What is No-Till Gardening?
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No-till gardening is an easy way to grow vegetables and fruits without tilling the soil. Instead of tilling the soil, you are covering your soil with layers of mulch. Back to Eden Gardening is a no-till organic gardening method that uses wood chips to mulch a garden. By layering mulch on a garden, you promote soil health, beneficial organisms, up to 90% reduced irrigation, increased soil fertility, reduced weeds and reduced soil loss!
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BEST MULCH FOR A GARDEN
Paul Gautschi has popularized wood chip gardening, a no-till gardening technique. After using a variety of mulch in his gardens and orchards, Paul's favorite mulch is wood chips. However, if you don't have access to wood chips Paul recommends an organic, natural material that is local to you. Paul has used most every type of mulch including straw, grass clippings, leaves, animal manure, and rocks. However, wood chips have the most benefits and are worth trying hard to find!
THE BENEFITS OF MULCH IN A GARDEN
SAVES WATER
Mulch allows water to pass through easily while covering the composted soil below. The covering reduces water loss from erosion by retaining moisture. Wood chip gardening eliminates the need for irrigation by 95%.
BUILDS RICH SOIL
Mulch promotes healthy soil. It creates an environment for beneficial organisms and microorganisms to thrive. When you till, you disrupt the soil's ecosystem and beneficial organisms. Every time you water or it rains, compost tea is being distributed to the soil below the covering which fertilizes your plants.
MAKES WEEDING EASIER
Mulch reduces weeds that germinate in your garden. Weeds that do grow are easy to pull out of the soft, aerated soil below the covering.
SAVES TIME & ENERGY
Mulching your garden reduces most of the hard work that is traditionally associated with gardening. By covering you garden, you will spend less time watering, weeding, tilling, and fertilizing. You will spend more time building your soil and harvesting the most bountiful garden!
BEST TYPES OF MULCH FOR VEGETABLE GARDENING
Paul Gautschi has popularized wood chip gardening, a no-till gardening technique. After using a variety of mulch in his gardens and orchards, Paul's favorite mulch is wood chips. Wood chips come in a variety of shapes and sizes. As observing nature teaches us, mulch made from a a diversity of tree species, and leaves usually create the best wood chip mulch. Leaves add Nitrogen and chipped wood adds carbon. Together they create the perfect composting recipe to enrich your soil. The best parts of the tree to use for fresh wood chip mulch are chipped branches and leaves. Avoid Black Walnut and Eucalyptus due to allopathic seed growth suppressing properties.
Mulch allows water to pass through easily while covering the composted soil below. The covering reduces water loss from erosion by retaining moisture. Wood chip gardening eliminates the need for irrigation by 95%.
BUILDS RICH SOIL
Mulch promotes healthy soil. It creates an environment for beneficial organisms and microorganisms to thrive. When you till, you disrupt the soil's ecosystem and beneficial organisms. Every time you water or it rains, compost tea is being distributed to the soil below the covering which fertilizes your plants.
MAKES WEEDING EASIER
Mulch reduces weeds that germinate in your garden. Weeds that do grow are easy to pull out of the soft, aerated soil below the covering.
SAVES TIME & ENERGY
Mulching your garden reduces most of the hard work that is traditionally associated with gardening. By covering you garden, you will spend less time watering, weeding, tilling, and fertilizing. You will spend more time building your soil and harvesting the most bountiful garden!
BEST TYPES OF MULCH FOR VEGETABLE GARDENING
Paul Gautschi has popularized wood chip gardening, a no-till gardening technique. After using a variety of mulch in his gardens and orchards, Paul's favorite mulch is wood chips. Wood chips come in a variety of shapes and sizes. As observing nature teaches us, mulch made from a a diversity of tree species, and leaves usually create the best wood chip mulch. Leaves add Nitrogen and chipped wood adds carbon. Together they create the perfect composting recipe to enrich your soil. The best parts of the tree to use for fresh wood chip mulch are chipped branches and leaves. Avoid Black Walnut and Eucalyptus due to allopathic seed growth suppressing properties.
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Raw Wood Chips
Raw wood chips are freshly chipped tree trimmings that have not had time to break down into composted wood chips. If you contact a local tree trimming company, you will get a delivery of raw wood chips. We recommend using the Chip Drop App to get a FREE delivery of raw wood chips. Raw woodchips can be added as a mulch to cover your soil in your veggie garden. You can NOT plant seeds directly in the raw woodchips. You must plant seeds below them in the soil or compost. Raw woodchips are like a beneficial blanket on your garden bed. |
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Composted Wood Chips
Composted wood chips are chipped tree trimmings that have had time to break down and have composted for 3+ months, being turned periodically. This is what you will create from letting your raw wood chips sit and break down for 3+ months in a pile or on your garden bed. You CAN plant directly in the composted woodchips. As you can see in the photo they have turned into a soil-like consistency. |
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Screened Wood Chips
Screened wood chips are composted wood chips that have been screened with a garden sieve. This is an ideal mulch for planting seeds in your garden. |