What does the gardening term "turning under" mean? I was reading a gardening book and they used that term a few times. I never heard of it before. I googled it and I still don't really know the meaning. Thanks!!!

Dig a shovel full of dirt & turn it upside down in the hole you took it out of...turning under.
If you are adding amendments or compost...lay it on top of where you are going to dig before digging to "turn it under".
Have you ever seen how a plow works in soil? That is the same thing....ground is broken in long strips & turned over to one side or the other.
Tilling is a form of turning under...but it would need to be done several times to get the same results as digging or plowing.

good answer/explanation Karen! You know your stuff.


ve

Uuummm, I've done my share of "turning under" by hand & with a plow behind the tractor! I probably even "helped" when my Dad was still using our team of matched white mules to farm...Jack & Pete! And I've used the tiller too.

Sometimes its used when your trying to control an invasive plant. (example~ say feverfew) You might have tons of it come up in the Spring & all
you simply need to do is ~turn under~ some of it.

"Turning under" is synonymous with tilling. Tilling and turning under mean pretty much the same thing, although turning under usually is reserved for when mixing soil amendments into the soil.

Thank you for the information! Does 'turning under' improve the soil? I've never done that before. Learn something new in gardening all the time, very nice, thanks!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Wavy,

That depends Wavy.

It mainly depends on your soil & it's fertility. That is one reason I recommend folks getting a soil test BEFORE they do lots of things.
It can also depend on the depth of your soil, the soil structure (clay vs. loam) and even on your weather patterns.

Just keep in mind that every time we disturb the soil (whether tilling or turning) we are disturbing the soil microbs and making them start their processes over again.

If you are tilling or plowing it may damage earthworms also. Just an fyi

It also could bring dormant weed seeds to the surface where they can germinate. Some folks believe that you should never till soil, but most of us do. It just seems easier and faster to get that compost, fertilizer, cover crop INTO the soil by turning it over with a shovel or tiller.
http://www.no-dig-vegetablegar...-till-gardening.html

Whether turning under improves the soil depends on what you turn under. If you turn under organic matter, compost and other vegetative waste, that cvan help improve the soil. Turning under stones, synthetic fertilizers, etc., probably will not do much to improve any soil.

In areas where we have the cold winters and dense soil, digging down and turning the soil a shovels depth (flipping top soil to the root area and vise-versa) done throughout the garden in late fall, aerates the soil, de-compacts it, and makes it crumbly and easier to work and plant in the spring. The snow and winter moisture penetrates the rough/broken soil surface and does a decent job of breaking up the clods with freeze and thaw.

Mixing in some organic matter of compost or aged manure is real plus if done at this time with the "turning under" of the soil. It prepares it for spring.