3 Steps to a No-Till Garden
In this post I will be discussing how I start a new garden without tilling the ground this method is known as no-till or no-dig gardening.
Step One:
Choose the right location! Location, location, location. This is the most important decision when starting a garden. If this garden is in your yard, you want a spot that is close to the house. If it's out of site it's out of mind, you don't want it to be forgotten. Trust me on this.
Next, you want to consider what your plants want in terms of light, do they want a lot of sun?, maybe part shade, perhaps mostly shade... give them what they want + need, and they will be happy.
Consider drainage, some plants really hate a lot of water, does the area pool up when it rains hard? What are some ways you can combat that? It could mean planting a water loving plant, or maybe you need to build up with raised beds... just something to consider.
Lastly, access to water: if possible consider how you will water your garden. I've lugged hoses around, used water cans that were filled using a rain catchment attached to the house, it wasn't until many gardens later that I invested to irrigation (T-tape), do what you can using what you have available. There is no one size fits all. Things take time, and different things work for different situations.
Step Two:
Silage Tarp.
Have you ever had one of those plastic swimming pools setup, and then when you go to move it ALL the grass underneath it has died back? Using that same idea, I place a silage tarp over the chosen area to extinguish all the grass and weeds underneath. If that grass is long, go ahead and mow or cut it down to help speed the process along. All of those clipping will break down and feed the soil.
Depending on how the temperature outside, this might take a couple weeks or several months. Peal the tarp back during this process to check on the process. The grass should be completely dead, and should rake aside easily.
Step Three:
Compost.
However you choose to setup you garden, you'll lay down a 2-3 inch deep pile of compost to plant into. Make sure you find a reputable source for compost, you want something that's been heated appropriately to kill off weed seeds, and potential pathogens. The last thing you want to do is spread tons of weed seeds onto your beautiful garden (ask me how I know).
After you've spread the compost, it good to know how you'll be keeping weeds out of your walkways. There are so many choices with this, some people prefer living pathways, while others may choose woven landscape fabric. For me, I like to use wood chips. I give myself bonus points if I can put cardboard underneath and then lay the wood chips on top of those (just another level to protection to help stop the pesky weeds).
Additional Information:
If you're in Kentucky, I highly recommend you check out Whinny the Poo Compost, they have bulk compost options and I believe that they also offer a self bagging option, but of course its best to call to confirm. Tell them Amanda from Bountiful Blooms Farm sent you over!
Contact Info:
Phone: (859) 753-8250