No-till organic gardening

by Stephen
(Modesto, California)

I have not tilled my garden for 6 years. We double crop here with small grain in the winter and vegetables, beans and flint corn in the summer.

When the small grain is harvested, simply return the straw and scatter it. Between the straw, seeds are placed in the damp soil.

I have many times planted corn after the small grain. Contrary to agricultural science, there is no nitrogen draft. Humus forms on top of the soil and it become more and more fertile as the years go one.

Tilling the soil reduces the organic matter that is so important to soil fertility, it also disrupts the various nutrient cycles, especially the nitrogen cycle.

Tilling the soil is a lot of work and why work if you don't have to?

It is worth watching the Emilia Hazelip videos on youtube, she explains the technique clearly.