Why I Decided To Till My Garden

25% off ALL Birdies Raised Beds: growepic.co/3yqRx2N
I did the unthinkable and tilled my garden - but why? Isn't it better to never disturb the soil. It turns out, the answer isn't as black and white as you might imagine. Tilling made sense - one time - in my backyard in-ground garden.
0:00 - Intro
0:40 - What Is Tilling?
1:52 - Downsides of Tilling
4:27 - Why Did I Till?
7:15 - One Till Tips
IN THIS VIDEO
→ Shop the store: shop.epicgardening.com
SUPPORT EPIC GARDENING
→ Shop: growepic.co/shop
→ Seeds: growepic.co/botanicalinterests
LEARN MORE
→ All Our Channels: growepic.co/youtube
→ Blog: growepic.co/blog
→ Podcast: growepic.co/podcasts
→ Discord: growepic.co/discord
→ Instagram: growepic.co/insta
→ TikTok: growepic.co/tiktok
→ Pinterest: growepic.co/pinterest
→ Twitter: growepic.co/twitter
→ Facebook: growepic.co/facebook
→ FB Group: growepic.co/fbgroup
DISCLAIMER
Epic Gardening occasionally links to goods or services offered by vendors to help you find the best products to care for plants. Some of these may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if items are purchased. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. More info on our process: www.epicgardening.com/disclai...

[@brandyrios3394]

I posted this on your last video but don't know if you saw it so posting it again........I am not sure why no one knows this but if you plant wild garlic in your gardens you won't have any aphids. I grow them in my flower and vegetable gardens. Even my roses don't get any aphids. They reseed themselves and have a tiny bulb underground so if you get too many you can just cook with them. They have a very mild flavor. One year I planted petunias in pots and the aphids must have been mad at me because they covered my petunias. I planted one garlic plant in the center of each pot and now I don't get any aphids. I have added the to all my other potted plants too. My local greenhouse had them growing everywhere on their lawn and asked if I wanted some and I said sure. I planted them to eat but years down the road I realized I never had any aphids so it was purely by accident that I got rid of any aphids.🙂

[@pyrorc]

Thank you for your diligence.i will take note

[@intergalacticprophylactic]

Cool info

[@lenam2114]

I just screenshotted this, thank you! I will try it out for sure

[@epicgardening]

I'll research this!

[@pyrorc]

While we're on the subject. When you're companion planting plant lots of carrots. They will not only help build the soil and aerate the soil but they will help bring beneficial pollinators like ladybugs to come into play

[@angusmacduff3471]

I used to till - now I grow everything in the blue recycle bins that the town used to use - they gave them away when they switched to the mechanical arms. I have about forty of them. I cut the bottoms out and use them like a raised bed. Works great - drilled holes for heavy wire hoops - frost protection and bug cloth. I made drip irrigation attached to each bed (rows) from my water barrels. I have an old pool filter - about twenty-five gallons - for the supply. I can add fertilizer to it and direct it to the rows that I want with shut-offs. I pump the collected rain to that barrel. I had to make the rows wider last year so that I could get my stool and big feet to fit without cramping me up - that happens when you get old - ninety-two years - the doctor, last week, said that the only thing wrong with me was my weight - six foot - 190 pounds - every test came in at 100%. The healthiest old goat that he's seen - makes me happy.

[@kellylynnstudios2185]

Do have the barrels set up vertical or horizontal? Sounds like a great garden!

[@korinngo5557]

Sounds awesome! What an inspiration!

[@angusmacduff3471]

@@kellylynnstudios2185 Vertically - I cut a hole in the tops and drop in a sump pump. Works good with no hassle and they pump fast.

[@melissasullivan1658]

Now that is excellent recycling!

[@kirstin3639]

Do you have photos of this?

[@Vermicompost]

1 till then no till is the way to go when you’re starting a new area to plant for sure!!! Great video & explanations!!!🪱🪱🪱

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

When I was converting the front lawn to a garden space, I found that whoever had built the house decades ago had dumped all their construction waste there and buried it over. This included 200 lb. sandstone boulders that protruded up through the soil, and unfortunately had to be lifted out by hand. I also encountered all kinds of glass shards and scrap metal, and a lot of random garbage, which are apparently typical of suburban construction. I regret tilling this area since I caused a lot of damage to the nearby tree roots, but the construction waste had to come out, and it's the only time I will have to do this. I've since taken a new approach of core gardening by placing bundles of organic material at roughly ground level, and then burying the whole thing with topsoil and compost in order to mound up the bed. Instead of bales of hay, I'm using bundles of newspaper that would otherwise get thrown in the recycle (which would cost the town fuel to transport and process) that are tied up with sisal twine. I also went around the neighborhood and swiped everyone's discarded Christmas trees in the first week of January, so I could cut them up and bury them for a new hügelkultur bed I'm building.

[@jenniferhooks2454]

I lived in an Ohio suburb where a situation similar to yours happened. A builder would buy a lot and scrape off the topsoil and sell it. Then as the lot was built on, trash and debris would be buried in the yard. I actually watched this process happen. What the homeowner would be left with was a yard of clay subsoil. Gardening there was a challenge, but no 200 pound boulders were discovered.

[@fourcatsandagarden]

I found like 300ish bricks at the back of my property line when I was poking around - they were also left over from when the house was built, tho my house was built in the 1940s. There are also some cinderblocks that are too deep down and on a steep hill, so I haven't messed with those. The bricks were a bit of a boon for me, since I used them to make a little pathway for myself and then to make some garden outlines. I may move them elsewhere in the future but for right now they're helping me plan things out. I've also found quite a bit of broken glass and rusted metal, but I don't think that's from the builders. The lady that was two owners ago had some cheap metal fencing of some kind that I had to rip up, and the guy who lived here before me was a heavy drinker who just tossed his bottles and cans into the woods.

[@Phalaenopsisify]

I had a similar situation, when we got our allotment a little bit over a year ago I went in with the intention of doing no dig from the start. Fortunately my fiancé insisted on levelling the ground which I'm quite happy he did, we found a lot of garbage on the surface level, glass shards, old nails, broken pottery and nasty plastic. All that trash was not limited to the surface but we found tons of trash and strange things further down which we managed to get out of the soil. We'll probably continue to get up trash whenever we harvest potatoes or plant anything but at least we're not likely to find ingrown glass in our root crops!

[@JRileyStewart]

This actually makes a lot of sense. Suburban lawns are typically crappy fill (e.g., clay and/or rock), get fertilized and herbicized several times per year, and no amount of compost overlay will really fix that in the first few seasons. Hope as we may, Charles Dowding. I don't want to till my existing no-til gardens, but maybe a round or two of broad forking will help.

[@eklectiktoni]

this!

[@dlsdyer9071]

We have had to drill holes through the hardened clay layer to get pockets to drain as the roots kept rotting. It turns out that our home was built on a scraped shale ledge with building materials dumped on top of it. There was one inch and at best two inches of top soil. If anything was dug, the top soil washed off the slope. We had to grow weeds, then plant grass among the weeds and then over a decade work at getting the weeds out (we have an open beer invite for the creative brain behind the mulching mower). We finally got a lawn established, then we needed to get our sewer line replaced. Three years later we finally got grass growing again and then the phone company came through and trenched the whole upper part of our property, killing established trees and the top half of our lawn. Then they have the audacity to keep pestering us to use their service. You do what you have to do to get your plants to grow. No conditions are the same and time marches on.

[@ashleyg6365]

No dig would take years to get near the results needed in my N Texas black clay soil so I'm a big fan of first year tilling

[@Ottawajames]

Jacques pulling weeds was reminiscent of every infomercial lol

[@epicgardening]

Hahah that was our goal :P

[@GrowingOrganicTvShow]

Try adding gypsum then soak with water. It will make tilling much easier, plus adds calcium.

[@allydaley7706]

Thank you, this is *exactly* what we did, and I got so much crap for it in my online gardening groups. We’re also in SD and our soil was rock hard clay. We did a full year of heavy mulch with no results. Our pick axe could barely made a dent. We covered the yard with a few cubic yards of compost, and tilled with a rental tiller. 3 months later and we have worms and life returning to the soil!

[@SerpentDrago]

100 percent , it just seems logical , that no till is not going to work when you have no good soil to begin with or pure clay . I by just pure logic have always felt you need to till 1 time . just be sure to add organic matter back in and even worms if needed !

[@Hazel_Dazel]

exactly, especially when there's a lot of clay (super small soil particles) it compacts really hard and there's very little oxygen. Roots can't dig in to it. Doing tillage once to break up the compaction to add oxygen and organic matter will be so much better than fighting for several years trying to bring life into the soil.

[@jeroid123]

a lot of No tillers are just like the cult of organic anything that's not what they want or do is evil to them, its stupid, every yard is an individual microbiome, your way very likely will not work for mine, my dirt might just be worse from the start. sorry if I sound heated, a lot of the reason I didn't start seriously gardening for years is just because every gardener I met was an organic/no till cult dick. wasn't till I started watching epic gardening that i realized gardeners weren't just assholes that will shit on you and treat you as an invalid gardener for not being anal about being completely organic

[@flatsville9343]

Try covercropping to break up clay. The CC does the work for you & the in place roots below the soil line add organic matter right where it's needed.

[@helen2061]

Wow, Eric, that was mind boggling! I live on the east coast and I follow Charles Dowding and a number of other British gardeners. Realizing that they are growing on ancient soils that were farm lands and pastures and, like you, I'm growing on an area that was cleared for houses in the last half century and around here was pure sand to begin with. I finally have the answer to Why is this so hard!?

[@yes350yes]

I was in the same situation back fill with rocks and what have you , so it been years of tilling adding organic and my ground is better but not yet where I want it. Its been quite the chore, so till is what I do knowing that it is somewhat disrupting for all the good stuff in the soil. The area that Im using is mainly for growing tomatoes and luckily I have access to race horse stables where I can get manure and that gave me a huge boost in better quality foods.

[@n8vnoob523]

Kevin*?

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

As new gardeners it's difficult when you follow a certain philosophy. Especially when the people you follow often time took years to develop their own. Every situation is different so why would there be a singular solution. Solid observations, well thought out solutions = sound advice. Cheers Kevin From Victoria Canada

[@ml.5377]

Where I am, rocks have babies. There are so many rocks tilling is a must. Successive planting gets better, but sometimes I feel like they move and settle in my beds. It does give me a chance to add nutrients, biochar, rice hull, vermicompost, etc.

[@TheBeadGarden]

That was my childhood gardening experience... every spring, tilled, picked up rocks. By adulthood, huuuuuuge rock pile out there. Lol.

[@poshpoultry8721]

Put your kids to work! I give my 6 year old a dime for every rock he gathers lol just like my grandpa did for me as a child

[@TheBeadGarden]

@@poshpoultry8721 that's not fair. I had to do it for free when I was a kid, lol.

[@poshpoultry8721]

@@TheBeadGarden oh goodness lol I pay my 6 year old to do small chores around the farm but when he is with his dad at dads house he makes him do chores without getting anything lol it’s why I’m the cool parent lol

[@a9029k]

As someone who lives in an area with heavy red clay, the whole “no till” concept has always cracked me up.

[@bustedkeaton]

It works great for a lot of situations, not really anything to laugh at if it works

[@a9029k]

@@bustedkeaton the issue is that a lot of people with gardening channels on KZbin advise against tilling and discuss “no till” as clearly superior without understanding or explaining that it’s completely impractical and sometimes impossible depending on the area and the situation.

[@teebillingsley9643]

My next door neighbor no tills over 100 acres of red clay soil every year. He pulls his tractor that flames and drops his seed at the same time. No weeds in summer through fall just beautiful plants.

[@a9029k]

@@teebillingsley9643 the average gardener doesn’t own a tractor, though, let alone one with flamethrowers

[@LittleKikuyu]

Your comment cracked me up 😂❤️ 🚜 🔥

[@simplesimon755]

Thanks for explaining this. I am just starting out and have noticed that the soil I have to work with is pretty compacted and not in great shape so tilling once at the start seemed like the thing to do but I held off since I just kept hearing advice saying never to till. Tilling once makes a lot of sense, in the right circumstances.

[@epicgardening]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rivitraven]

Do it!! And be sure to add some organic matter into it to provide some aeration and prevent it from compacting too much again!

[@teebillingsley9643]

Love this. I started working in my grandparents garden in 1944 on their farm. My mom did the victory gardens and I started with my husband while a junior in college. The only way I knew was organic. I have been no-till gardening for several years on our land now. We are too old and crippled, but the 3, 5, and 15 gallon buckets keep us growing food and flowers. I just have to smell and touch the earth. It becomes a death until we stop. The buckets help since I am in a wheelchair.

[@tasgardener7923]

When I first started the garden here my clay ground was so hard you couldn't even get the tip of a shovel into it. Whenever it rained (and it rains a lot in Tas!) the water just sat on top of the ground turning it into a constant mud pit. I originally tilled mine but in the years since I've just been adding organic matter on top of the originally tilled ground. It's now chock full of worms and other life and the water no longer just sits on top of rock hard ground without soaking in.

[@audreyvann5336]

Took about ten years at my old house to actually have soil ...then I moved to a new build. I tried to plant a tree, but instead got a tiny, disgusting swimming pool that I had to dig completely out - as in pick ax out once the clay dried enough. I've been working on it, but it's only been a couple of years. Needless to say, we built some raised beds for most things and just keep adding compost and wood chips to the flower beds we put in.

[@GardenKatt]

My backyard is clay. I tried tilling when i first moved here and ended up with 3 inched standing water where i tilled. Now same as most others i have switched to raised beds and putting extra straw or what not in walkways

[@SK-lt1so]

I did break up the soil with a pitchfork for many years. At first, the soil was soft, but after a few months, it seemed to settle again to a very firm upper layer. I think there is truth that there is a "structure" to untouched soil that you breakup with tilling. Now I just add compost, and leave it otherwise.

[@practicalgardening4631]

Broad-forking is a classic market gardener technique. I think tilling is definitely over done in the home garden. Considering you can’t exactly till perennials every year how exactly is it necessary every year for annuals ? Cultivating or aerating is a different story. Just agitating the soil locally to get a bit of aeration has been shown to make a big difference in yields but totally tossing the soil is unnecessary to achieve that. In nature we can see aeration occur as animals move around and agitate soil near the surface or as trees die and tip over and rip soil up.

[@donavinnezar]

@@practicalgardening4631 as well as general erosion from rainfall too It's a little hilly where I live and the local corn farmer list like 3 feet of topsoil in some areas due to erosion (in a single rainfall too)

[@practicalgardening4631]

@@donavinnezar yes absolutely a real problem with broad agriculture in “unsuitable locations” I don’t like interference but I think there should be zoning based on your type of agriculture as opposed to lumping it all together. Industrial style farming “works” and for now we need it but it’s something we need to discourage where it does the most damage.

[@la1163]

I could never tilled my backyard, I have too many underground cables running and I don't even have cable in my house. So I did Charles Dowding method. I've been very fortunate to have a great backyard with hardly any weeds and great soil. You got to do what you go do for starting a veggie garden.

[@epicgardening]

That makes total sense in your situation!

[@greenergrowing]

Tilling only makes sense if you are tilling in organic matter, such as a green manure or a cover crop. Otherwise, the soil microbes will do the tilling for you. It takes time, but even clay soils can be improved by piling a layer of compost and wood chips on top. It is a myth that plants need light fluffy soil for good root development. Consider, for example, the forest floor. Plants do well without tilling. The deciduous trees drop their leaves and these are broken down by fungi and bacteria. Tilling compacts the soil beneath because the tines of the tiller pound the ground beneath them as they rotate. The weight of the tiller adds to the force of the tines. However, I think a one time till makes sense if you are trying to add a lot of organic matter to a new garden in poor soil. After that, leave the soil alone and let the worms and the microbes work their magic for you.

[@TheMightyYak]

@@greenergrowing I agree with you on almost everything, but its worth thinking about the fact that forest floors have often had hundreds (or even thousands) of years of leaf and other organic matter built up on them. So yes, the soil is probably quite rich and friable. Also the trees have large taproots that can penetrate heavy compacted soils and help break them down, so you could grow a small woodland/forest and cut it down if you wanted a natural till, but I don't think most of us have 50 years to wait for the trees to grow first... Soil microbes do not till the soil, what no-till growing is relying on is the root penetration of plants, and disturbance from organisms such as worms that physically move through the soil in order to loosen compacted ground. This is all to say that I love the no-till method, but agree that in some cases the ground will in fact benefit from tilling once before switching to no-till.

[@greenergrowing]

@TheMightyYak True. Microbes do not 'till' the soil, but they do transport essential minerals to the plants. Earthworms help to aerate the soil. And, the plant roots penetrate the soil, even into the subsoil. I think it is amazing how it all works together. Clay soil is a challenge, but on the plus side, you don't need to water as much. Woah to the gardener who has hardpan. Then, I think raised beds are a good option.

[@TheMightyYak]

@@greenergrowing Agreed, at lest clay soil has a lot of nutrients though, Even if it is a pain in the ass!

[@elyjahwortham3496]

I have heavy clay soil, I have been rolling every year just to get that good organic material I'm building on the surface over the year deep in the ground to break up the clay. Soon I won't have to till anymore and will be able to just build up.

[@dechesino601]

I would love to see you use that great fence for vertical gardening. Hanging bags of Strawberries or cherry tomatoes. Or even just flowers for a pop of color to your fantastic green garden.

[@nickhayley]

The biggest takeaway I got from this awesome video was that gardening and soil care is a lifetime long endeavour. Thinking of your life in terms of the number of growing seasons is such a fundamentally connected way to view your life. And if you're growing healthfully, eating healthfully and nurturing your growing space, I find it difficult to imagine a more rich way to live your life.❤❤❤

[@jamescraigrn]

The one till method always made the most sense to me. Broadfork until you have the perfect soil composition and the just add to it every year.

[@JATJAT330]

I inadvertently did a "one till" with my plot because I didn't discover "no till" until after I'd dug it over in my first season, and I know I've benefitted from that one off. My plot has been leaps and bounds better than other plot holders in the area, makes me feel quite smug ...

[@ntcssj]

I'm in a rental and I haven't tilled but I've found when I dug deep in some areas to grow potatoes, or plant bulbs into the former lawn, I found big, fist or football sized rocks in the soil!! In one raised bed area, I found a stone the size of a medium dog :O that they used to fill the bed that a flowering bush was planted right on top of (and later cut down... no wonder)! I've started noticing whereever there's been patchy grass is a good indicator of rocks in the lawn... SUCH a horrible idea just to try save money on fill! -.- My city yard would definitely be a candidate for tilling once (if the machines were strong enough for the rocks!)

[@epicgardening]

So insane when there are rocks that big!

[@ayina111]

Try to live in my country, there are many rocks as big as a truck in the middle of the rice fields. Or it is a common when you dig the soil you'll find rocks in your backyard. Yes, there are vulcanic rocks that were thrown centuries ago.

[@thewanderingooak]

Starts to warm up slightly...... Yeah it'll be quite a while until we aren't under a bunch of snow. The ground is frozen until like... April. I wish I could be outside working

[@harveyschindler9554]

The only way I was able to till my bed was with my 60hp stump grinder. I tried the large walk behind tillers, broke two of them ( they refused to rent it to me anymore). Neighbor had something behind his John Deere 4wd farm tractor. It would just bounce off. Maybe 4-6” of soil with feet of hard ass clay. When it’s dry, it’s cement and wet it stick and binds to whatever you put in it. I had a 60hp Carlton stumper with tracks, it would chop it up to dust. One problem with that was, once wet the dried, it was like walking on a concrete pad. The only thing I find that works well is a foot or two of wood chips layered on top and a lot of time. I do a lot of raised bed with 2nd hand tin and yellow wood frame. Also used the cow panels squares.

[@kfetter9046]

I completely agree with you Kevin. Anyone who has clay knows that it can be like cement. Not a lot of living things can survive in cement-like conditions. Tilling on a regular basis = no; tilling once in the beginning = yes, if needed. Your space looks great! 👍

[@andersonomo597]

100% agree with 'whatever works for you' + knowledge! I have heavy clay, full of rocks, so I till each section several times, incorporating compost, picking out the stones, breaking up the clay clods by hand, until the soil is loose and 'rich' and then I switch to no dig. I haven't got enough time to wait for the earthworms to do all the work! This has worked for me and I have several beds with beautiful deep healthy soil. One rule for everyone doesn't work!

[@newgravityfilms]

Excellent points here.... I think it's likely that your first year out you will have to till to set the soil up to heal correctly.

[@juliemcgugan1244]

I tilled my new garden because i saw it when it was still a building site. There was so much trash left all over the place by the builders! Old wiring, nails, glass, pieces of rebar. I’m glad I did, because I don’t need to be hurting myself while gardening. I didn’t manage to get rid of everything, but so far I’ve only encountered glass going through my gardening glove once, in the past year.

[@msbutterbeans]

Thank you. This is my exact situation with Sacramento clay in a 70 year old suburb. I feel so relieved now. Heading out to finish tilling this morning then off to the Farmer's market for my organic starts! I'm really glad I found your video. What a relief.

[@CB-sr8ee]

The black and white video of Jacques pulling weeds in frustration is giving me serious infomercial vibes (before the miracle product is introduced).

[@nonnoziccardy4353]

Last year I converted to market garden techniques including in my birdies raised garden beds, I have never gotten better results. The market garden techniques are scalable down for a Home Market Garden! Good explanation on why a 1 till is appropriate.

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

I till my beds once a year to incorporate compost and make soil with wonderful tilth. I have been in this garden for 25 years now and my soil just gets better and better! I guess my beds are bacterially dominated but since my vegetables are grown as annuals I reckon their symbiotic fungi are probably annuals too eh? Where I grow perennials, I expect to have more fungal dominated soils.

[@jamesclaire115]

Tili, We used a one till only method of starting a garden in The Philippines. We then added rice hulls and sand to loosen up the clay soil that had been rice field for over 100 years. We compost rice hulls, rice straw and garden waste. One till was needed initially to break up the top of the old rice field. Great video. Thank you for sharing. Stay well and stay safe. Be blessed!

[@ayina111]

I live in tropics with 300++ rainy day with clay soil. I tell you even the soil hardly absorb the water if you are not till it first. I tried with no dig in the first year with 20cm compost and vegetables roots can't go into the native soil. So yes, I need to till it first. And now the veggies are much much better

[@suffolkshepherd]

Like the channel, and I am a subscriber. And I don't take exception to this video but do want to add that I cant till my garden as it was full of tree roots in hard red clay soil. There was not an earthworm in sight. But, I piled up barn cleanings that I get from a sheep barn on top of that red clay, and in the shape of a 4 foot bed. It has been 11 months since I did that and I have now have black soil filled with earthworms. So what I am saying is I still don't think tilling is necessary. Just sharing what I have observed and I gave this video a thumbs up. Also, I have recently bought six Birdies beds from EPIC so going to start an additional garden using raised beds.

[@epicgardening]

That works! I'm so glad to hear that your soil is amazing

[@rebeccaslingwine4298]

Thank you for this, you convinced me to give one-till a try! I'm a rural gardener with a lot of space that no one has gardened in but my soil is like a brick (seriously, you need a pickaxe to get into it when it's dry) and early last winter I started some no-till lasagna beds that are doing well, but you've convinced me to try tilling in some areas and see what happens - it'll be cool to see how the one-till vs no-till beds grow and change! Also, I love your San Diego optimism about the end of winter - I'm in zone 5b and my last frost date is in May. That doesn't stop me from starting seeds indoors in March and then moving them to cold frames in my raised beds (and then panicking about the cold frames collapsing during the inevitable freak blizzard in April), but we'll be waiting a few months before we break out the rototiller! ;)

[@donuttleo]

Best approach and explanation on tilling I've seen.

[@artistlovepeace]

This is the best gardening channel on YT. Thank you so much for producing and sharing. Really influencing my gardens this year. Better than anything on TV or streaming apps. TY so much Epic Gardening.

[@sunflowerhill4349]

This is so interesting, as I've gone through a bit of an evolution with this too. I've been very No Dig, but found that on compacted soil, (my place was farmland, and I'm between 2 very large farms, so while we have great soil here it has been compacted by livestock and nutrients locked up with use of superphosphate etc), I was finding that actually putting compost and mulch on to the surface was only creating a thin top layer. It really wasn't being brought down at least not much, by micro organisms. I was introduced to the idea of broadforking, and over the course of a few years that evolved to opening up new areas by a kind of in place forking / tilling. I do it with a pitchfork, by hand, and mostly manage to break the soil up finely in place in the ground, without turning or upending it or upsetting the layers, and causing the minimal possible harm to soil fauna. I can then incorporate compost, manures, rock dust etc, just by laying it over the top and forking again to sort of sift it down through the loosened soil. Doing it that way avoids the negatives of tilling as much as possible I feel, while still getting useable soil quickly for maximum food production straight away. It's HORRIBLY hard work but my plan is just this, one till, then my chooks compost the plants in, I add mulch etc, and off it goes. I have been growing food most of my life - I am 51 - but never owned a place until less than 5 years ago. I grow most of the fresh food that I and my kids eat, so I simply don't have the years to gradually build up soil, as you point out, and I am serious about pulling quantity of food out of the soil, feeding myself and 3 kids. So interesting parallels with things that I have moved to and for similar reasons. Nice to seen thanks for sharing your journey!

[@williamsgardening]

I just recently came across your video. Very informative. As we continue to develop our backyard garden, it's something to think about for sure. Thanks man!

[@Hola.soy.Kamile]

Keep the good work and keep growing as a gardener too. Thanks for the good advice and excellent content.

[@GardeningInCanada]

I LOVE THIS! Kevin you have no idea how valuable this video was. As you know I'm a boring old soil scientist so I'm ALWAYS talking about "dirt" and I recognized this ALL the time in the gardens of folks I am helping. Tillage is a tool and a valuable tool that is very important for anyone in your situation. GREAT VIDEO! Love from Canada ❤❤❤

[@strangeadv4977]

I love that you rock a Sierra Nevada cap on the regular. I enjoy the couple hour drive to Chico to enjoy the brewery/food with friends a couple times a year. Keep it up Kevin and excited to see how the house changes this year. Cheers!!

[@oldfriendbear8018]

Your on point man. I really appreciate your perspective.

[@MikeAcousticMusic]

About to start an area for growing. I’ve had to use bobcat to pull up much from the very top but I’m planning on filling the rows and so tips like this are important to me. I’ve gardened most of my life and done several types of gardens but I’m always interested in learning ideas and from the pros. Thank you for your video

[@jonathangarcia-mx5il]

I thought you where going to say “f**k it because why not” lol great information. I’ve always felt a natural calling to break the top soil even after watching so many videos that told me no. I feel the purpose of working in the garden is connecting with God. As I feel at times I’m clueless when in the garden but some random thought of knowledge always comes to me that I have never visited or practice and it always amazes me to see the results. Thanks for this video as its confirming my doubts of yesterday as I literally broke all my soil yesterday 02/01/2021. And you literally just uploaded it, STRANGE much? 🤔. Have faith in God!

[@ArcadeAndrew.]

I love seeing this, as someone who just moved to a new home where the soil is basically straight clay, I did some research and realized I really need to till up the ground add organic matter and then do layers of the clay and organic matter to make the soil drain better instead of having the water pool up at the top and never actually penetrate the top layer of dirt (or in this case clay) I dont want to till up my garden that I just planted in yet, but after the end of the season maybe during the winter months Ill be able to use any dead plant matter and save dup food scraps that compost and turn the soil into something other than straight clay

[@deecooper1567]

Things are always changing 😉. Thanks for updates Kevin. And your garden looks wonderful 👍. 👵🏻👩‍🌾❣️

[@HerrVen]

Nice video. Your thinking makes total sense.

[@mycatalanhomestead]

It's what I do. I till the soil once then set-up my permenant notill beds and paths. Then no more tilling.😊

[@christinahutchison3967]

Great thought process on the tilling. I love the no digg method for gardening but tilling first has been a game changer for me. You are spot on about getting a jump start on improving your soil.

[@joshfogelson8531]

Another great video. Thank you for providing some no-frost (or low frost) socal gardening tips. The best!

[@holystyc]

This is great insight, I'm planning to start a new veggie garden after two years growing with containers only and definitely will test my soil first to decide if I need to till the soil before starting. Thank you!

[@reneemorgan9320]

Makes a lot of sense! I also have very hard clay soil that is lacking in nutrients.

[@MissouriCrookedBarnHomestead]

When I till, which is rarely, but needed because I do have a bit of clay compacted soil, I do cross tilling. I have a 233 CC Craftsman rear tine tiller with extra width tillers. Takes me only a few minutes in 5 garden plots. I make one pass vertically and then one pass horizontally, and then I hit it with a garden fork after to break up any compaction and prevent future compaction. I also add a few different types of mixed compost, then organic fertilizers if needed, usually at the beginning and end of the growing season. Tilling does considerably help with the adding nutrients back in. Also consider getting casings, add ladybugs, encourage assassin bugs, and add earthworms.

[@epicgardening]

Oh this is a great technique!

[@jackofalltrades1485]

Wow learn something new grew up on a farm and we always till after every harvest

[@bdctrans70]

It just depends on where you are and what your climate atmosphere is doing. I till if there is a substantial rainy season. The rain compacts our clay/sand soil here and it actually blocks water from absorbing into the ground. So we till to help airiate the soil so the roots can breathe. If we have a drought, we will not till to help keep the moisture into the soil.

[@justinlingl6170]

Great discussion. I'm excited to see the Carolina Coop panels in the background. Just the other day I was wondering how that project was progressing. I built my own from scratch very much inspired by their designs. Love it.

[@lanalovesjesus6133]

I did survival back to eden gardening for 4 years and had great success, but the 4th year I did till before planting my onions and garlic bulbs and I'm glad I did. For those it definitely paid off.

[@ekcs3941]

I think this is a good explantation, I actually turned my allotment over once before I understood about no dig, but tbh the soil desperately needed to be levelled it was terribly uneven and just a hazard to walk on. I have the horrendous London sticky clay, I built low raised beds filled those with compost and now I do no dig, I have a few in ground beds and I have gone with no dig for those, and they are gradually improving! Some of my neighbours till and till and till the clay every year and it just ends up being a lot of work for them! the way the London clay is here if you till it all then it forms these use clumps and then it dries and then becomes like boulders, so id say London clay is best not dug especially in our climate that can go from very wet to extremely dry in the space of a few days! However your soil was so dry your climate is dry and that soil looked pretty dead, I think you made the right call!

[@shannonpitt8281]

I just moved and this is exactly what I was thinking! Till this year to break up the soil, and then add compost annually. Thank you so much for making me feel better about my decision.

[@catreeves963]

I’m glad someone has come out and said this! I also garden on heavy clay soil (but with high rainfall) and it would take years to get a productive no dig garden here. But till once, add some organic matter/nutrients and boom you’re away 👍👍👍

[@LeverActionLarry]

I plan to till once after removing a portion of my back lawn for a bed. Excited for spring here in zone 7a

[@soilentgreenhomestead3933]

Spot on Kevin

[@dn744]

Well put. I have lots of gardens. 3 are very compacted, so needed the till. Yet the other 2 and orchard are deep soft soil from years of fruit tree cast off fruits.

[@SWCnetworkdr]

The clay under my short raised beds has already shown significant improvement after only a few months. I filled the beds with a combination of commercial raised bed soil, peat, perlite, manure, compost and slow-release fertilizer. So far, so good! Can't wait until Spring to really get some experience with growing.

[@tinab7791]

I ended up putting in raised beds but when I was considering the inground garden, I was definitely going to till the hard pan that is my yard first. It's also just full of rocks. So many rocks.

[@kristinraabe6887]

I have clay on top of clay on top of rocks, like boulders. At first site it's a rock sticking up, then dig and find a 3 ton rock! So I have determined to build up and not dig down. I am considering a permeculture system. I'm on a side of the mountain with a few plateaus. Creating a Small pond up hill gravity water garden below. Working on berms and swales in an s-shape fashion to catch every bed going down the hill. I saw an old technique they dig a skinny deep trench around each bed for the water to get to the root levels and not run off at the clay level. Still observing the land and constantly adjusting the plan. Love your videos! Always inspiring and makes me think! Love and light, peace and joy my gardening friend! 🌈❤🌏✌️

[@1polynation169]

love this topic ... thanks for shedding light ! Not everything needs to be dichotomized ...sometimes theres a 3rd option ... this is one of those 3rd options ;)

[@rogaineablar5608]

I did the "one-till" method many years ago to start my garden because of the hard red clay under the sod layer, and it gave me a jump-start that a traditional no-till wouldn't have. I never tilled after the first year.

[@christinebrooks6364]

A very interesting video, I dont tell, have done on the past but, now have raised beds & what a difference. Thanks fir sharing & take care 🙂

[@czmiccommando537]

I gasped when I saw the video title! Your reasoning makes sense though. We've been gardening at my house off and on for about 10 years. Our first year we stripped the sod and double dug - NEVER AGAIN! The last 2 years we've been No Dig all the way but I admit, we do broadfork all the new beds before we put cardboard down because it makes pulling up the nasty weeds and roots so much easier.

[@Mossiccie]

Our backyard where we do a lot of our gardening wasn't just heavy clay. What wasn't clay was literal rock. Our soil was incredibly stony. If we didn't dig out the beds to begin with, it would have been genuinely impossible to grow on top of it. I'm a big fan of the one-till approach as well.

[@Juice4Y0U]

Sounds like a good solution for your space, taking soil life into account with the decision. Personally I would just never till if I came across earthworms or other insects like centipes (we have them in bad soil). I would be sad to schredd those to pieces

[@nachig4754]

Great video Kevin, thank you.!

[@jaspercaelan4998]

I test my soil by poking a small stick into various areas of a bed, I do this when the moisture levels are about average. If there are any areas that feel heavier then I stick a fork in and lightly crack the surface to help loosen the compaction.

[@montanaliving4769]

Not digging down 2 feet lol under snow but sure wish I could. Its beautiful there!

[@ricsgarden7394]

I decided to video my garden this year. Its a traditional garden with lots of weeds and grass but made tons of food.

[@onarandomnote25]

I just came here to say, I see that coop in the background… I am so freaking excited for that video when it drops!

[@sherimatukonis6016]

I've always been surprised that you do as well as you do with the soil there... I'm bless with nearly perfect black gold. I'm a 1 till person to clear and shape the space and remove rocks and sod. Cover with wood chips and leaves for the winter. All prepped and ready for spring planting.

[@Sssmaug]

Great video, clearly & knowledgeably explained. 👍 I've also been a long-time fan of Charles' (Sir Charles to me, lol) gardens & methods - spectacular results in a wonderful part of the UK. The science of soil life, just like that of the microbiome in the gut, is mind-blowing & humbling - an epiphany! I marvel at the wonder of it all every time I go out into my garden. 😇 These days I grow most of my veggies in giant tubs (I'm 76 now) & use thick cardboard underneath to keep the weeds down & feed the earthworms - but we have terraced beds on one side of the plot for the more leggy plants & use the no-dig method there. It took me at least 2 decades to convince my ex-farmer husband to "let me" give it a try. Three more decades later I think he's finally convinced. 😁 Kevin, may your 69 garden seasons be joyful & bountiful - & may you continue to inspire! Blessings from Canada, Barb 🙋

[@tonileigh8660]

I plan on doubling my growing space this year and wish I could do that one first till, but I have snow on the ground and the forecast is for around 16" of snow over the next few days.

[@TheTrock121]

After tilling for over 25 years, we switched to raised beds. I used the mantis tiller to mix soil, compost, peat moss and manure. The mix was heavier than expected, and as I top it off each year I'm adding bio char and Perlite. May never need the Mantis again, but it was almost worn out.

[@timclark7507]

I did no till for several years. However I soon had problems with soil born pests such as squash vine borers. I till now, but I also sheet mulch with newsprint and 4 inches of shredded leaves and straw (no weeds). Always had plenty of earthworms.

[@AscendtionArc]

Thanks for this.

[@asaldanapr]

Totally agree with you!

[@maxrockatanksyOG]

I always give new ground a good tilling to kick start making good soil from crappy dirt, especially if it is hard rock/ clay like our new house yard is (recently bought 2.5 acres). Sometimes i will do another till after a few years to mix in composted manure to freshen the soil up

[@SmidgetPIU]

One time till is how I go about it. Tennessee red clay here...not about to wait years for no dig to do its thing. My plot is on good earth too, old pasture grounds and fields. But its still TN clay. So, one till then each fall I cover the beds with shredded leaves for the winter. When spring rolls around, I gently incorporate some of the (now broken down) leaves to the top inch (light rake, broad fork, etc.) then I top with compost/amendments.

[@Rkossin0]

Kevin! Big fan, been watching for years now.

[@karinsoderberg5391]

When I moved into my house (Zone 10a, so California) 2 years ago the front yard garden was covered in weed cloth and the "soil" underneath was quite literally like concrete. There were a few shallow holes that had some sad looking succulents placed in them--perhaps the realtor's attempt at curbside appeal? I layered cardboard, compost and mulch and immediately planted some ornamental shrubbery--which thrived! I've since added another layer of compost and mulch, and added daikon, fava beans, peppers, and calendula there as well. No till seems to work well for me!

[@WarHorsegaming640]

I always get my soil tested. The test will let you know what ur garden needs and you don't have to worry about it later(only cost about 12 dollars for me). I'll till once a year. Then add a year aged compost on-top of whatever else it needs(from the result of the test). after I plant I'll add in some bone-meal and blood-mean for fast growth then pull back afterword. I've never tried no-till before in my in ground beds but I do respect everyone way of doing things. I love to see what everyone else comes up with. so much fun

[@ericasmith6919]

Wow great info!

[@Tommyatoms]

I live in Michigan and it is pure clay. I dug out all of my beds and have basically refilled with compost. I keep adding to the top yearly and with more compost and sometimes during winters I throw raw food scraps on top. I also add worm castings which I (and all the worms) make in my garage in four 5 gal buckets. My veggies thrive and I never till it although I use a garden claw on the very top every spring.

[@JoeJumps]

I used to grow in containers, I decided a few year ago to grow in ground and tilled up a 30x30 area. I till twice a year. Once in the fall, I put all my leaves and compost from the yard and chicken coop and the left over garden waste from that year, I till all that in. Then again in the spring a few weeks before planting. I go as deep as possible. About a 12 to 14 inches deep. I always have great crops and the soil life is amazing. Also, in the spring, wait as long as you can before tilling, because alot of bees and other insects sleep in the tilled ground for winter. I typically wait until April 1st to till and then plant in mid April. Last frost permitting.

[@davidcrass4717]

I've never understood the anti-till ethos. We tilled every year or two when I was growing up, and we always tilled in lots of compost and organic material. It just donned on me watching this that I grew up in west Texas and the anti-till ethos probably comes from places where there is real soil, not just red sand/clay. Tilling always worked great for us. Now that I live in a more hospitable climate with better soil, I'm reconsidering the need to till every year. Thanks for the info!

[@melanieallen8980]

yes!!! This makes sense!!

[@CatchTropicalFish]

Wow look beautiful garden

[@groussac]

Iowa Zone 5a. Gardening in what was one of the richest soils in the world until the scrappers removed it to build suburban housing. The black hard clay underneath the sod seems to be rich in minerals. 'Seems', because we've gotten good results laying garden waste, kitchen scraps, grass clippings & shredded leaves on top of the grass, covering this over with a light layer of manure and top soil, and letting it sit over the winter. Altogether, the lasagna layer over grass sod is about 6 to 8 inches thick, so no need for cardboard to block weeds. Once the bed gets going, I still do a light till in the fall to work in soil amendments, and lay 2 to 3 inches of shredded leaves over the bed in the fall. IMO, a light till aerates the soil so the microbes and fungi can do their work, and the layer of shredded leaves keeps the bed from becoming compacted over the winter. By mid June, the shredded leaves have turned to leaf mold, and I'm left scrounging around trying to find mulch to cover up the soil. You have to do what works in your area. Following good advice that doesn't work isn't the way to go...

[@xbriannaxbananax]

I appreciate your practical approach over going with a single dogma. Rarely is one dogma just "it" for everybody