Tilth

Is anyone anxious to kick off the growing season of 2025? What does Mother Nature have in store for us; will we become flooded like the Ohio Valley or dry like the Plains?

After the freeze of winter retreats and the ground thaws; the soils in most fields, yards and gardens can be very soft. The deep-freezing action of winter heaves the ground and appears to magically loosen the soil. Loose soils are said to have good tilth. Tilth is a common term for farmers and agronomist. Those who have never worked with the soil may never understand what good tilth is. My computers spell-check function will not acknowledge the word tilth as a legitimate word.

Good soil tilth, by a simple definition means: loose well-drained soils that will readily allow root growth and seedling emergence. “Good” soil tilth is always a good thing. Once you lose it, you may not get it back for the rest of the year or longer.

Compaction of the soil is an enemy of good soil tilth. Compaction of soils can occur in many ways throughout the year. Poor management decisions, such as tilling, planting or driving on soils that are too wet will cause compaction and damage the soils tilth. Trespassers with motorcycles, horses, or four-wheel drive vehicles are detested by farmers for what their tracks are doing below the ground to the natural tilth of soil.

Torrential downpours can damage the soils tilth. Standing water in a field can create compaction of the soils due to the extreme weight of the water. Saturated soils lose oxygen and decrease soil tilth, which will negatively affect plant growth.

Gardeners can work to improve the soils tilth by adding amendments that will improve drainage and increase organic matter. These practices would be too costly to implement on large farm fields. Farmers may grow certain crops to add organic matter and improve soil tilth. Ironically, some farmers will till the soil, while others will eliminate tillage to increase soil tilth. The previous sentence, while contradictory, is true; it is too complicated to explain in detail here.

An expensive yet very effective way to increase a soils tilth long-term is to improve the drainage of soils with the installation of underground drainage tiles. Removing excess water from the soil profile is very beneficial at reducing compaction, which will increase root growth and improve crop yields.

Earthworms create a natural form of deep tillage in soils. They can reduce or eliminate compaction and improve soil tilth. Earthworm burrows provide plant roots an escape route through any compacted layers of soil present underground.

With good management and cooperation from Mother Nature farmers hope to plant their seeds this spring without creating any compaction and damaging the tilth of the soil. If the rains relent, we will soon see if that plan can come to fruition.