How deep do I need to till when preparing my garden bed?

How deep do I need to till when preparing my garden bed?

Tracy DiSabato-Aust (Garden Designer and Author) gives expert video advice on: What are the key steps to garden bed preparation?; What is 'double digging'?; Do I need to double dig my garden bed? and more...

When preparing your garden bed, we like to till at least 9 to 10 inches. If you can till lower, that would be great, but that's usually quite difficult to do. But 9 to 10 inches is sufficient, and just be sure that if you are using a rototiller that you're not creating a hard pan in a specific area - that's a layer of soil that's compacted - as the water will not drain through that and roots will not penetrate that. So, again, we need to work that with the garden fork or a shovel if that develops.