No-till
No-till farming (also known as zero tillage or direct drilling) is an agricultural technique for growing crops or pasture without disturbing the soil through tillage.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No-till_farming
When I first heard about no-till, it made a lot of sense to me.
So, I tried using more no-till ideas and principles in my garden.
I called it the 'Sepp Holzer Experience' and blogged about it.
While it clearly comes with some benefits, in my context here, it's terrible.
Succesful till
This year, I used the exact same plot and planted like I normally would;
Into tilled soil.
I also blogged about that.
I don't have a plough or tiller.
I turn the soil with a spade. By hand.
The way I do that does not compact the soil like a big tractor and plough would.
This is the last of the potato harvest:
High Yield
I had excellent yields this year.
It's hard to measure, since I harvested in stages, had no scale and gave a lot away right after harvesting.
...I think I pulled out around 50kg of produce out of this patch.
The Last 2 Rows
In the picture above, I marked the 2 rows I harvested the other day.
Here is the result, left out in the sun before cleaning them and transport:
Conclusion
I write this post, because I want to make a point.
[...] tilling kills ALL the biology crops need to be healthy.
@goldenoakfarm commented this under another post of mine.
First of all:
bio-logy
bio: means 'life'
logy (logos): means 'science' (in this context)
Both words are of greek origin.
Biology is the science of life (of everything living).
You can not kill it.
I know what she means, though.
[...] tilling kills ALL the life crops need to be healthy.
This can also not be true.
I have healthy crops. I had a very succesful harvest to prove that.
[...] tilling disturbs ALL the life crops need to be healthy.
Tilling disturbs the soil, and disturbs the life in it.
That, I can agree on.
Does this hurt the plants?
Clearly not.
I really wanted this no-till approach to work.
It just did not.
I would have probably had better results, if I had used much more mulch.
But I don't have access to that much mulch. Not even close.
I'd have to have it transported here and would probably have to pay for it.
That is not sustainable.
@goldenoakfarm
I hope you don't take this too personal.
I follow your blog and vote on it, occasionally.
I respect what you are doing on your farm and with certain things you are well ahead of me.
But: No-till is not always the best solution for everyone and every crop.
Here, in this climate, with this soil, with the things I have available, tilling is superior in some cases.
Far superior for potatos.
I have been growing this stuff for decades and copy the methods my grandparent's generation used.
I try incorporating new ideas, too.
I try to stay objective.
Mulching has its place. I adopted that practice. I mulch a lot now.
But that does not replace proper tilling and aeration.
Low Impact
I call my approach 'low impact gardening' from now on.
I am trying to get the best results from as little work as possible.
Gardening is not a precise thing. Results vary.
The End
I conclude with this shot of a spider.
Totally random, no hidden meaning.
I just liked that photo and wanted to share it.
