The Ugly Gardener
No-Till Gardening
Click HERE for easy-to-print No-Till instructions. Spanish versions, too!
Why Do No-Till Gardening?
By Sheila O’Riley, The Ugly Gardener
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I’m proud to be known as
The Ugly Gardener.
Why on earth would I be proud of this? It marks my commitment to
manage my backyard, my small piece of this earth, in ways that
benefit the environment, as well as, for my own enjoyment.
Let me explain--Over 30 years ago,
a few adventurous, conservation minded farmers first began using
the conservation practice of no-till farming. Just like it
implies, no-till farming is planting crops in the previous
year’s crop residue with no tillage being done in the fields.
Other farmers, who were accustomed to plowing their fields until
there was nothing but black soil on top of the ground, called
no-till farming ugly
farming.
Today, no-till and minimum tillage are conservation
practices commonly used and accepted by farmers. The practice
helps conserve soil, conserve moisture, suppress weeds, and
build soil structure.
I thought to myself that if farmers get all these
conservation benefits from no-till farming, why can’t I get the
same benefits in my own backyard? Hence, I began practicing
no-till gardening or some would say
ugly gardening. It’s
all a matter of what you are accustomed to seeing. Bare soil in
a garden has become ugly
to me and mulch including organic kitchen scraps in a garden
is beautiful in my eyes.
When
I say no-till garden, I mean positively
no tilling. I start
by putting an organic weed barrier such as sheets of newspapers
on top of the grass (or weeds). Then I add layers of mulch, each
two to four Start building the layers with the largest material to allow air circulation. Sometimes, I use a layer of compost or composted manure to facilitate the composting process. Once the garden is built, I open up furrows in the mulch layers (don’t tear the weed barrier) and lay down a one to two inch strip (wide and high) of soil to plant the seeds into.
Sometimes, I mix
flower seeds in soil and broadcast it over the mulch layers. For
a potted plant, I open up a hole in the mulch, add a handful of
soil around the root ball and pull the mulch back up around it. 
I feel good about recycling organic materialthat would otherwise end up in the dump, conserving water, enriching the soil naturally, and improving the soil structure. And the best thing is that there are hardly any weeds! I may be The Ugly Gardener, but at least I don’t spend hours in my gardens pulling weeds with my backside in the air. |
inches thick. The mulches I use most often, as they
are most available to me, are chipped wood, leaves (chopped is
optional), and grass clippings.
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| Just like a basic cake recipe,
the ingredients listed can be varied and embellished. This will make an
approximately 4 foot x 4 foot garden. This method will be especially
enjoyed by gardeners who are busy, don’t like to pull weeds, and don’t
have time to water. 40 Sheets of Newspaper 5-gallon bucket 2/3 full of water 40 lb. bag of composted manure 1 leaf cart or garbage bag full of chipped wood 1 leaf cart or garbage bag full of dried leaves (preferably chopped) 1 leaf cart or garbage bag full of grass clippings (fresh is best) 1-2 gallons good garden soil or potting soil Water  Put newspapers in bucket of water to completely wet. Open paper and lay on ground (over grass, weeds, old driveway, etc.) 4-6 sheets thick. Overlap edges. This becomes the weed barrier and will eventually compost. Spread composted manure over paper to attract the worms and other helpful soil organisms. The following layers should each be 2-4 inches deep. Spread wood chips next (this first layer should be coarse enough to allow air circulation). You may need to use a rake to level—somewhat anyway. Water. Next layer is the dried leaves followed by grass clippings; leveling with rake if necessary and watering after each layer. You may plant into this garden right away or allow to cook (or compost) over a period of time. To plant seeds in a row, open up a furrow in the layers with a hoe or rake (I like to use my hands), spread in a one inch deep strip of soil, lay the seeds on the soil and cover with the recommended amount of additional soil. To transplant from a pot, simply open up a hole in the layers, set the plant in, (if desired, add a handful of soil around the soil ball of the plant) and pull the mulch back up around it. To broadcast seed, mix the seed in some soil and toss the soil around on the top of the garden. If you find you need more garden space, simply add on. You can substitute or add any other organic material suitable for composting such as compost, chopped corn cobs, hay, cardboard boxes (for the weed barrier), shredded office paper, peat moss, sawdust, chopped stalks, straw, wood ashes, organic kitchen scraps, etc. Although, you won’t enjoy eating this recipe like a cake, you will enjoy eating the food it produces or enjoy seeing the beauty of the flowers and ornamental plants grown in it. Resource Books: Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanza, Weedless Gardening by Lee Reich, No-work Gardening by Ruth Stout |