Should You Go No-Till?
To till or not to till, that is the question. When industrial farming first began expanding across the country, plowing the soil to prepare for planting was expected. But decades of poor soil management led to the Dust Bowl and widespread erosion. The no-till movement was born. Now up to 70 percent of commercial farmers say they use at least some no-till methods. But what about in your home garden? Should you go no-till there? Is it worth it? Is it even feasible? Let’s look at the pros and cons.
Pros of No-Till Gardening
Choosing not to till the soil of your garden can have a lot of benefits. For one, it’s less work for you! You don’t need to purchase or rent heavy equipment to chop up the soil. It also preserves the structure of the soil. This can prevent erosion and keep the microbiome of your soil happy. Which can lead to better soil fertility and less need for chemical fertilizer. It can also be cheaper if you aren’t paying for tilling equipment and fertilizer.
Typically no-till gardening uses cardboard or other light-blocking materials to kill any plants on the surface of the ground before planting. Then you apply heavy mulch to help break down the sod or other surface plant remnants. Adding organic matter like straw, wood chips, or grass clippings can add fertility to your soil. Mulch can also provide a place for beneficial insects and fungi to grow.
Keeping the soil structure loose and intact rather than compacted by heavy machinery can make it easier to plant each year. The longer you go without tilling, the more fertile your soil can get. The cumulative impact can drastically improve your soil over time. Plus you get the work savings every time you prep the area for planting. It’s not just a one time thing.
Reducing disruption to the top of the soil by not tilling can discourage opportunistic weeds from sprouting. Weeds like thistle, burdock, nettle, and other fast growing plants love to grow in freshly turned soil. Any dormant seeds below the surface will be brought to the top and given an opportunity to sprout. Keeping the soil structure intact keeps those dormant seeds from getting their chance in the sun.
Cons of No-Till Gardening
The biggest challenge for no-till gardening is typically weed management. For commercial farmers, chemical herbicides are frequently used to kill weeds without disturbing the soil. However, many home gardeners don’t want to use these harsh chemicals on their food crops. You can plant a cover crop and then “crimp” it, which means cutting or bending over the stems so they form a matted mulch on the ground. This can prevent erosion of the soil after your last harvest and provide mulch that will suppress weeds for your next planting. If you choose a nitrogen-fixing cover crop, it can even improve your soil. But it takes extra time, seed, and even possibly special equipment if you are planting on a large enough scale.
In general, going no-till can take longer than traditional soil preparation methods. You need to cover the plants on the soil with light blocking materials. Then wait several weeks or months for them to die. If you are dealing with dense sod or large plants, you may need to wait even longer for the root structures to fully decompose or you will get a lot of break-through weeds. Cutting through sod with a tiller or plow can quickly remove the plant material, and you can remove the sod and then follow no-till methods if that works better for you. But you will lose some of the soil fertility and structure in that valuable topsoil you take out.
Another drawback of no-till is that the resulting planting areas can look messy. Using grass or straw for mulch can be untidy and if you don’t have defined, raised beds, it can be difficult to tell where the beds and walkways begin and end. Using wood chips for mulch can be tidier, but it can also be more expensive if you have to pay for your mulch. You can also use grass or straw mulch on the growing areas and wood chips for the walkways to get the best of both mediums. Or build defined beds out of wood, stone, or metal to try to keep the grass in the walkways and away from your crops.
Will Going No-Till Work for You?
So, given these various benefits and drawbacks, you need to decide what will work best for you. Many garden “experts” on online forums have strong opinions about this issue. But the bottom line in deciding if you should go no-till is how you want to grow your garden. You don’t have to follow one method religiously either. You can use some tilling when you are starting a new garden bed from sod, or if you are pressed for time. But still keep to mulching and light blocking methods when and where you can.
The best part about your garden is that it is YOUR GARDEN. The only one who can answer the question of if you should go no-till is YOU! If you try one method and it doesn’t seem to be working for you, try something else. The beauty of gardening is that there is always next season or next planting to experiment and see what helps your garden grow. Don’t let an online “expert” tell you what to do. You know what works best for you and your garden.
Once you’ve decided how to prep your garden beds, you need to decide what to grow. Check out my 10 Best Plants to Grow for Your Budget to help you decide on some grocery bill saving staples.
