How to Make A No-Till Garden

This is the perfect project for the lazy gardener! There's no messy, stinky compost pile to deal with, few, if any, weeds, and very little watering to do.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Newspaper
• Large bucket for water
• Composted manure
• A variety of "browns" for layering: straw, dead leaves/grass/weeds, wood chips, bark, and/or shredded paper
• A variety of "greens"for layering: hay/green grass, fresh leaves, fruit/vegetable peels, and/or coffee grounds
• Cinder blocks or bricks

1. Fill a large bucket with water. Soak newspapers until thoroughly soaked, but not falling apart.
2. Layer wet newspaper on the ground where you want your garden to be. Shoot for about 4-5 layers of newspaper to create an effective weed barrier.
3. Use cinder blocks or bricks to create a border for your garden. This will keep all the good organic stuff from washing away. Set your border material directly on top of the newspaper. Leaving a gap between the newspaper and the border will allow weeds to get through.
4. Spread a layer of composted manure on the newspaper. It should be about 2" thick. Water thoroughly.
5. Spread a 2" thick "brown" layer on top of manure. These materials are usually slower to decompose. Water thoroughly.
6. Add 2" of "green," or high nitrogen, material.
7. Continue layering and watering until you've built a nice, thick base for your garden.
8. To plant, make a well in the layers. Fill with composted manure or soil, and place plants in well. Make sure roots are completely covered.
9. Add to your garden throughout the season. As the plants get bigger, and the organic matter begins to break down, you can add additional layers to the garden. Water thoroughly, often enough to keep soil slightly moist, but not wet.

Tips & Warnings

• Crushed eggshells add calcium to your soil
• If you have a fish tank, consider watering your garden with some of the dirty tank water. It's full of nutrients, and plants love it.
• Don't use treated wood in your garden. It could contain harmful chemicals that you don't want leaching into your food.
• NEVER add cat, dog, or human feces to your garden. They could contain harmful bacteria or parasites.