight, and lower the pressure per square unit (an elephant has less pressure per square unit than a lady on a stilleto heel.)
- have narrow beds which can be harvested from the path.
Remember that when you see a celebrity on TV with muddy boots or hands, that they have been abusing their soil, and it is better not to follow their example. Wet soil should be left to dry before it is worked or walked on.
A raised bed should get over this problem, I hope! Thanks for this informative post.
Sara from farmingfriends
Comment by farmingfriends - January 18, 2008 9:44 am
Sara
Well done for pre-empting the wet weather. We wish you luck with your raised beds!
TopVeg
Comment by TopVeg - January 18, 2008 10:42 am
Whole heartily agree with you. Nothing worse than walking or working soil that is too wet. All those valuable air spaces left by roots and worms, etc are lost.
Comment by Curtis - January 18, 2008 12:49 pm
[…] the walking board (to prevent soil compaction) and the measuring stick, the leeks are dropped into evenly spaced […]
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