Tried both no-dig and tilled garden beds this spring in my Edmonton backyard. No-dig won by a mile.

I did two 4x8 beds side by side. One I tilled up like always and the other I just laid cardboard and soil on top. The no-dig bed had way fewer weeds after 6 weeks and the carrots came up twice as fast. Tilled bed got all rocky and the soil crusted over after rain. Anyone else in the city switch to no-dig?

2 comments

2 Comments

lily36015d ago

@aaron896 pretty much nailed it. I heard a podcast with a soil scientist from U of A who said tilling actually destroys the fungal networks that help plants get water and nutrients. That tracks with what I saw in my beds. The no-dig soil just felt spongier and held together better after our July downpours. Aaron's right that doing less work sometimes gives better results, but I think people just assume they have to till because that's what their grandpa did. My back sure appreciates not having to rent a tiller every spring.

aaron89615d ago

It’s funny how that works - seems like every time I try the easier, lazier approach to something, it ends up better than all the hard work I used to do. No-dig is just that way for soil too. Have you noticed that with other garden stuff?