From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Mn

What do you think is better a rudced tilling program or no tilling at all.

12/30/2005 3:20:11 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

With the amount of organic matter and nutrients we add..no other option except to till.

12/30/2005 3:31:36 PM

Roselle, IL GJGEM@sbcglobal.net

Jack Larue says differently. He has had great results with little or no tilling. I will till lightly this spring. George Websters new video has Jack talking about his no till approach.

12/30/2005 6:03:35 PM

North Smithfield, RI USA

I agree with Shannon !

12/31/2005 5:41:44 PM

Mn

What New Video????

12/31/2005 8:34:25 PM

Indiana

I till a bunch in the fall to get the manure and leaves in and once deeply on the spring to mix in any extras i have added. then i will just cultivate with my mini tiller to bust up the weeds.

1/1/2006 11:54:04 AM

Mocksville, NC

Ditto with Moondog

1/1/2006 4:47:08 PM

San Jose garysand@pacbell.net

no till may be the ideal, but if you dont have enough OM you really don't have a choice, do we? Don't all of our veggies and fruit come from tilled fields? It may disturb the bio stuff down there, but how long does it take to regenerate?

ALSO, when we till they say you are destroying the tunnels of the worms, but when you till are you not adding OM, and oxygen to help the little wormies move more freely?

1/3/2006 7:59:10 PM

Kevinstinindians@yahoo.com

What is this video?

1/4/2006 11:12:36 AM

Billerica,Massachusetts

bottom-line if i didn't have to till i wouldn't, but the ground is too hard after the winter, but when you till you are basically upsetting the soils enviroment so to say, it would be like taking a forest and turning it upside down, and still expect it to function as a forest.

1/4/2006 12:00:29 PM

Roselle, IL GJGEM@sbcglobal.net

We are offering the video at the IGPGA seed auction- see our auction for details. George Webster has sold them in the past

1/4/2006 1:50:41 PM

Montoursville, PA

When it comes to no-till an early book, by author Ruth Stout, The No Work Garden Book, out of print, remains an easy, to read, no nonsense guide and understanding, of no till. She called it her permanent mulch system. Anyone interested in no-till should go there and read this book.

2/5/2006 8:47:21 PM

Snoqualmie, Wash.

I'm doing a test this year. I tilled in 1/2 and planted a cover crop. The other 1/2 was covered with alafalfa grass mixed with goat poopy stuff from my goat patch, turned over once with a pitchfork, and then covered again with poopy hay. I'll be turning this over with a pitchfork this weekend and covered again with poopy hay. I have a sponsor this year, Soilsoup compost tea. I'll be using it with the 1/2 turned over with hay as an organic test. Jerri

3/3/2006 11:24:41 PM

My method of soil building for veggie garden has been a combination of both used in this manner.
1. get a base of good top soil 8" minimum by adding whatever OM/compost/manure tilled in
2.divide the area into raised beds,dig pathways(to the subsoil) throwing the soil on those beds,fill the paths with layers of mixed OM/manure.
plant beds and mulch with OM, plant winter cover crop on beds and fork in next spring, refresh paths when needed, work this for 2 years
3.rotate the raised beds to the path locations and continue the same technique for another 2 year rotation

I simply combined different ideas that made sense to me over 10 years and now have a garden(160'x60') with 30" avg. of viable working topsoil. I use intensive planting on the beds and usually grass clippings to mulch them.

I guess this would be called "minimum till method" I like the idea of hand turning the beds once a year in spring to maintain worm populations. They are usually spending time in the layers of the pathways.

3/15/2006 6:33:40 AM

That beening said,,I am luckey enough to have 1 1/2 acres of cleared land that I am developing. Some of which I will dedicate to AG's. I plan on using some of the afore mentioned garden for 2 plants this year.
In the "new ground" I already "tilled" in slow release lime (ph is very low) mixed with 2 applications of shredded leaves, covered with winter rye. That and aged compost,3" inches or so for getting tilled in are first priority when I can get out there this spring.

I plan on using pits for the plant sites(4 total planned) and adding more aged materials in the vine areas. By moving the pits every year I will be using the same thought process and should have some great/deep soils in a few years.

I'm blessed with sand loam and excellent drainage I might add. Pits don't scare me!

3/15/2006 6:58:00 AM