(Photo: Weeds thrive in tilled soil — weed pressure in just 2 weeks)
No Till Gardening
Nature has a fine balance in the soil which we do well to acknowledge and preserve. Every garden has helpful and harmful insects, fungus, bacteria, weeds, birds, root systems, and critters as well as a host of elements from arsenic to zinc. Plants need water, air, and mycorrhizal fungus at the roots to access the many elements they need to develop (e.g. calcium, manganese, potassium, Sulphur…).
Whenever we walk on the soil, we compact it and squeeze out the air pockets, so air and water have difficulty penetrating the soil. Nature’s solution is to quickly (less than 2 weeks) dress the soil in weeds and grasses to blanket the ground whenever the earth is laid bare, to have roots penetrate the earth and loosen it for water penetration, to protect the soil from drying and cracking due to hot sun and drying wind, to hold the soil in place against wind and rain, and to keep moisture longer for the benefit of living organisms. The usual solution has been to till the soil to break it up, bury the weeds, and turn the surface under to bring fresh moist workable soil (“friable”) to the surface. Then weed the entire garden surface (planted rows and walkways) every week thereafter in order to keep planted areas and footpaths free from weeds and grasses. That is a lot of work.
(Photo: In the early days we weeded and raked the walkways every week)
Soils are living, not inert. Unfortunately tilling greatly disturbs the life in the soil, destroys established organic relationships, breaks fungus filaments and roots, harms worms and beneficial bugs, and brings long dormant weed seeds to the surface where they prosper. In addition, many weeds and weed roots that were chopped up in the tilling now grow from the many cut pieces, multiplying the problem – one can guess how I know (I no longer own that rototiller!). In short, by tilling, we aerate compacted soil, but we also harm the good life in the soil, expose the soil to erosion by wind and water, and actively increase the weed population many times over.
However, if the soil has become compacted (walked on, driven over, or condensed by flooding), it must be forked or tilled. Forking is kinder to the life in the soil as the damage is less than that caused by a rototiller which works like a kitchen blender. On the other hand, forking or tilling new ground for a new garden plot is a good idea to prepare it for the addition of amendments (e.g. peat moss, sharp sand, and compost), to change “ground soil” into a more friable and nutrient-rich “garden soil.” Note: good garden soil is always gardener made.
A no-till organic solution is threefold: keep feet permanently out of the growing areas, add compost twice a year (fall and mid-summer), and practice minimal disturbance of the soil at planting.
(Photo: raised beds with permanent walkways — growing areas never need tilling)
Traditionally, urban gardens have been rows of plants with walkways between each row. The walkways become well-trodden paths of compacted earth, actually favoured by some weeds such as plantain, crabgrass, and dandelion. Although nature is quick to re-cover the soil in greenery, nature will accept, temporarily, any coverings we provide.
(Photo: Well trodden paths – Mui Wo, Hong Kong)
If rows are the best use of the garden plot because of access issues or because of the plants that are being tended, then one solution is to mound the rows and make the paths between them permanent with organic mulches such as shredded leaves, straw, wood chips, bark, or grass clippings. Note: Gardeners “mulch” with compost, but compost is not a “mulch” to suppress weeds. Compost is a fertilizer and soil structure amendment that is great for the garden but not good for pathways. Weeds love it! Unfortunately, the term “mulch” is used to describe the activity of spreading material as well as the name for the material spread.
Tip: An underlay of geotextile/landscape fabric, cardboard, or five sheets of newspaper beneath the mulch will keep weeds in the dark and keep the mulch from disappearing into the soil. Caution: Do not use old floor coverings such as rugs, floor mats, or linoleum tiles, as either compost covers or as ground covers. They leak chemicals as they disintegrate and leave behind bits of inorganic material (fibers, glue, dyes, rubber, polyester, plastic, ….).
A trough or furrow in the top of the soil mound will hold seeds, water, and fertilizer, and prevent everything running off down the sides into the foot paths. Then, fertilize and water only the furrows in the mounded rows season after season. You will need less fertilizer, less water, and you will do less work since you are not working the entire garden surface area every season. In addition, the paths are covered so you will do far less weeding.
At planting, disturb the soil in the mound as little as necessary to remove a few weeds and to apply compost, well composted farm animal manure, or organic certified fertilizer. I experimented with no-till troughed mounds and shredded leaves to mark permanent paths for 4 years at a community garden with excellent results. Tip: Whole leaves have a tendency to blow away because of their large surface area and their tendency to curl; shredded leaves tend to form a tight, woven mat, especially if they are walked on after a rain.
(Photo: low mounds with furrows and permanent walkways of shredded leaves)
Unfortunately, the earth sides of the mounds will wash down over time and will have to be re-mounded. Troughs on top of the mounds will have to be re-defined during weeding. Best to keep the mounds fairly low to the ground – like mole hills rather than mountains. While high mounds protect plants from floods, most of the water runs down the sides and away from your plants and carries away nutrients to feed the greenery in the footpaths. Note: In 45 years of gardening, only 4 times have my plots been flooded by heavy rainfall. Each garden flood lasted for two weeks, washed away mounds, drowned some vegetables, gave beards to my carrots, turned my peas into ball bearings, and stunted growth in many other plants.
This first option is best tried if you are not sure the plot will be permanent and you may have to re-grass it.
(Photo: one of the floods)
The Best Option
The best option is to divide the plot into raised beds with 6-to-12-inch borders of untreated, unpainted wood; bricks; stone; or food grade recycled material. Between the beds create permanent walkways of wood planks, patio stones, brick chips, river stone, or nature’s choice of greenery (assuming you are prepared to mow the greenery before it goes to seed). An underlay of landscape fabric is recommended for brick chips & river stones to prevent them from disappearing into the soil. Wood is the easiest material for borders, and any unpainted, untreated wood will do; however, eastern white cedar or hemlock will last longest. Spruce, pine, or Fir will give you 5 years. These beds could be 4 feet wide and as long as space permits. I have seen many 4′ × 16′ beds in Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Scotland.
Gardening is done from the sides, so the soil is never walked on and never needs tilling. The borders on raised beds make the separation between bed and footpath clearer and easier to maintain and allow gardening on a flat surface area 4 ft. × whatever length, so seeds, water, soil, and fertilizer stay in place and do not run down the sides of mounds. No-tilling, organic fertilizing (compost recommended), targeted watering (water roots, not leaves or footpaths), and dense planting will produce savings in fertilizer, water, and labour (especially soil preparation and weeding).
(Photo: Shale borders and nature’s choice footpaths) (Photo: unpainted & untreated boards & gravel footpath)
In addition, raised beds provide clear borders and can help reduce border disputes between gardeners in community gardens, they make path maintenance a lot easier, they reduce the labour required to maintain the garden edges, and they prevent gardens from increasing in size (weeds and grasses are constantly trying to crawl into in-ground plots, and garden edging can take more and more land inch by inch).
If the raised bed is wider than 4 feet, then a permanent path (straight or artistic winding) within the raised bed may be necessary so that the growing area of soil will not be stepped on.
(Photo: wood borders and patio stones)
(Photo: biodiversity and a winding path)
A “floating” raised bed, a bed separated from ground soil by a fabric/medium gravel/fabric sandwich, is a perfect solution if the ground soil designated for a new garden is suspected of contamination. Soil tests for contaminants can be very expensive. A floating raised bed eliminates that expense, and such a bed can even be built on at a building foundation, on a parking lot, or on a cement pad.
Containers
Other options for no-till gardening involve containers: box beds (standard box bed is 4′ × 8′ × 2 ft. tall; some are 4′ × 16′ × 2 or 3 ft. tall), cold frames, and elevated beds (beds above ground on legs/stilts or wheelchair friendly table top beds). These beds provide a good growing area and never need tilling.
May your garden be fruitful and your efforts satisfying. Take pictures!
Happy Labour Saving!
