No-Dig Gardening / No-Till Farming

The evidence is mounting that soil disturbance should be something we avoid doing or something we altogether eliminate. When you dig or till the soil, you destroy the fungal and microbial network that has been growing. Fungal hyphae are destroyed every time the soil gets disturbed and this is grave because the fungi are what provide nutrients to the plants in exchange for root exudates. In order to have healthy soil, we want to encourage microbial diversity. Inevitably, when we dig or till, we reduce that microbial diversity.

How do we avoid digging or tilling, especially when creating new gardens or transitioning from one crop to another? For establishing new gardens, evidence shows that using digging forks or broadforks can initially be utilized to open up compacted soil. This is not tilling by all means. When you use a digging fork or broadfork, you are gently lifting the topsoil up from its compacted form. There’s no inversion of the soil layers when this is happening. You can simply rake the soil after this step to create a level bed or you can apply some compost as a top-dressing.

There are many growers utilizing the deep compost mulch method, where 4-6 inches of compost are laid down after this step. This is possible, however you want to make sure you are getting compost you can trust. We have had some disappointing experiences where we used a compost source that had trace herbicide residue in it, resulting in disfigured tomatoes and other crops. Make sure you do your due diligence when accessing a compost for this growing method.

When you transition crops, a strategy to build soil and refrain from digging or tilling is to cut the old crop at the base of the soil. Leaving the roots in the ground will encourage microbial populations to grow because you have left them the food source to decompose. This works for most crops, however, some crops like chicory can regrow from the root system. You might have to take these out completely, but still don’t dig or till further. Just rake the bed level and plant your next crop.