A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum No Till Gardening.... to do or not to do?

Hope i say this right.
Probably cause the weeds roots have taken over all the space. When one turns the soil, as in the garden , and plants other good seed it makes room for the little seedlings and turning kills the weeds roots.

This no till gardening is A LOT of work. I planted 2 rows of radishes and some lettuce yesterday. Pulling back all those leave and making sure my cardboard stayed on the pathways was a tremendous task. The ground was a nice moist brown-black color with worms though so I think it will work well.

After I got finsished - they waited until I got finished - Lizzy, my cat, came over and started scatching up a row of radish seeds then proceeded to stretch out and lay down right on top of a row and while I was running her off Porter, my dog, came and pooped at the end of one row. They didn't bother me all day. They waited until I thought I had everything perfect.

THATS what they like the nice soft soil to go in.. Lazy animals huh?

This no till gardening is not for the faint hearted. I have worked all day trying to keep the leaves from blowing on my rows and trying to keep the cardboard from flying away. This stuff has been rained on and snowed on but the wind is so strong it's still blowing it all over the place. The tiller is definitely easier.

That was one way of finding out. Hard way.

I use the tiller in the veggie garden.. Won't fit the flower beds......too large ..(Tiller)

I'm breaking out the leaf blower this afternoon and blowing some of them out of the way.

bricks Sheri--bricks---hold down the cardboard----the only thing that I know that will help the leaves is water---

First of all, many plants require a lot of space for their roots to grow. In my opinion, no till gardening ruins the idea of even having a garden. I grow strawberries and I grow them in a mix of Sand and a handful of vermiculite. I get strawberries as big as small tea cups. And they taste great.

Depends what your planting.
Here in Penna......Farmers use no till on corn and it works very efficiently.
They plant the corn between the rows that are already there.....Which may be beneficial , because they hold moisture around the new corns/

It is done here also, because the winter snow an blowing takes off the good top soil, the corn stocks hold that back.

Do I make sense?

I read or was told or saw somewhere that tilling is bad for the ground so I thought I'd try no till gardening.

You make perfect sense dodge.

Sheri, according to some experts tilling compact the soil, which creates hardpan, which stops vertical movement of water and nutrients. Hardpan also inhibits root development by not allowing the roots to penetrate.

However it isnt for everybody....

Some things require tilled soil and loose soil......'
I enjoy tilling.

Dodge, I also till, I've gotta have my spring farm ritual fix.

No tilling is harder than tilling. Take it from one who knows.


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Start here..

Welcome to the 2 tillers ....Now 3

I use a troy built an is is very much good.

b

I guess that's what I do...I buy a bag of potting soil, toss my seeds on the ground and toss a hand full of poitting soil on top...no til

I've tried both. as some have said earlier: what works for some doesn't work for others. I like to till. the only thing... the more you till the more weeds.
but if you can't grow a weed you can't grow much of anything else, right?
I have surely been pondering this till thing this spring! we haven't tilled in a few years. last year my crop was crape. we tilled a couple of month back and my veggies are growing like no bodies business but so are the weeds.

I need some advice---

DH wants to put more dirt in the back yard where my raised garden is, which will mean the end of my raised garden ;however, in the end I will have more useable area to garden on, so I am ok with this. ---
--But in order to get back there with a truck full of dirt, it will have to be done in say July---so no gardening for me this year, unless I want to have it all taken away then----which is ok because I have not been able to garden for the last say 2 seasons anyway...
as a result of my not being able to garden, I have the prettiest grass growing in half of my raised bed that there ever was....I am lucky in that part is full of my asperagus bed, and part is a herb bed. Those I managed somehow to keep weed free.

Clear as Mud???????

so I was thinking I would layer cardboard, Grass & such on the half that is over grown with grass this year, That should kill the grass and help my soil there right???----any and all advice would be welcome.

It would help your garden and kill the weeds. So go for it at any time. The sooner, the better.
Are you going to lose your asparagus in this soil moving thing?

I was concerned with that too, Tina----Rod said that as that part of the ground is already raised I should be ok----I have however at my other house moved asparagus plants before--so if I have to I will try it again I guess....
and by july they shoule be done bearing for the season and growing for next year anyway so a bit more dirt should not harm them right???

and as far as the herbs go, all I am really concerned with is my chives--once already they have lived as a house plant for just short of 1 year during the move, so if I have to put them in a pot for a few days all should be ok with them as well---

Yes, most herbs are easy to replace. And chives transplant well. But the asparagus take a couple of years to get to decent production and I 'lost' mine to concrete as they were just beginning their third year. With no time to transplant. So I was concerned about yours.

Why does he want more dirt? I like adding dirt. I think starting over is a good thing sometimes. And yes, if you put cardboard under the dirt that should get most of the weeds. Some of them get through somehow though.

They were the first thing I thought of as well. My dad has had trouble big time keeping his [size:8pt]]---*( I really think he may have planted them upside down [size:8pt] --although he says not) [/size]*...[/size]

all of mine came up for me, back at the farm and here....in this/current house it is their 3rd year..I will go way out of my way to make sure they do not harm them--Bless you for caring and helping me with the advice.

There is a spray in the market you can spray the grass and weeds and kill itin a few days if added when the sun is out ..

Round Up. Some people don't like to hear that but I've used it and like it.

Thats it .ROUNDUP.......

But be very accurate on spaying .. I mean shield if from spraying on you flowers.
I put up a cardboard to keep the spray where I want it .

Helps kill grass around the trees also.

b

yep I know all about round-up--we use it quite a lot, and have for 30 years---
I even had my cardboard all ready to sheild my chives and asparagus with while spraying the grass--

however even though it claims to be safe Rod said he does not want to be eating anthing from the dirt where it was sprayed.

---and before you say anything---

Rod has been raised in a farming community, his aunts & uncles were farmers, and his father owned grain elevators his whole life,--and Rod worked in the elevators off & on until his dad sold the last one, since he was 15 or so--- so he is well aware of Round-up, how it works and why----

while i agree with you both, and it would make MY life so much easier---we will not be doing that..

First off .we raise corn, for the cattle.
The seeds he sows are ROUNDUP READY seeds......
They do make a much better yield.

Us farmers us it to kill the weeds, not on the fruit or veggies.
weeds......

We refuse to spray our veggies of fruit trees.. For safety reasons.

Our neighbors put roundup on all the fields to kill the weeds about 6 weeks before planting.. We dont.
They plant potatoes and cabbage and similiar veggies.......
NOw they spray some horrible spray on the crops while growing.. Is is safe???
Beats me.

They have to go to meeting here to be allowed to use pesticides .. Licenses.

It is no fun farming now adays......
Running a grain elevator would be easier..LOL

I get all of what you said Barb--and I am sure Rod does too, that is my point--the boy knows all there is to know on the subject and he still feels the way h e does--so there is no "explaining" it all to him to where he gets an "ah ha " moment.

In 30 years I have learned that sometimes when he feels a certain way there is no changing his mind---no matter what the "real" facts are.

The call that Mode.......Male thinking.
Mine is always in that mode.......

Like the saying goes...NEVER MARRY A MAN YOU THINK YOU CAN CHANGE LATER.
IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN..



GOOD ADVICE FOR THOSE OUT LOOKING.......

I know what you mean Carol Jean. Sometimes we get an idea in our mind and there's no changing it. In this case I'd be tempted to spray a little while he isn't looking

John's Dr's are blaming one if his cancers on agricultural chemicals (part roundup) and maybe agent orange from his Viet Nam days. He won't spray. But we grew up with DDT everywhere before it was banned. (anyone remember No Bugs M'lady shelf paper?)
I do use a bit of roundup on stubborn, non food areas. I also had to take classes to become licensed to buy and use it (industrial strength) and others.

oh my gosh!!! We grew up with DDT too of course. I remember visiting my uncle in Clinton, SC and trucks were riding through the neighborhood spraying it out of a big tank to kill mosquitos. The entire city was covered in the white fog for a while.

Has John's doctor tested him for agent orange damage? My step dad has all sorts of neurological problems that I think stem from agent orange but no one wants to admit it.

His notion is more of a "better to be safe" notion I think---but yes you are right--there is no changing his mind.

Sheri--did I ever tell you why Rod wants more dirt in the back yard?? Our back yard is LOW--and it is next to impossible to mow the last say 10 feet of our yard until the end of may or so---We are of the notion that instead of leveling out our back yard, the builder used mosat of the dirt from our basement at some other location--that or sold it?? our neighbos backyard is very nice & dry---but he built it after we complined about our yard to him.

Tina, I am so sorry to hear about that with John---

Our driveway and yard are on a slope and every time it rains we loose a lot of dirt. I'm constantly adding mulch and dirt in places. It's time consuming and costly. We've been told that when the road (they are widening) is completed the slope won't be so bad and I'm hoping that is true. Right now the area that's been dug out across the street for the new road is so deep I can't see the tops of the front loaders when I'm standing in my yard. If they try to even our yard up with across the street the slope will be in the opposite direction but will be a steeper slope.

I don't use much RoundUp either. My thought it is it kills one thing it might kill another, me for instance. Being a plumber for along time Johnny has lung problems from asbestos and lead. We have to err on the side of caution.

Welcome to the club.
I am on a slope too...More so than most .. However better than living in a town..

I don't want to move to town either dodge.

You got it .

b

my radishes and lettuce are coming up nicely in my no till garden.

this is the first harvest from my lasagna garden