To till or not to till ?

[Kiarnan]

Hi Folks,

Do you till your garden or do you use a no-till approach ? What are your reasons for using your method ?

Currently I use a no till approach in conjunction with permanent mulch using wood chips. That being said I used to till my garden, but feel that a no till approach used in conjunction with a permanent mulch is a superior practice for the following reasons:

1. Weeding is substantially reduced and the workload continues to decrease due to the fact that dormant weed seeds are not being brought to the surface every year by tilling.

2. I have to water much, much less. The wood chips help retain the available moisture.

3. The soil temperature is regulated more evenly by the protective layer of mulch which causes much less stress on the plants.

4. The structural integrity of the soil is preserved due to not being tilled every year. This in turn preserves the complex layers of micro-organisms, insects, and earthworms who make their homes in the various layers of the soil. This leads to greater soil fertility.

I highly recommend watching the film Back to Eden for a more in-depth review of a no-till gardening approach

I look forward to hearing about how everyone else gardens!

Regards,
Kiarnan

 

[Tmann]

Hi Folks,

Do you till your garden or do you use a no-till approach ? What are your reasons for using your method ?

Currently I use a no till approach in conjunction with permanent mulch using wood chips. That being said I used to till my garden, but feel that a no till approach used in conjunction with a permanent mulch is a superior practice for the following reasons:

1. Weeding is substantially reduced and the workload continues to decrease due to the fact that dormant weed seeds are not being brought to the surface every year by tilling.

2. I have to water much, much less. The wood chips help retain the available moisture.

3. The soil temperature is regulated more evenly by the protective layer of mulch which causes much less stress on the plants.

4. The structural integrity of the soil is preserved due to not being tilled every year. This in turn preserves the complex layers of micro-organisms, insects, and earthworms who make their homes in the various layers of the soil. This leads to greater soil fertility.

I highly recommend watching the film Back to Eden for a more in-depth review of a no-till gardening approach

I look forward to hearing about how everyone else gardens!

Regards,
Kiarnan

I have been tilling my garden every year but I decided this year that I am not going to till the vegetable gardens this year and go with the no till approach,mainly due to reason number 4.