No Till Gardening - Lazy gardening is good gardening

Category: Starting and Maintaining the Garden | Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 6:44 am

As I get older and work more hours with less free time I have developed a bed method of gardening that layers organic matter over the seasons. Surprisingly I keep coming across articles of other people using similar methods with a variety of names. I have heard it called "Lasagna gardening", "No-dig gardening" and "No-till gardening". I just call it the "Lazy Gardener's Gardening".

At any rate it is becoming popular and is actually more healthy for your garden. Soil is a fine network of bacteria, microbes and earthworms all working together. If we don't disturb it we actually keep more organic matter in the soil.

Some of the best things about "lazy gardening" is that you are mulching and mulching and mulching which is keeping the weeds down, less weeding and the moisture in so less watering.

Below is a couple of links for anyone interested. A Google search will turn up lots.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/story.php?S_No=870&storyType=garden

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/homegarden/2008889169_zhom19gardennotill.html

www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/no-till-gardening.html

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toni wrote on Sat Mar 28, 2009 2:56 pm:

I did my form of 'lasagna gardening' in 2003 when I had my Cotton patch...layers of newspapers topped with lots of shredded cedar mulch. I was lazy, it sounded like an interesting way to do it and it worked out great. That area is still relatively weed free even tho the newspapers and the mulch long ago turned to compost.

I have my oldest daughter saving newspapers for me so I can use them on much of the front garden as I get it going.

bsewnsew wrote on Sat Mar 28, 2009 3:36 pm:

It is a good choice.. If you can.

Jewell _2009 wrote on Sat Mar 28, 2009 8:07 pm:

Ever since we got our shredder to shred junk mail and personal papers I wondered if I could be using it safely in the garden. I was surprised to find most inks are now soy-based rather than petroleum-based and lead has been banned sinced 1985 in newsprint. All that junk mail is now going to be shredded and used around my shrubs to keep down the weeds. I now look forward to getting "junk-mail-mulch"

MontanaGal wrote on Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:43 pm:

What a great idea. Thank you for that.
My waste basket is sitting here with shredded papers from doing taxes, it is over-flowing, and I will continue to let it do that until I can use it in my old/new garden.
Hmm, then you won't have to worry about people stealing your papers and even piecing them back together and stealing your identity!!

Green_Numb wrote on Tue May 05, 2009 12:50 pm:

just read all those articles, i like the sound of no tilling since i dont have the machinery. All ive been doing is turning the top layer over a bit, i guess i shouldnt get too into that and just poke some holes and stuff now. :-)

Jewell2009 wrote on Sat May 09, 2009 3:19 am:

Green_Numb with those little cuties of yours time is pretty precious I am sure. No till gardening is sure a lot less time and back-breaking work than the old double dig method I used to use. Hope whatever method you use it works well for use.

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