To Till or Not to Till
I purchased a small farm last year. This year I will need to plant them. Some beds will need to be tilled just because they got a little weedy by the time we got on top of the gardening. Others are in good shape either because we got on top of the weeding or were covered. No till gardening is being heavily promoted these days, but I am thinking of giving all the beds at least a shallow tilling to make planting easier and aid in water infiltration while the plants are young. Any opinions or suggestions?
I'm not really sure if my effort counts as 'tilling' but I use a cultivator to loosen the soil, work in compost and aid in pulling the weeds. The cultivator use has about the same effect as very light, shallow tilling but it much simplier in my opinion. I've still got two turnip plants in the dirt from a late season plant ... they look a little lonesome in the garden plot (LOL) but they're waiting to meet their end. Anybody else doing anything?
I purchased a small farm last year. This year I will need to plant them. Some beds will need to be tilled just because they got a little weedy by the time we got on top of the gardening. Others are in good shape either because we got on top of the weeding or were covered. No till gardening is being heavily promoted these days, but I am thinking of giving all the beds at least a shallow tilling to make planting easier and aid in water infiltration while the plants are young. Any opinions or suggestions?
Anyone that says you shouldn't till is just lazy and probably doesn't have a good garden. Loose soil is a must for transplants and root production. Anything that slows growth only hurts later in the season. You need to loosen soil at least 6 inches for most vegetables, more for edible roots like potatoes and carrots. Use the opportunity to work in compost and bone meal fertilizer too, and maybe some coco coir if you have hard soil.
Keep growing naked.
Anyone that says you shouldn't till is just lazy and probably doesn't have a good garden. Loose soil is a must for transplants and root production. Anything that slows growth only hurts later in the season. You need to loosen soil at least 6 inches for most vegetables, more for edible roots like potatoes and carrots. Use the opportunity to work in compost and bone meal fertilizer too, and maybe some coco coir if you have hard soil.
Keep growing naked.
I hate to disagree with Tony, but there is a very respected school of thought in gardening which says you shouldn't dig your beds. The logic is that digging disrupts many of the ecological systems within the top soil. Charles Dowding is one of the U.K. gurus on the subject: https://charlesdowding.co.uk/blogs/no-dig-resources/beginners-guide
I'm not saying that he is necessarily right. It seems to me his "no-dig" approach requires a lot more compost or manure than most gardeners can get hold of, unless they are luck enough to live near a stock farm. That said, I have been trying it and would say that it involves noticeably less work and hasn't particularly affected my yields. Conditions will vary, of course, and it may not work so well in other countries like the U.S. Good luck anyway.
You can't just not till on a barren, dry hardpack, or commercially farmed plot. The idea is you build your soil with compost and mulching which keeps the soil moist and loose. Also, leaving plant roots gives earthworms channels to do their work on the soil as well, not to mention leaving any mycellium networks and other soil enriching organisms in place. Pulling your deeper root crops like carrots, parsnips, etc, also aerate and loosen the soil. When planting new root crops, a simple loosening with a fork is all that's necessary.
Much of the no till thought is aimed at raised beds, where it makes good sense. Someone else said its about not disturbing the ecosystem in place and thats true to a point as well. However, one must also be able to plant the seeds and plants and that requires disturbing. My beds arent very old, so they arent compacted at all. I can walk out right now and run my fingers/hand in and bring up a large scoop of mix/soil. No need to till that at all. I will top off with some compost and top with straw mulch plants have come up or planting is done.
Seems to me the main point of tilling is turning the soil, esp when you have amended it with fresh manure/compost and fertilizer. Traditional, in-ground gardens like what we had growing up need that. They are largely topsoil, last years compost and manure, left over weeds or plant material, etc. Turn it over and till it up and then hoe it out to end up with perfect soil, ready to grow whatever we want.
In no-till gardens, the garden is made up largely of some mix of components like peat, coco coir, compost, manure, purchased mix, top soil, vermiculite, perlite, worm casting, etc, etc. Much of it doesnt need to be tilled and much of it may even be filled with perennial plants.
For the OP, it really depends on how large the area is and what type of garden beds were discussing. Refreshing raised beds is much easier than in-ground traditional garden beds. My fil still tills everything, every year. I never till except small areas with a 4-prong rake.
Zone 7b and am planting cool weather plants this week! Lets Grow!
Much of the no till thought is aimed at raised beds, where it makes good sense. Someone else said its about not disturbing the ecosystem in place and thats true to a point as well. However, one must also be able to plant the seeds and plants and that requires disturbing. My beds arent very old, so they arent compacted at all. I can walk out right now and run my fingers/hand in and bring up a large scoop of mix/soil. No need to till that at all. I will top off with some compost and top with straw mulch plants have come up or planting is done.
Seems to me the main point of tilling is turning the soil, esp when you have amended it with fresh manure/compost and fertilizer. Traditional, in-ground gardens like what we had growing up need that. They are largely topsoil, last years compost and manure, left over weeds or plant material, etc. Turn it over and till it up and then hoe it out to end up with perfect soil, ready to grow whatever we want.
In no-till gardens, the garden is made up largely of some mix of components like peat, coco coir, compost, manure, purchased mix, top soil, vermiculite, perlite, worm casting, etc, etc. Much of it doesnt need to be tilled and much of it may even be filled with perennial plants.
For the OP, it really depends on how large the area is and what type of garden beds were discussing. Refreshing raised beds is much easier than in-ground traditional garden beds. My fil still tills everything, every year. I never till except small areas with a 4-prong rake.
Zone 7b and am planting cool weather plants this week! Lets Grow!
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