How do I make a no-till garden bed?

How to Create a No-Till Garden Spread A Layer of Compost. The first thing you want to do is spread a 2-inch layer of rotted manure or compost on top of the bare soil. ... Dig Holes. ... Mulch The Garden. ... Leave the Roots In the Ground. ... Spread Out More Compost. ... Do Not Pull Out Roots. ... How to Take Care of Soil In Each Planting Year.

gardentherapy.ca - Create a No-Till Garden and Retire Your Tiller Forever

How do you get the most of a small workshop?

How to Make Your Small Workshop Feel Bigger Paint your space. Install bright LED shop lights. Make your tools mobile to maximize workshop space....

Last updated Apr 14, 2018

What fits in a 5 by 5 storage unit?

What can you fit in a 5x5 storage unit? The contents of a large closet or a small room can fit within a 5x5 self storage unit. Think chairs, small...

Last updated Nov 24, 2018

Are shed plans easy to follow?

These are! They guide you every step of the way to complete your dream shed.

Learn More »

Promotion

It is a wonderful feeling to discover a gardening hack that saves you time and effort without decreasing the health of your garden. Imagine the extra time you would have by adapting to no-till gardening! But, guess what? Not only can you save time with a no-till garden, but you can actually improve the quality of your soil that way too! Win-win! If you are looking for some of the best gardening hacks when it comes to growing an organic garden, look no further! My friend Shawna Coronado is an incredibly talented gardener, promoter of green lifestyles, and garden-hack pro. Today, Shawna joins us today to share the details on how to create a no-till garden from her wonderful book 101 Organic Gardening Hacks. Note: This post was originally a guest post from Shawna, and was updated in April of 2020 to add more information about no-till gardening. Quotes used throughout are excerpted from Shawna Cornado’s 101 Organic Gardening Hacks © by Shawna Coronado. Used with permission from Cool Springs Press.

No-Till Gardening Guide

“If you love your soil, stop flipping it over.” – Shawna Coronado

Sometimes the best way to improve something is to let it be. A no-till garden is a perfect example! And, creating one also means less work for you. Imagine building a large garden without having to turn the soil over in your garden beds. According to Shawna, “Turning soil kills the microbes living beneath the ground that contribute to a healthier root system by living symbiotically with your roots. There are billions of bacteria, millions of fungi, thousands of protozoa, and scores of other nematodes and organisms found in one small tablespoon of healthy soil.” Hacking your garden soil with a few simple no-till tips can make for hugely successful growing because you keep those vital creatures alive and happy in your garden beds.

A no-till garden has other benefits too!

“Because you are consistently smothering weeds with mulch or compost, they struggle to grow there, and an undisturbed, enriched soil requires far less fertilizer in order to support successful plants,” Coronado said. “The no-till technique works in almost any garden space and can help grow extremely healthy organic vegetables and herbs.”

No-Dig Organic Garden

Before I turn the reins over to Shawna to share how to create your own no-till garden, I wanted to tell you a little bit about my good friend, Kevin from Epic Gardening. As an urban gardener myself, I was delighted when he took the time to review my new book, Garden Alchemy, and I let him know about this no-till gardening post. He shared that he had gone to visit Charles Dowding’s legendary no-dig garden in the U.K. and had even done a video with him!

How do you price your work?

Calculate Your Hourly Rate Business schools teach a standard formula for determining an hourly rate: Add up your labor and overhead costs, add the...

Last updated Apr 21, 2018

Can I pour a concrete slab on dirt?

Long story short, yes you can pour concrete over dirt. Jul 1, 2020

Last updated Nov 28, 2020

Are shed plans easy to follow?

These are! They guide you every step of the way to complete your dream shed.

Learn More »

Promotion

So, if you are wondering what a no-dig organic even looks like, take a look at this video below and follow along with Kevin as he tours the amazing Charles Dowding’s organic no-dig garden!

That was amazing. Thanks for sharing, Kevin!

Now, are you ready to start your own garden using this technique? I am!

Back to you, Shawna!

How to Create a No-Till Garden

Here are some of the best tips and hacks I have learned from Shawna when it comes to creating my very own no-till garden. Shawna says: “Instead of turning your soil over for a garden, start by removing all of the grass, either by stripping the sod or smothering the grass (see Hack 79: “Kill Grass by Smothering It”).” Here is the process of how to create a no-till garden, directly from Shawna herself:

1. Spread A Layer of Compost

The first thing you want to do is spread a 2-inch layer of rotted manure or compost on top of the bare soil. Do not turn the soil over. That’s it. No tilling, no digging. Just spread this out.

2. Dig Holes

Next, you are going to dig holes to plant your plants. How deep will you dig? This depends on your plant! Look up the planting techniques for each plant before you dig.

3. Mulch The Garden

If this is your first year, then you need to mulch your garden. Use wood chips or any another natural mulch such as pine needles, rotted leaves, or straw. Mulch protects your garden from invasive weeds so make sure to not skip this step.

4. Leave the Roots In the Ground

After the harvest at the end of the season, do not pull out the vegetable or herb plants by the root; cut their stems at the base of the soil and leave the roots in the ground to overwinter and eventually rot. Compost the cut plant matter.

5. Spread Out More Compost

When you are ready to plant your garden again in the next planting year, cover the garden with another 2-inch layer of compost. You won’t have to till your garden or turn the soil. Just spread out more compost and you are ready to create your garden all over again.

6. Do Not Pull Out Roots

When planting new vegetables and herbs, only pull out roots from the previous year if they block an area for a new plant. Be sure to rotate the crop so that no plant from the previous season is planted in the same location in the current year.

7. How to Take Care of Soil In Each Planting Year

What is the hardest wood to cut?

Here, we list the top 10 hardest woods in the world, and provide a bit of information about each type: Lignum vitae – 4,500 IBF. ... Piptadenia...

Last updated Feb 15, 2022

What are the 3 types of anchors?

Modern anchor designs that are extremely stable and able to easily grip on to surfaces are generally derived from three standard designs that have...

Last updated Jul 7, 2022

Are shed plans easy to follow?

These are! They guide you every step of the way to complete your dream shed.

Learn More »

Promotion

There is a specific method you need to follow in each consecutive planting year. Shawna has already shown us above how to plant a no-till garden in the first two years.

Here is what you do in the 3rd planting year and beyond.

In your third planting year, follow the same practices, but add a layer of mulch instead of a layer of compost. In your fourth planting year, follow the same practices, but add a layer of soil instead of a layer of mulch. In the fifth planting year, follow the same practices, but add a layer of rotted manure instead of a layer of soil. In the sixth planting year, follow the same practices, but add a layer of compost instead of rotted manure. Continue every season layering up the compost, mulch, soil, and rotted manure without ever turning over the soil.

No Till Gardening: Garden Compost

One of the most important parts of a no-till garden is the compost! You can actually make your own healthy soil out of old fruits and vegetables. If this is your first time ever composting, I suggest reading this composting guide first. It demystifies the entire process and explains it so you can do it. There are three parts to composting: energy materials, bulking agents, and air and water. Once you learn the easy recipe, you can start making your own compost. Then, you’ll turn this compost into nutrient-rich soil that will give you the no-till garden of your dreams!

More Gardening Tips

Whether it is your first garden or you are just looking for tips as an experienced gardener, I hope you find these articles helpful.

About Shawna

Shawna Coronado is an author, columnist, blogger, photographer, and spokesperson for organic gardening, green lifestyle living, and culinary preparation who campaigns for social good. Shawna’s goal in authoring gardening and green lifestyle books is to promote a world initiative to encourage healthy and sustainable living. She was featured as a Chicago Tribune “Remarkable Woman” and speaks internationally on building community, simple urban garden living, and green lifestyle tips for the everyday person. Shawna lives in the western suburbs of Chicago where she has a famous front lawn vegetable garden. You can learn more about her at www.shawnacoronado.com.

gardentherapy.ca - Create a No-Till Garden and Retire Your Tiller Forever