Gardening Without Digging
Neil Barraclough.
Additions in {brackets} by David Arnold July 1993.
Methods of gardening with minimal or no digging have been used for the home garden for quite a long time, of later years made popular by people such as Ester Dean. Others, though not so well known preceded her.
In 1965 "Victorian Compost News", a quarterly newsletter put out by the Organic Farming and Gardening Society had an article describing various methods of gardening without digging and names two people who had previously been using a no-dig method with lucerne hay as a mulch for the twenty years previous to the article having being written.
In 1946 English horticulturist, Mr F C King wrote a small book "Is Digging Necessary?" He details observations and experiments that he had made from 1920 onwards regarding comparisons of the growth of plants in dug and undug soil as well as their resistance to pests. He details observations of aphis and other pest attack of on plants growing in dug soil and unaffected plants in undug soil growing nearby.
Mr King reasons that it is imbalances caused by inverting the soil and its microscopic fungi and bacteria that makes the plants susceptible to disease and pest attack. It is for these reasons such as these and ease of management that many modern organic gardeners give for their avoidance of digging.
The soil could be best thought of as a living thing and its relationship with plants a complex one. Plant roots penetrate, often deeply, into the soil and the roots are more than just a means whereby the plant takes up water and minerals.
Fungi, and some of the soil bacteria break down organic matter, making nutrients available to plants. Plant roots secrete sugars, proteins and other substances that nourish the bacteria and fungi, they repay the plant by making soil minerals available that would be otherwise unavailable. {As much as 30% of plant energy may be directed back into the soil, feeding the soil life which in turn supports them. For every 4cm of root growth, 1cm may die off and be consumed by soil life.} Also some of the fungi and bacteria that the plant nourishes may help protect it from attack by antagonistic bacteria and fungi.
Different plants foster different communities of symbiotic soil life and plants have different nutrient needs at different stages of their life cycle (germination, growth, flowering and seed set). By altering the secretions to the symbiotic microfauna the plants can control their activity and have a degree of control over the nutrient uptake. Here lies the difference between organic practices and those of the grower that uses synthetic fertilizers, which are water soluble and taken up by the plant without any control.
When gardening without digging, organic matter is placed on the surface as a weed suppressing mulch rather than being dug in. In nature, dead leaves and other vegetable matter falls on the surface of the soil, this is broken down by bacteria and fungi or eaten by earthworms that may excrete it at a depth mixed with soil.
A teaspoon full of healthy soil may contain about 150 million living bacteria, perhaps 1% by weight. {So much of the soil fauna is microscopic that (relatively) large animals such as earthworms may be only 10% of the total soil biota. Different soil life exist at different levels of soil, so it is helpful not to constantly be digging the soil over.}
Plants, worms and soil microlife are interdependent, enhance one and you enhance all three, inhibit one and you inhibit all three. Worms take organic matter down into the soil, however it's the roots of the plants and the soil microlife that appear to be the greatest creators of fertility under the right conditions. Worms aren't generally active below the depth of plant roots.
Starting the garden:
The use of newspaper as a weed control has been widely advocated for no-dig gardens and in some instances it can be a very effective control of many weed species. The use of newspaper, in my experience, hasn't been the most effective way to establish a garden when couch and kikuyu are present and other methods may be best if other perennial weeds are present such as dock or onion grass.
BEFORE YOU START, FIRST IDENTIFY FUTURE WEED PROBLEMS FROM PERENNIAL WEEDS
SECOND, ASSESS SOIL TYPE.
If the existing vegetation contains couch, kikuyu or any of the grass species with runners then I believe it is best to remove all surface vegetation.
Couch and kikuyu can form a thick mat and removing it will result in the loss of organic matter from the site. All vegetation removed can be put through a hot composting process and returned to the site a few weeks later or put in a 200 litre drum and boiled with a fire under it to kill the weeds and any seed in the soil.
Dock has a deep tap-root and if this is not removed it can keep growing up through the mulch. Onion grass, which has small edible but astringent bulbs may also keep growing up through the mulch.
While newspaper can be a good weed inhibiter, it can also inhibit soil microlife, as I have previously said, plants worms and soil microlife are all interdependent, inhibit one and you inhibit all three.
ESTABLISHING THE GARDEN
STAGE 1
My approach: Clear to bare earth the area intended for garden with a mattock, hoe or for larger areas, even a rotary hoe if it can be set to only dig very shallow. Then establish borders (such as concrete) that make it easy to prevent weed encroachment from the outside.
Ideally, leave the bare earth a week or two in the sun to kill any remaining perennial weeds, however you can start the next stage if you are confident that you have removed the vast majority of the weeds straight away.
Put in the watering system, any trellising or any other construction that will need doing.
Loosen the top couple of centimetre of soil with a scarifyer and use a rake to take the thin top layer from the area that is intended for paths to the area intended for garden beds. If the soil is compacted or of a clay type then loosen it with a strong garden fork. Initially, you may not get the fork down into the soil very far, just do what you can easily without the risk of breaking your fork.
All soil types may benefit from loosening with a fork, however it is important that you don't turn the soil over or bring clay to the surface.
Alex Podolinsky (ref 1) relates to the early Chinese market gardeners in an article on soil development- "What it [Chisel plow] does is the same thing the old Chinese gardeners did. They took the topsoil off a square foot, put it too one side, then they took a pick and loosened the clay underneath, and finally they put the topsoil from the next square foot onto the loosened clay. They would go right around the paddock that way."
Now might be a good time to look at the difference between this approach and the traditional approach of newspaper and mulch. The newspaper and mulch method concentrates fertility at the surface which encourages water dependant surface rooted plants. We are trying to increase fertility in the soil below to encourage deep rooted drought tolerant plants utilizing the minerals in the soil.
Some advocates of no-dig gardening have said you can make a garden on concrete and this is true. Raised beds and some methods of no-dig gardening treat soil like it is concrete, plants are simply grown in a medium above the soil. We should be growing plants in the soil if possible, not on top of it.
SO YOU'VE GOT YOUR GARDEN SET OUT WITH PATHS AND OTHER STRUCTURES.
Plant any perennial fruit trees, vines or shrubs that you intend planting during establishment. Seedlings can now be planted but wait a few weeks before planting seeds direct. Do all soil disturbance intended as soil disturbance of any type causes weed seed to germinate. Then water it well to germinate any weeds near the surface.
STAGE 2
In 2-3 weeks (depending on soil temperature) there will be quite a lot of weeds germinated and when they are at the "two leaf stage" it is time to start the garden. Put paths in place, this can be sawdust between poles, or whatever you fancy, however don't do anything to disturb the soil further now as it might cause more weed germination.
Cover the beds with a weed free mulch, (perhaps 20mm thick) such as compost that has been "hot composted", lawn clippings can also be an excellent mulch for seedlings (but not seed), if not used too thickly. Mulch around the previously planted seedlings and cover the vegie seed.
If you are using a good compost as a mulch you can throw a mixture of vegetable seed around on top of the soil, amongst any previously planted seedlings and the germinated weed seed. Large seeds will germinate through most mulches, however uncomposted tree leaves often have inhibiters to prevent seed germination. Leaves that have been previously composted and were collected with a minimum of seed would be OK.
Small seeds such as carrots are best planted in rows and covered with a fine seedling raising or potting mix. Seed will germinate through quite thick mulch but the small weed seedlings have no energy reserve at this stage so a small amount of mulch will suffocate them. The mulch suffocates the weeds that have germinated and the seed that you plant comes up through the mulch. Or you can cover the germinated weeds with mulch and plant seedlings into the soil below. Water it well and be prepared for a minimum of weeding from then on.
The compost that you could have made from the material removed from the site may be still a bit fresh for some vegetable seeds but would be OK to use with seedlings.
A lot has been written about the use of newspaper and starting a garden on grass with minimum initial work. Even if you have none of the perennial weeds mentioned above, I believe it still can be best to clear the site and hot compost the grass and dirt that you clear off rather than using newspaper to suffocate weeds.
SOILS
Understanding your soil can be greatly helped by getting a proper soil analysis, a proper one may cost in the region of $140. The following notes can still be followed by those not intending getting a soil analysis.
Understanding soil types, an oversimplification. First think of the two extremes, clay soil and sandy soil, it is a difference the particle size of the non organic (doesn't contain carbon) component of the soil. Clay has very small particle size and sand has relatively large particle size. Think of soils as one or the other, or something in-between.
Whether it is clay, sand or something between the two, it is the mineral content, organic matter content and equally as important, the biological activity that makes the minerals available to the plants that is the fertility of the soil.
CLAY SOILS
One of the people who has possibly had the greatest understanding of soils was William Albrecht, an American soil scientist. He said- "Much clay in soils means more chance for the roots to make contact with nutrient-carrying surfaces. Here is the reason why heavy clay soils are appreciated for productivity, even if often hated because of their intractability.
Ancient civilisations on sandy soils have not been long lived. Those on clay soils have persisted through centuries. Regions of older civilisations today are on soils of a high clay content because only such a soil would retain its productivity through those long periods of cultivation."
Clay soils are generally better endowed with minerals, often only greatly deficient in one element, oxygen. Loosening with a fork may give excellent improvement in soil fertility. Loosening allows the air movement which is necessary for the soil microlife that both plants and worms are dependant on, increases in fertility should follow.
I once heard of a fellow with a patch of heavy clay who dug some quite large deep holes for fruit trees and filled them up with compost before planting the fruit trees in the compost in the holes. The first really good rain filled it all up with water and the fruit trees died from water logging.
SO- Perhaps garden beds in clay soils need drainage, lay them out up and down any slope of the land, not on the contour.
SANDY SOILS
Not all sandy soils are the same, soils from alluvial river sand can be quite fertile, old beach sands far less endowed with minerals and fertility. Granites can also weather down to form a free draining sandy soil. Minerals are often abundant in clay soils and clay soils don't suffer mineral loss through leaching to the extent of other soils. Sandy soils are the other end of the spectrum, often mineral deficient and susceptible to leeching. Minerals can be retained in the organic component of a soil and this could be the approach with sandy soils.
The plants that feed the bacteria need minerals from the soil, as do the bacteria themselves. The action of the plants and the bacteria can slowly increase the organic matter levels to retain minerals in the soil. Perhaps increase fertility over time with an initial application of a compost mulch with granite rock dust either added to the compost or put on the soil prior to mulching. Light applications of composted sea weed products are an excellent addition. Experiment with small applications of lime and dolomite.
While it might seem obvious to address major nutrient deficiencies with larger applications of minerals, there may be no point in adding minerals without an increase in humus levels which follow healthy plant growth and microlife increases.
In sandy soils derived from granite, rock dusts may be less necessary but building up soil organic matter levels and biological activity levels equally as important.
In sandy soils use a fork to loosen the soil as well, don't dig compost
in but let some of the broken down mulch fall into the cracks made with the fork.
GARDEN LAYOUT
Traditional European veggie gardens were generally in straight, orderly rows, often only a single vegie type in each row.
More recent organic management has tended to move away from straight rows. "Nature abhors straight lines, identical incidents, bare soil and monocultures. Curious then that agriculture should strive for all four of these."- Newsletter of the American Heritage Seed Program, April 1993.
Permaculture seems to abhor straight lines also, however there is no reason why we shouldn't plant in straight rows and this makes it easier to stake plants going to seed. Statements have been made that pest worries will be reduced with random arrangements of plants rather than plants in straight lines. The only rational basis for this could be that you don't notice losses of plants as much with random plantings while losses are more noticeable with orderly straight rows. Therefore, if you don't notice it as much, you don't worry as much. However we should avoid the monoculture of more traditional European gardening.
MIXING FRUIT TREES AND VEGGIES
With the availability of dwarfing rootstocks for apples, the possibility of grafting pears on to quince rootstocks to produce a quite small tree, and other dwarfing rootstocks, there are many advantages in mixing fruit trees and vegetables in the garden. This raises the question of how to best use the space under fruit trees.
Many of us involved in organic gardening have tried various systems where plants are allowed to self seed and in some cases this has proved successful, however an absence of proper management usually results in failure after an initial period of some success.
SELF SEEDING VEGGIES UNDER FRUIT TREES
Think of classifying veggies into two groups, concentrated and nonconcentrated veggies. Potatoes concentrate energy into the spud underground, potatoes are a concentrated veggie. Anything grown for a root (carrot, parsnip), tuber (potato, Jerusalem artichoke), seed (pea or bean) or a fruit (tomato, capsicum, pumpkin, melon) can be thought of as a concentrated veggie. Anything grown for a leaf and some things grown for their stems can be thought of as nonconcentrated veggies.
My experience has been that the veggies that I group as nonconcentrated are the only ones suited to self seeding management and it's these that are generally suited to growing in partial shade. The concentrated vegies tend to be unsuited for self seeding management and usually like full sun.
Any salad veggies such as lettuce, endive, mizuna, the Chinese cabbages, parsley or those grown to use the leafy part in cooking such as silver beet, kale, spinach and orach. Those available that can be grown for their leaves are too numerous to list.
I would anticipate more work and less production with any self seeding management, however there are benefits with increased diversity and letting plants go "full cycle". There could also be aesthetic benefits however weed management needs to be very precise.
So, if we are mixing fruit trees and garden we can grow the "leafy greens" in the partial shade of the trees in either a self seeding way or by planting out seedlings. If we let plants go "full cycle" and self seed, then many of them provide pollen and nectar which attracts hover flies and other beneficial insects whose larvae eat aphis and a number of other garden pests.
Members of the carrot family (such as parsley & dill) and members of the cabbage family (mizuna, kale, the Chinese non hearting cabbages and others) provide flowers that are very attractive to beneficial insects. Perhaps a bit of buckwheat can be grown amongst the veggies under the trees as well.
Russian giant garlic is a plant that can be grown in partial shade and is a recommended companion plant for fruit trees. Each autumn plant bulbs under the fruit trees and the following autumn they are harvested, each bulb planted should return 5-7 bulbs a year later. As you harvest them, replant bulbs from your best plants for next years crop. This will produce a reasonable quantity of storable bulbs for soup. It only requires management once a year (harvest and planting in one operation) to have a supply of Russian Giant garlic for the period of the year when we should be eating soup the most.
Comfrey is a plant with a very deep root system that can be grown under trees and produces a leafy mulch or salad vegetable (depending on what you read)
Red, White & Black Currants and Chilean Guavas (a small bush that produces delightful musk flavoured berries) are all suited to an under story below fruit trees. Plants that like full sun can be grown in beds away from the trees.
Maintaining a no-dig garden.
First, think of the earth as it cooled from a very hot, lifeless sphere, many, many, billions of years ago. It slowly cooled to a hot lifeless place and for a very long time remained so. Slowly life evolved, or was "seeded" with debris from outer space.
Life very slowly become more complex till we have the incredible complexity of today. Plants, with water, carbon dioxide, some minerals and sunlight photo-synthesise and produce complex chemicals, some of these chemicals nourish bacteria and fungi capable of dissolving minerals from the soil and even very slowly breaking down grains of rock.
This breaking down of the rock and inert part of the soil, combined with the formation of organic matter by photo-synthesis and particularly the roots of the plant taking organic matter deep into the soil have been the reason that the earth changed from its barren lifeless form to what it is today.
So, if sunlight falls on a green leafy plant it will slowly build up the organic matter and fertility of the soil, if sunlight falls on bare soil it breaks down the organic matter near the soil surface and the mineral content can be leached. Continual digging and continual bare soil compounds the problem. Try to minimize soil exposed to the sun and maximize sunlight hitting green leaf.
Plants need nitrogen, which is one of the building blocks of the proteins needed by animals also. If we increase the amount of nitrogen available to the plants with synthetic nitrogen fertilizer we can substantially increase the plant growth. However, the synthetic nitrogen fertilizer inhibits natural nitrogen fixing bacteria as well as bacteria that do the necessary natural functions within the soil.
If we plant any of the legumes (lupins, peas, beans, lucerne etc) we can increase the nitrogen content of the soil naturally (as long as the nitrogen fixing bacteria are present), and often get a useful crop at the same time. Cereal crops such as wheat, barley, oats or rycorn can significantly increase the organic matter in the soil. More than half of the mass of the organic matter in a cereal crop can be in its roots, and these roots can go down anything up to 2 metre.
By having sunlight fall on to the green leaf of a cereal crop such as wheat we can be building up the organic matter in the soil without digging and getting the organic matter down much deeper than we could ever hope to with normal digging. As well it can produce a crop of wheat for free ranging poultry.
Sunlight falling on the leaves of legumes can provide the soil with nitrogen as well as organic matter, and if it is a crop of beans or peas a feed for ourselves.
Modern agricultural science has conditioned us to think that we have to have substantial fertilizer input to have a reasonable output. However, it should be understood that the synthetic chemical fertilizers inhibit or destroy the soil life that once gave us the fertile soil we have on the earth today.
So, we have separated the vegies that like partial shade from the ones that like full sun. The vast majority of the vegies that like full sun have their growing season during the hotter part of the year and the areas that we have set aside for these are generally free from late autumn till early spring.
If we plant a mulch crop in these areas during April, perhaps seed of the intended mulch crop can be planted amongst the maturing vegies, then it can grow all through winter when the area would be otherwise free. {Spent annuals may be cut off at the base before top up mulching, so leaving their root mass in the soil and avoiding inverting the established soil onto the top of mulch.}
Next year's crop can then be planted in amongst the mulch crop, it can be pulled out and composted or it can be cut off at ground level and left on the surface of the soil. Mulch crops could contain legumes also.
ONGOING MULCHING.
If any activity such as weeding or harvesting a crop such a arrowroot, potatoes or artichokes causes soil disturbance, then smooth the area over with a rake and leave it for weeks until the weeds have just germinated. Seedlings could be planted at the time or seed later, similar to establishing the garden. Any such times of soil disturbance may be a good time for another working with the fork, getting it in a bit deeper each time, let a bit of the broken down mulch fall into the cracks the fork makes.
Try anything with an open mind and find out what suits your situation.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ref 1 Alex Podolinski in an interview for Acres USA, July 1988, reprinted in Biodynamic Gardeners Association newsletter July 2001
Copyright- Neil Barraclough 12\3\2000
Non-profit groups such as garden groups, organic groups, permaculture groups or similar are encouraged to distribute this material by computer printouts or Photostatting. Groups are encouraged to make their own pamphlets to photocopy and sell for profits for their group. It is asked that anyone intending to use this information in commercially published form ask the permission of Neil Barraclough, RMB Stratford 1477 email [email protected] Mob. 0429 020 888 706
Copyright 12/03/2000 14/08/08
Neil Barraclough.
Additions in {brackets} by David Arnold July 1993.
Methods of gardening with minimal or no digging have been used for the home garden for quite a long time, of later years made popular by people such as Ester Dean. Others, though not so well known preceded her.
In 1965 "Victorian Compost News", a quarterly newsletter put out by the Organic Farming and Gardening Society had an article describing various methods of gardening without digging and names two people who had previously been using a no-dig method with lucerne hay as a mulch for the twenty years previous to the article having being written.
In 1946 English horticulturist, Mr F C King wrote a small book "Is Digging Necessary?" He details observations and experiments that he had made from 1920 onwards regarding comparisons of the growth of plants in dug and undug soil as well as their resistance to pests. He details observations of aphis and other pest attack of on plants growing in dug soil and unaffected plants in undug soil growing nearby.
Mr King reasons that it is imbalances caused by inverting the soil and its microscopic fungi and bacteria that makes the plants susceptible to disease and pest attack. It is for these reasons such as these and ease of management that many modern organic gardeners give for their avoidance of digging.
The soil could be best thought of as a living thing and its relationship with plants a complex one. Plant roots penetrate, often deeply, into the soil and the roots are more than just a means whereby the plant takes up water and minerals.
Fungi, and some of the soil bacteria break down organic matter, making nutrients available to plants. Plant roots secrete sugars, proteins and other substances that nourish the bacteria and fungi, they repay the plant by making soil minerals available that would be otherwise unavailable. {As much as 30% of plant energy may be directed back into the soil, feeding the soil life which in turn supports them. For every 4cm of root growth, 1cm may die off and be consumed by soil life.} Also some of the fungi and bacteria that the plant nourishes may help protect it from attack by antagonistic bacteria and fungi.
Different plants foster different communities of symbiotic soil life and plants have different nutrient needs at different stages of their life cycle (germination, growth, flowering and seed set). By altering the secretions to the symbiotic microfauna the plants can control their activity and have a degree of control over the nutrient uptake. Here lies the difference between organic practices and those of the grower that uses synthetic fertilizers, which are water soluble and taken up by the plant without any control.
When gardening without digging, organic matter is placed on the surface as a weed suppressing mulch rather than being dug in. In nature, dead leaves and other vegetable matter falls on the surface of the soil, this is broken down by bacteria and fungi or eaten by earthworms that may excrete it at a depth mixed with soil.
A teaspoon full of healthy soil may contain about 150 million living bacteria, perhaps 1% by weight. {So much of the soil fauna is microscopic that (relatively) large animals such as earthworms may be only 10% of the total soil biota. Different soil life exist at different levels of soil, so it is helpful not to constantly be digging the soil over.}
Plants, worms and soil microlife are interdependent, enhance one and you enhance all three, inhibit one and you inhibit all three. Worms take organic matter down into the soil, however it's the roots of the plants and the soil microlife that appear to be the greatest creators of fertility under the right conditions. Worms aren't generally active below the depth of plant roots.
Starting the garden:
The use of newspaper as a weed control has been widely advocated for no-dig gardens and in some instances it can be a very effective control of many weed species. The use of newspaper, in my experience, hasn't been the most effective way to establish a garden when couch and kikuyu are present and other methods may be best if other perennial weeds are present such as dock or onion grass.
BEFORE YOU START, FIRST IDENTIFY FUTURE WEED PROBLEMS FROM PERENNIAL WEEDS
SECOND, ASSESS SOIL TYPE.
If the existing vegetation contains couch, kikuyu or any of the grass species with runners then I believe it is best to remove all surface vegetation.
Couch and kikuyu can form a thick mat and removing it will result in the loss of organic matter from the site. All vegetation removed can be put through a hot composting process and returned to the site a few weeks later or put in a 200 litre drum and boiled with a fire under it to kill the weeds and any seed in the soil.
Dock has a deep tap-root and if this is not removed it can keep growing up through the mulch. Onion grass, which has small edible but astringent bulbs may also keep growing up through the mulch.
While newspaper can be a good weed inhibiter, it can also inhibit soil microlife, as I have previously said, plants worms and soil microlife are all interdependent, inhibit one and you inhibit all three.
ESTABLISHING THE GARDEN
STAGE 1
My approach: Clear to bare earth the area intended for garden with a mattock, hoe or for larger areas, even a rotary hoe if it can be set to only dig very shallow. Then establish borders (such as concrete) that make it easy to prevent weed encroachment from the outside.
Ideally, leave the bare earth a week or two in the sun to kill any remaining perennial weeds, however you can start the next stage if you are confident that you have removed the vast majority of the weeds straight away.
Put in the watering system, any trellising or any other construction that will need doing.
Loosen the top couple of centimetre of soil with a scarifyer and use a rake to take the thin top layer from the area that is intended for paths to the area intended for garden beds. If the soil is compacted or of a clay type then loosen it with a strong garden fork. Initially, you may not get the fork down into the soil very far, just do what you can easily without the risk of breaking your fork.
All soil types may benefit from loosening with a fork, however it is important that you don't turn the soil over or bring clay to the surface.
Alex Podolinsky (ref 1) relates to the early Chinese market gardeners in an article on soil development- "What it [Chisel plow] does is the same thing the old Chinese gardeners did. They took the topsoil off a square foot, put it too one side, then they took a pick and loosened the clay underneath, and finally they put the topsoil from the next square foot onto the loosened clay. They would go right around the paddock that way."
Now might be a good time to look at the difference between this approach and the traditional approach of newspaper and mulch. The newspaper and mulch method concentrates fertility at the surface which encourages water dependant surface rooted plants. We are trying to increase fertility in the soil below to encourage deep rooted drought tolerant plants utilizing the minerals in the soil.
Some advocates of no-dig gardening have said you can make a garden on concrete and this is true. Raised beds and some methods of no-dig gardening treat soil like it is concrete, plants are simply grown in a medium above the soil. We should be growing plants in the soil if possible, not on top of it.
SO YOU'VE GOT YOUR GARDEN SET OUT WITH PATHS AND OTHER STRUCTURES.
Plant any perennial fruit trees, vines or shrubs that you intend planting during establishment. Seedlings can now be planted but wait a few weeks before planting seeds direct. Do all soil disturbance intended as soil disturbance of any type causes weed seed to germinate. Then water it well to germinate any weeds near the surface.
STAGE 2
In 2-3 weeks (depending on soil temperature) there will be quite a lot of weeds germinated and when they are at the "two leaf stage" it is time to start the garden. Put paths in place, this can be sawdust between poles, or whatever you fancy, however don't do anything to disturb the soil further now as it might cause more weed germination.
Cover the beds with a weed free mulch, (perhaps 20mm thick) such as compost that has been "hot composted", lawn clippings can also be an excellent mulch for seedlings (but not seed), if not used too thickly. Mulch around the previously planted seedlings and cover the vegie seed.
If you are using a good compost as a mulch you can throw a mixture of vegetable seed around on top of the soil, amongst any previously planted seedlings and the germinated weed seed. Large seeds will germinate through most mulches, however uncomposted tree leaves often have inhibiters to prevent seed germination. Leaves that have been previously composted and were collected with a minimum of seed would be OK.
Small seeds such as carrots are best planted in rows and covered with a fine seedling raising or potting mix. Seed will germinate through quite thick mulch but the small weed seedlings have no energy reserve at this stage so a small amount of mulch will suffocate them. The mulch suffocates the weeds that have germinated and the seed that you plant comes up through the mulch. Or you can cover the germinated weeds with mulch and plant seedlings into the soil below. Water it well and be prepared for a minimum of weeding from then on.
The compost that you could have made from the material removed from the site may be still a bit fresh for some vegetable seeds but would be OK to use with seedlings.
A lot has been written about the use of newspaper and starting a garden on grass with minimum initial work. Even if you have none of the perennial weeds mentioned above, I believe it still can be best to clear the site and hot compost the grass and dirt that you clear off rather than using newspaper to suffocate weeds.
SOILS
Understanding your soil can be greatly helped by getting a proper soil analysis, a proper one may cost in the region of $140. The following notes can still be followed by those not intending getting a soil analysis.
Understanding soil types, an oversimplification. First think of the two extremes, clay soil and sandy soil, it is a difference the particle size of the non organic (doesn't contain carbon) component of the soil. Clay has very small particle size and sand has relatively large particle size. Think of soils as one or the other, or something in-between.
Whether it is clay, sand or something between the two, it is the mineral content, organic matter content and equally as important, the biological activity that makes the minerals available to the plants that is the fertility of the soil.
CLAY SOILS
One of the people who has possibly had the greatest understanding of soils was William Albrecht, an American soil scientist. He said- "Much clay in soils means more chance for the roots to make contact with nutrient-carrying surfaces. Here is the reason why heavy clay soils are appreciated for productivity, even if often hated because of their intractability.
Ancient civilisations on sandy soils have not been long lived. Those on clay soils have persisted through centuries. Regions of older civilisations today are on soils of a high clay content because only such a soil would retain its productivity through those long periods of cultivation."
Clay soils are generally better endowed with minerals, often only greatly deficient in one element, oxygen. Loosening with a fork may give excellent improvement in soil fertility. Loosening allows the air movement which is necessary for the soil microlife that both plants and worms are dependant on, increases in fertility should follow.
I once heard of a fellow with a patch of heavy clay who dug some quite large deep holes for fruit trees and filled them up with compost before planting the fruit trees in the compost in the holes. The first really good rain filled it all up with water and the fruit trees died from water logging.
SO- Perhaps garden beds in clay soils need drainage, lay them out up and down any slope of the land, not on the contour.
SANDY SOILS
Not all sandy soils are the same, soils from alluvial river sand can be quite fertile, old beach sands far less endowed with minerals and fertility. Granites can also weather down to form a free draining sandy soil. Minerals are often abundant in clay soils and clay soils don't suffer mineral loss through leaching to the extent of other soils. Sandy soils are the other end of the spectrum, often mineral deficient and susceptible to leeching. Minerals can be retained in the organic component of a soil and this could be the approach with sandy soils.
The plants that feed the bacteria need minerals from the soil, as do the bacteria themselves. The action of the plants and the bacteria can slowly increase the organic matter levels to retain minerals in the soil. Perhaps increase fertility over time with an initial application of a compost mulch with granite rock dust either added to the compost or put on the soil prior to mulching. Light applications of composted sea weed products are an excellent addition. Experiment with small applications of lime and dolomite.
While it might seem obvious to address major nutrient deficiencies with larger applications of minerals, there may be no point in adding minerals without an increase in humus levels which follow healthy plant growth and microlife increases.
In sandy soils derived from granite, rock dusts may be less necessary but building up soil organic matter levels and biological activity levels equally as important.
In sandy soils use a fork to loosen the soil as well, don't dig compost
in but let some of the broken down mulch fall into the cracks made with the fork.
GARDEN LAYOUT
Traditional European veggie gardens were generally in straight, orderly rows, often only a single vegie type in each row.
More recent organic management has tended to move away from straight rows. "Nature abhors straight lines, identical incidents, bare soil and monocultures. Curious then that agriculture should strive for all four of these."- Newsletter of the American Heritage Seed Program, April 1993.
Permaculture seems to abhor straight lines also, however there is no reason why we shouldn't plant in straight rows and this makes it easier to stake plants going to seed. Statements have been made that pest worries will be reduced with random arrangements of plants rather than plants in straight lines. The only rational basis for this could be that you don't notice losses of plants as much with random plantings while losses are more noticeable with orderly straight rows. Therefore, if you don't notice it as much, you don't worry as much. However we should avoid the monoculture of more traditional European gardening.
MIXING FRUIT TREES AND VEGGIES
With the availability of dwarfing rootstocks for apples, the possibility of grafting pears on to quince rootstocks to produce a quite small tree, and other dwarfing rootstocks, there are many advantages in mixing fruit trees and vegetables in the garden. This raises the question of how to best use the space under fruit trees.
Many of us involved in organic gardening have tried various systems where plants are allowed to self seed and in some cases this has proved successful, however an absence of proper management usually results in failure after an initial period of some success.
SELF SEEDING VEGGIES UNDER FRUIT TREES
Think of classifying veggies into two groups, concentrated and nonconcentrated veggies. Potatoes concentrate energy into the spud underground, potatoes are a concentrated veggie. Anything grown for a root (carrot, parsnip), tuber (potato, Jerusalem artichoke), seed (pea or bean) or a fruit (tomato, capsicum, pumpkin, melon) can be thought of as a concentrated veggie. Anything grown for a leaf and some things grown for their stems can be thought of as nonconcentrated veggies.
My experience has been that the veggies that I group as nonconcentrated are the only ones suited to self seeding management and it's these that are generally suited to growing in partial shade. The concentrated vegies tend to be unsuited for self seeding management and usually like full sun.
Any salad veggies such as lettuce, endive, mizuna, the Chinese cabbages, parsley or those grown to use the leafy part in cooking such as silver beet, kale, spinach and orach. Those available that can be grown for their leaves are too numerous to list.
I would anticipate more work and less production with any self seeding management, however there are benefits with increased diversity and letting plants go "full cycle". There could also be aesthetic benefits however weed management needs to be very precise.
So, if we are mixing fruit trees and garden we can grow the "leafy greens" in the partial shade of the trees in either a self seeding way or by planting out seedlings. If we let plants go "full cycle" and self seed, then many of them provide pollen and nectar which attracts hover flies and other beneficial insects whose larvae eat aphis and a number of other garden pests.
Members of the carrot family (such as parsley & dill) and members of the cabbage family (mizuna, kale, the Chinese non hearting cabbages and others) provide flowers that are very attractive to beneficial insects. Perhaps a bit of buckwheat can be grown amongst the veggies under the trees as well.
Russian giant garlic is a plant that can be grown in partial shade and is a recommended companion plant for fruit trees. Each autumn plant bulbs under the fruit trees and the following autumn they are harvested, each bulb planted should return 5-7 bulbs a year later. As you harvest them, replant bulbs from your best plants for next years crop. This will produce a reasonable quantity of storable bulbs for soup. It only requires management once a year (harvest and planting in one operation) to have a supply of Russian Giant garlic for the period of the year when we should be eating soup the most.
Comfrey is a plant with a very deep root system that can be grown under trees and produces a leafy mulch or salad vegetable (depending on what you read)
Red, White & Black Currants and Chilean Guavas (a small bush that produces delightful musk flavoured berries) are all suited to an under story below fruit trees. Plants that like full sun can be grown in beds away from the trees.
Maintaining a no-dig garden.
First, think of the earth as it cooled from a very hot, lifeless sphere, many, many, billions of years ago. It slowly cooled to a hot lifeless place and for a very long time remained so. Slowly life evolved, or was "seeded" with debris from outer space.
Life very slowly become more complex till we have the incredible complexity of today. Plants, with water, carbon dioxide, some minerals and sunlight photo-synthesise and produce complex chemicals, some of these chemicals nourish bacteria and fungi capable of dissolving minerals from the soil and even very slowly breaking down grains of rock.
This breaking down of the rock and inert part of the soil, combined with the formation of organic matter by photo-synthesis and particularly the roots of the plant taking organic matter deep into the soil have been the reason that the earth changed from its barren lifeless form to what it is today.
So, if sunlight falls on a green leafy plant it will slowly build up the organic matter and fertility of the soil, if sunlight falls on bare soil it breaks down the organic matter near the soil surface and the mineral content can be leached. Continual digging and continual bare soil compounds the problem. Try to minimize soil exposed to the sun and maximize sunlight hitting green leaf.
Plants need nitrogen, which is one of the building blocks of the proteins needed by animals also. If we increase the amount of nitrogen available to the plants with synthetic nitrogen fertilizer we can substantially increase the plant growth. However, the synthetic nitrogen fertilizer inhibits natural nitrogen fixing bacteria as well as bacteria that do the necessary natural functions within the soil.
If we plant any of the legumes (lupins, peas, beans, lucerne etc) we can increase the nitrogen content of the soil naturally (as long as the nitrogen fixing bacteria are present), and often get a useful crop at the same time. Cereal crops such as wheat, barley, oats or rycorn can significantly increase the organic matter in the soil. More than half of the mass of the organic matter in a cereal crop can be in its roots, and these roots can go down anything up to 2 metre.
By having sunlight fall on to the green leaf of a cereal crop such as wheat we can be building up the organic matter in the soil without digging and getting the organic matter down much deeper than we could ever hope to with normal digging. As well it can produce a crop of wheat for free ranging poultry.
Sunlight falling on the leaves of legumes can provide the soil with nitrogen as well as organic matter, and if it is a crop of beans or peas a feed for ourselves.
Modern agricultural science has conditioned us to think that we have to have substantial fertilizer input to have a reasonable output. However, it should be understood that the synthetic chemical fertilizers inhibit or destroy the soil life that once gave us the fertile soil we have on the earth today.
So, we have separated the vegies that like partial shade from the ones that like full sun. The vast majority of the vegies that like full sun have their growing season during the hotter part of the year and the areas that we have set aside for these are generally free from late autumn till early spring.
If we plant a mulch crop in these areas during April, perhaps seed of the intended mulch crop can be planted amongst the maturing vegies, then it can grow all through winter when the area would be otherwise free. {Spent annuals may be cut off at the base before top up mulching, so leaving their root mass in the soil and avoiding inverting the established soil onto the top of mulch.}
Next year's crop can then be planted in amongst the mulch crop, it can be pulled out and composted or it can be cut off at ground level and left on the surface of the soil. Mulch crops could contain legumes also.
ONGOING MULCHING.
If any activity such as weeding or harvesting a crop such a arrowroot, potatoes or artichokes causes soil disturbance, then smooth the area over with a rake and leave it for weeks until the weeds have just germinated. Seedlings could be planted at the time or seed later, similar to establishing the garden. Any such times of soil disturbance may be a good time for another working with the fork, getting it in a bit deeper each time, let a bit of the broken down mulch fall into the cracks the fork makes.
Try anything with an open mind and find out what suits your situation.
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Ref 1 Alex Podolinski in an interview for Acres USA, July 1988, reprinted in Biodynamic Gardeners Association newsletter July 2001
Copyright- Neil Barraclough 12\3\2000
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Copyright 12/03/2000 14/08/08