Planning a No-Till Garden

I think my love of gardening was passed down from my Grandmother. She was a master gardener. She also had a variety of houseplants including a gardenia which seemed to blossom for the holidays, a task which I was not able to achieve.

For years I have struggled with a rototiller and a spading fork in the spring, turning over the soil  and fighting weeds all season. As I age this gets harder and harder.

I saw a segment on a TV program about No-Till gardening which explained that tilling the soil exposes weed seeds to light and hastens their germination. The method they  suggested was keeping a permanent mulch cover and top dressing the crops with compost. This mimics what is seen in nature in the forest.

Many years ago my uncle told me about the Ruth Stout method of gardening which consisted of  covering the garden with a 6 to 8 inch layer of hay like a  blanket. I listened to his explanation but continued digging and turning.

Ruth Stout lived in Redding, CT and admitted in a video interview to gardening naked because she loved the feel of air on her body.  Anyone who would admit to that needs to be listened to. Ruth lived to the ripe old age of 96 and continued to garden throughout her life.

A friend of mine had bales of hay which were starting to mold and unacceptable for her animals. I offered to take them for my garden. There is work involved, I need to transport this pile to the garden. Watch this space for a progress report.