How To convert to a no-till garden

How to Convert to a No-till Garden

Here are a few tips on how to convert your existing conventional garden area into a no-till or minimal disturbance garden.

• The first and easiest step to take may be fall tillage. Fall tillage is often an unnecessary practice that does more harm than good. Instead of tilling your soil in the fall, the best practice for general soil health would be mowing and/or removing any weeds or other vegetation. Weeds with seeds and any diseased vegetation should be pulled or cut and removed from the area. Other plant materials like weeds without seeds or healthy garden plants can be mowed in the fall. This will bring the plant material in contact with the soil where the microbial life in the soil can begin decomposition and convert it to valuable nutrients.
• Mulch your garden area in the fall to increase organic matter and microbial life in the soil.
• Instead of spring tillage, use occultation, solarization or deep mulch methods to prepare planting beds.
• Cease tillage of pathways and use mulch or mowing instead.
• Practice the 5 principles of soil health- cover the soil, limit disturbance, increase diversity, keep a living root in the soil as long as possible, integrate livestock.

Soil Health School

The 2026 Soil Health School is set for September 15-17 near Twin Brooks and Marvin, SD.

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