Why I tilled my no-till garden

[@all4jesus212]

I just love you two! I watch a lot of flower farming channels and yours is one of my very favorites. I love your humble and honest personalities; and youre really funny too! Thanks for taking the time to make these videos. May God bless you and your families abundantly ❤🙏🏻

[@cherylstuckey4358]

We tilled- BUT that didn’t do away with the violets and nut grass and some other stubborn weeds. I too put down landscape fabric for paths- I too am dreading having to move them. 🤪. Looking forward to Heaven when gardening won’t be so hard And we will have endless energy 😁

[@EvelynM-vlogs]

My mom had a backyard food garden in the middle of the city (Vancouver, BC) and every spring my parents would go visit friends out in "Farmland" and it would be us kids job to go and collect cow patties for the garden. My mom would share them with the neighbourhood and the neighbourhood would smell like cow manure for at least one week - in the heart of the city! That's my childhood garden memory.

[@MrsGloverk]

I enjoy listening to you two so much and I learn each time I watch a video!

[@apriloestman8304]

I SO appreciate your videos. We live in the middle of a pasture and trying to create new beds where grasses and perennial weeds have been growing for centuries is quite a challenge. Initial tilling sure helps even though we have very sandy soil.

[@irynalange8124]

Thank you very much that said about till and no till garden. I absolutely agree with you! On hard clay soil "no till " garden can work only on raised beds! Even on good black soil much better to do "till soil " garden. We did a very good soil, but after lots of rains in our area we couldn't plant in that compact soil, it was so difficult. That's why we are doing tilling soil and it is working perfect!

[@catherinelogan6299]

I was so happy to see that there was a new video from you. I made a cup of tea and sat down to enjoy a calm, uplifting talk. I wasnt disappointed. You made tilling an interesting topic. I can appreciate having an issue with sandy soil. I live on Cape Cod in Massachusetts where the earth is trying to turn everything into a beach. Even after years of adding compost , I dig down six inches and could build a sandcastle.

[@rootdesigncompany]

Whoa, that is pretty sandy! I guess it’s the top 6” that count though? 😅👍🏻 thanks for watching!

[@DaPieSte]

I do not know how I missed that you two are sisters!

[@kristaharrington533]

I am also on clay; and definitely need the initial till. Thank you for sharing this!

[@mariawhite1328]

I agree every Gardner needs to garden the way they want to or needs to. I don’t like any gardening method when we are either told this is the only way or you can’t do things your way. As long as we love our gardens and care for them, it’s the right way❤ btw both your gardens are beautiful 🤩

[@riverunner9978]

Yes it’s a a great dilemma! I have gravel and rocks, tilling is not possible on this land I used plastic to kill the grass first. I made 4 rows 50 feet long And 4 feet wide. I removed the sod with every garden tool I had.the Japanese hori garden knife worked best to work rocks out. Once rocks And sod was out I added in Peatmoss and compost. It took alot because of having to remove so much rock. It’s done completly now . I’ve replanted for this year and it was so easy . Bio char was added last fall. Happy flower growing this year! Love your videos.🐝☀️🌸

[@rootdesigncompany]

Great to hear your story! That sounds like a lot of work but we’ve never regretted the labor investments in our garden either.

[@riverunner9978]

@@rootdesigncompany …my name is Hope, I flower farm with my granddaughter . I’m 72 and enjoy teaching her diverse skills. You ladies are such a joy ! Keep up the beautiful blooms!

[@janetjackson6677]

Love your videos

[@kathrynmettelka7216]

Ideology yields to reality. Here in my garden in SC, my gardener removed the sod (Bermuda grass), and then we put down cardboard and compost. We have clay soil which does have nutrients, but the soil is too heavy for new plants or seeds. We all have to make adjustments like it or not. I have to moderate how I garden because I’m 76 with severe arthritis in my hands.

[@LifeofLaci]

Oh wow. I can just see y’all as younguns in y’all’s parents garden. Such a wonderful memory shared. ❤ love from TN

[@cathymccall9199]

Thank you so much! I feel liberated listening to your stories as I have had to pivot and choose different preps. as well. I think the plants and flowers sat back and giggled at my frustration until I finally spoke up to my perfectionist self. Then, I believe, I almost heard a sigh of relief somewhere in the rows along with a whispered "finally" when I really got down to earth and listened.

[@rootdesigncompany]

You said it well! Do what makes the plants happy. 😁👍🏻

[@happypappy]

Thank you! That was so helpful! Thank you for sharing your lessons learned and the freedom to do what works for us-and for the laughter!

[@AlexAlex-gj4jd]

I think part of the magic of your vlogs is the sharing of your experiences, new and old. Split screen was fantastic and I didn't notice a lag. As a person who is not part of your religion, I'm curious about your new lives from I think you two called yourselves "spinsters" one time early on to being married and your new lives and relationships, food traditions and other things! Thanks for continuing to vlog! 🌻

[@tjohnson1100]

I enjoy the both of you. ❤

[@emptynestgardens9057]

So true about trial and error and just doing what works for your soil type. I have very high pH sandy soil. I was set on no till when I first started 4yrs ago. Now my method is a good deep till of the section I want to open up in the early Autumn. Layer with grass clippings, then cover with a heavy black tarp that I pin down with landscape staples. I leave it like that for about 10 months when I'll start to build up the beds with cardboard & compost and fill in the paths with cardboard and woodchips. It feels good to have a system and rhythm in place and not too much weeding. When we do that initial till there is next to no bug or worm life but by the end of the year so many worms feels like such an accomplishment.😊

[@silencedflower8441]

I’ve never seen anyone, until now, that had laid down landscaping fabric and then laid cardboard and mulch to plant in, over top of that. But I have seen plenty that cut the grass, lay cardboard, a couple inch layer of compost, then use newspapers to layer over the compost, around the plants, soak it all down then mulch. If you see weeds pop up over time, pull them and replace the newspapers under your mulch.

[@sheelaghomalley5459]

I totally agree. I was dogmatic my first year and realised I was making life impossible for myself. Started a,new 1 acre area this year and have tilled with a view to no or low till next year. Watching from Ireland 🇮🇪

[@brendakuhns5277]

Very helpful and what I needed to hear. I've been wanting to do all no-till but am sharing the garden with my parents who are have always tilled. We do use leaf mulch though so it is just that first initial till of the year than we mulch.

[@calmthefarmYT]

I have cement like clay, tilling or raised beds are the only option. I did a soil test and the soil is fantastic, you just can’t get into it without tilling. I have found that when I went to flip the beds this autumn (Australian here) the soil was so much nicer to work with, and there were worms, I add mushroom compost and gypsum and then till.

[@sooocheesy]

Look up meadow creature broad forks. I've been using it for years and it will break up the soil down to 16-18" deep. Way less work than a shovel and gets deeper than a hand tiller

[@annecanty1227]

Great video.Exactly right let everyone do what’s best for them.I’ve done no till for40 years.I didn’t know it was no till back then but ai just didn’t have time to till.

[@michellemarie3214]

Always fun watching your videos. I am starting a new garden 🌱 Rhis was full of so much good advice & new things for me to think about going foward. Thank you ❤

[@m.elizabethchupp9529]

So interesting! I think it’s so wise to be willing to change course if something isn’t working. My mom always says “a mind that can’t change isn’t worth much” 😆 When I started my garden I had never heard of no-dig gardening, so it was initially tilled for a few years until I discovered Charles Dowding’s method and switched to that.

[@larkspurrose3136]

I am experimenting with no till this year on one bed. I'm also deep mulching in my big garden. But I used hay, because thats what I could get..so we shall see

[@TheVintageGardenerNJ]

To create a new garden, I solarized the lawn with plastic. I used black plastic. But I’ve been told that the clear plastic works even better. You may have to leave it on for a season but I believe it will sterilize any pathogens and weed seeds.

[@klk12399]

Excellent advice!

[@johannahise3076]

Do you put landscape fabric down and compost on top? Will the landscape fabric keeps the flower roots from growing strong? Do you just put landscape fabric on the paths? Thank you

[@Ines-bf6mx]

I would love to do no-till. But I have so many stones and perennial weeds… I actually have to loosen by hand to prepare a new bed 🙈 Works better than with the tiller with all the stones and stuff to geht out… 🤷‍♀️ than top with compost. Let‘s see how the little baby plants develope (got to be patient…).

[@maybelline888]

I initially tried the no till method and it just didn’t work for me, I lost and entire year of hard work trying the cardboard etc. I felt guilty at first for tilling but then realized, no till just didn’t work with my heavy soil.

[@Cherryparfait41]

Absolutely!!! So much dogma out there when it comes to gardening these days. likely by some who really don’t have experience with experimenting. I’ve worked and experimenting with sandy, rocky tilth and clay. There should be no guilt. I used to love lifting sod. 😅 I will do no-till when and wherever the ground allows. I love building good soil! Can barely have too many amendments around. You all are completely delightful! I’m ready for some landscape fabric in one of my veg patches…any product recommendations? Thanks. ❤

[@rootdesigncompany]

Agreed! Sounds like you’ve found what works for you. 👍🏻 We linked our favorite row cover (path cover) here: www.rootdesignfloral.com/tools-we-use/

[@adaliblthe9653]

Okay my area in Ohio is different because if I till my soil it really dries it out but the no-till method keeps it nice. I have been doing mostly no-till from the beginning. I put down manure+leaves, then cardboard(double layer), and then covered the whole thing with bark mulch. I do this in early spring and let it go until the following spring before planting for best results. I believe this is called the lasagna method 🤔 Downside is of course you have to plan way ahead.

[@karie3]

Im currently looking to buy a tiller. The one you showed in this video is about the size I want. Something i can handle myself and not have to ask the hubby to help. I was looking on amazon for one but there are just so many to choose from. Any suggestions?

[@rootdesigncompany]

If you're buying on Amazon, Mantis tillers have fairly good reviews. The mini tiller I used in the video is a modified Stihl tiller. If you can find a dealership near you, these come with an edging attachment and a few other options.

[@lydiabeek114]

Its the same thing that Jesse from No-Till growers recommends: starting out with tilling (especially compacted) soil. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZ6XlIBsj7SYY9k