April gardening essentials. Even if you fertilized the soil last fall, prepare the seedbed or sites for future planting beds now.
Opt for tools like the digging fork (claw), hook, hoe, or grelinette over the traditional spade or mechanical tiller. Aerating the soil is key, but aggressive turning—manual or motorized—disrupts the underground ecosystem, risking its destruction. Soil health relies on microbes, worms, and other organisms that break down organic matter into plant-available nutrients. A living soil is inherently fertile and productive.
Mulching enhances soil fertility while supporting light surface work. Soil life naturally forages at the surface, aerating and enriching the top layer in the process. Crucially, avoid turning the soil, which could wipe out beneficial populations in the mulch and upper inches.
Tiller—best replaced by a grelinette when possible
Using a biogrif (grelinette)
