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# Don't walk on wet soils, especially clay soils. The footprints you leave are evidence of compression -- packing the soil particles tightly and squeezing out vital oxygen. This is not a desirable quality in a garden. Put walkways or stepping stones in the garden for easy access and to keep your shoes clean and dry. When planting, cover the soil with a board to kneel or stand on.

# Till or spade a thick layer of compost into lightly moist (never wet) soil to bring it to life before planting a new garden. The going may be rough at first if you are starting with hard, compacted soil. Use a rototiller and tough it out. Go over the area, removing weed roots and other underground vegetation as you go. Then go over it again crosswise, until you break up the soil into reasonably small pieces.

# Your well-tilled soil, like screened topsoil, may look great at first, but silt or clay soils are likely to get stiff, crusty, and hard after a few heavy downpours. The best way to keep soil loose and light is to add organic matter.

# Try spading or no-till systems to preserve the texture and organic content of thriving garden soils. Once the soil is loose, light, and rich, minimal disturbance will help preserve the levels of organic matter. Avoid repeated tilling, which breaks healthy soil clumps and speeds up decay.



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