Viewing post #1203138 by Weedwhacker

cottelpg said:Excellent article. Well written and informative.

No-till isn't just for raised beds... but for a new "regular" (not raised beds) garden, I think tilling is necessary for a certain amount of time, depending on what you're starting out with. Our soil was very rocky and clay-loam, and took quite a few years to get to the point where I no longer felt I needed to till, several years ago. And, while no one would describe my garden as "weed free" (someone might have let the chickweed go to seed last year ), the soil now seems very healthy, with worms everywhere and never any standing water (which for years was a big problem for us). I use lots of grass clippings for mulch over the course of the gardening season, and add even more, plus leaves and such, in the fall (nearly all of which has decomposed and disappeared from view by the spring). And I also have a compost pile that gets added to the plantings as needed.

Thanks for the excellent article, Reid -- it really does all start with the soil!