Tilling vs. Non Tilling Gardens
To till or not to till may be not always the question but with the rise of no-till gardening, it's worth considering. Traditional gardening methods control weeds by tilling the soil. No-till gardening methods skip the labor intense tilling and instead use large quantities of mulch to smother weeds. Does this Spark an idea?
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Traditional Gardening
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Traditionally gardeners turn over the soil in the garden bed once a year, usually in early spring before planting but often in late fall after the final harvest. The reasons for tilling a garden are to disrupting and suppressing weeds and to create a soil environment that accepts fertilizers readily. Gardeners use a rototiller or a manual garden fork to turn over the soil. It does get rid of weeds, but tilling involves strenuous work for the gardener.
No-Till Method
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The no-till method relies on mulch to suppress weeds and improve the soil nutrient levels. Instead of turning over the soil each spring, gardeners put down thick layers of plant based mulch materials. In particularly weedy areas, a layer of cardboard or thick newspaper covered with a mulch layer keeps the weeds from growing. Under the mulch, weed seeds suffocate before they can germinate and grow. Spreading newspaper and mulch over the soil takes work but it saves you the labor of turning over all the soil.
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Benefits
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No-till gardening saves water. A layer of mulch keeps moisture close to the soil by slowing evaporation. This cuts down on the amount of water you need to supply to the garden each day. The organic mulch material breaks down over time. As it breaks down, it rots into the soil improving the structure and the nutrient levels of the soil. You can rebuild the soil and cut down on fertilizer costs at the same time with no-till gardening.
Methods
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In order to effectively suppress weeds, you have to use a lot of mulch and a biodegradable barrier layer. A single layer of corrugated cardboard or a thick layer of newspaper, at least 10 sheets deep, makes up the bottom layer. On top of that, you need a 8- to 10-inch layer of organic mulch material. Grass clippings work well and are easy to come by when mowing the lawn. Sawdust, compost, wood chips and other plant-based mulches are also suitable.
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References
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