Quote:
Originally Posted by halleone
I have been reading about no till gardening and am giving it some thought. Having been a turn-it-under gardener all my life, I have a hard time getting past not putting soil conditioners in the soil, but on top of it.
Does anyone have experience with this method they can share with me?
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It will take 2-4 years to get the full benefit. But you will eventually see results. Spectacular results.
The first year is the hardest. It is VERY important the first year to cover the whole garden with newspaper then cover that with mulch. Old moldy hay and/or grass clippings work best for me.
For first year.
Step 1 Get the mower out and mow the old trash and new weeds that sprout in the spring, or any winter cover crops you grew.
Step 2 Feed your worms. I find cracked corn is best. Just sprinkle it all over like you are sowing wheat. I cant emphasize how important this step is. Worms will be your new tiller and cultivating system. If you have not fed your worms it is like pushing your car to work because you are too cheep to buy gas. If you don't have many worms, then buy some and throw them on the soil too.
Step 3 Lightly wet the ground with a sprinkler or hose nozzle. Not too much.
Step 4 Cover the ground with 6 or less layers of unfolded news paper. (I have used cardboard or other types of paper too)
Step 5 Cover the paper with a thick layer of mulch or combination of mulch and compost. If I have enough good compost, I like to layer it. Compost then old moldy hay or straw and grass clippings.
Step 6 Lightly wet the mulch to "settle" it down on the paper and settle the paper down on the soil. Not too much.
Step 7 You are done for today.
Next day your garden is ready to plant. Just dig a hole for each seedling. I like to use a bulb planter, but you can use a garden hand trowel too.
Step 1 Get these supplies. A large sheet of cardboard, a bucket of water or transplant solution, some "special soil" (there are a million recipes to make your own or you can buy a soil mix at your gardening store), a bulb planter, your seedlings, something to measure with, so your rows and plants are spaced correctly.
Step 2 pull back the mulch from the news paper where you want to plant a seedling. Use the bulb planter or trowel to dig a hole a little more than the depth you want to plant.
Step 3 Shake the soil onto the sheet of cardboard and separate out any roots or weeds from the soil.
Step 4 Fill the hole with water to the top.
Step 5 Put your seedling in the hole and use the dirt to fill in around it. Often if there was a weed or a lot of roots you will run short. Use the "special" soil to make up any difference.
Step 6 Pull the mulch back around to the base of the plant.
Repeat until all your plants are in the ground.
Let nature do the rest of the work.
PS I am working on a commercial version of this method and will try a prototype next year. I will post next spring my attempt. If anyone wants to try it with me, let me know and I'll share my ideas.
PS I have been no till gardening since the mid 1970's. Never once, in all the places around the country I have tried it, has it failed me yet. Although that first year in Oklahoma was tough. In fact I bought my first tiller of my life a month ago. Just a tiny electric one for special cases.