no-till garlic
The garlic pictured at right is growing in a bed that has never been dug, forked, or tilled. Granted, this bed hasn’t been a bed for very long, but still. Last May the bed was formed by us creating a thirty-three-foot long by three-foot-wide mound of turf pieces stripped off a different part of the field. Manure, lime, and homemade organic fertilizer were spread atop the mound, then it was covered with wet newspaper and stable clearings. Tomatoes were planted through holes in the newspaper. In the autumn the tomatoes were cut down, the newspaper removed, and garlic planted. A bit more manure was added, then fresh kelp, then shredded leaves, the straw. I dig and till routinely, for various reasons, but the long term plan is to have most of the farm converted to reduced-tillage techniques by year four. Entirely untilled beds, like this one, provide inspiration as we move toward that goal.
Tagged: No-Till, Reduced Tillage, Tillage