![]() ![]() This one may seem counterintuitive, since you’re not working a bunch of air into your soil every year. When you till your garden, you’re actually making an idea spot for weeds. Weeds are fast, opportunistic growers, well-suited to the kind of environment tilling creates. ![]() We covered this above, but it bears saying again – tilling the soil not only reveals dormant weed seeds, it also gives them readily available nutrients. Here are some of the main benefits of no-till or no-dig gardening. There’s no better growing condition for a plant than the natural, carefully balanced ecosystem of soil that’s already below your feet. The Benefits of No-Till Gardening Methods The time span varies from plant to plant, but most weeds seeds can survive for years in the soil, waiting for the opportune time and conditions to sprout. It also overturns weed seeds that have been lying dormant underground. Just as all that organic matter benefits your crops, it also benefits any weed that might take hold, causing them to grow bigger and stronger than ever. Last but not least, weeds benefit massively from tilling. Tilling a garden bed not only damages their environment, it can flat out kill them by chopping them up or leaving them exposed to the hot sun. Loosening the soil may improve aeration in the short term, but it also disturbs all the natural bonds holding it in place, making it much more prone to erosion.īeneficial earthworms and nematodes are essential to healthy soil. Your plants aren’t the only ones to be affected by soil tilling. And in the long run, it will do more harm to the plant than good. If you spread that fertile soil throughout the plant’s entire root system, you’re suddenly forcing the plant to take in far more nutrients than usual, and disturbing its ability to take in minerals usually found deep underground.Įxposing all the roots to rich compost may make for showy, fast growth, but it’s not what the plant has evolved for. The lower roots bring in minerals deep in the soil and provide an anchor against the wind. Plants’ root systems are specialized – only the top roots are meant to absorb the nutrient-rich topsoil. And this wisdom prevails, because for the first year the plants do tend to grow at a faster rate.īut in exchange for that faster rate, you throw off the delicate balance of the soil and put a lot of stress on the plants. The prevailing wisdom is that it prevents soil compaction and spreads the nutrients of compost and last year’s decomposing plants throughout. It seems everywhere you turn, you hear that you need to till your earth before planting. Keep reading to learn about no-dig raised beds. Why are no-dig garden beds - also called no-till gardens - becoming so popular? It’s because they’re better for the environment, better for your plants, and so much easier on your back. The key to gardening is digging, isn’t it? Don’t you have to till the earth to make way for new growth? No! This is a very common and prevailing misconception, but it’s beginning to lose traction, especially with small space gardeners.
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