My Ground Is Very Hard to Hoe

Rocky Soil

• Digging down into the top few inches of soil shouldn't reveal a large amount of rocks, pebbles or gravel in good garden soil. The rocks are difficult to break up and dislodge with a hoe, and they also stunt the development of plant roots. Rocky soil is difficult to fix. Even if the top soil layers are removed and replaced with loose soil, rocks from deeper in the soil usually work their way back to the surface within one or two seasons.

Clay Soil

• Soil with a heavy clay content becomes rock hard during drought and dry periods. Even when moist, the clay soil is heavy and can be difficult to till with handheld tools and hoes. Clay soil drains poorly and holds onto moisture too well, often resulting in a muddy bed that causes plants to drown or rot. Once dry, moisture penetrates slowly into the soil so it can remain hard even after heavy rain or irrigation.

Loosening the Soil

• Improving clay soil helps to solve the difficulties encountered when working the bed. Organic amendments break up and dilute the clay particles in the garden so the soil drains better and is less prone to hardening. Till 4 to 6 inches into the top 10 inches of the soil yearly for annual beds or once before planting perennial beds. A mechanical tiller helps to break up the hard soil initially if it's too difficult to till with a hoe or other hand tool.

Raised Beds

• In extremely hard clay soils and rocky beds, a raised bed can ease the work of tilling the soil and improve plant health. Build a 10- to 12-inch elevated wood or brick frame for the garden, and fill it with purchased quality soil. Plants no longer grow in the hard native soil but instead in the loose soil you provide. Work the raised bed with hand tools, because heavy mechanical tillers compact the soil and cause it to harden again.