My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made
while learning to see things from the plant's point of view.
~ H. Fred Dale
while learning to see things from the plant's point of view.
~ H. Fred Dale
W
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ill this garden ever get planted!? Last weekend I tried to find a reasonably priced used rototiller. Raised beds were a nightmare of the past, and I decided I would just use the land I do have and tear it up.
Everything I had read said this was unnecessary.
But I am impatient. You might not think so since it is now mid-June and my 48 tomato plants are wilting and struggling in their tiny nursery beds. Oh yeah. I can’t WAIT to write my lessons learned post at the end of this growing season! It will be a lesson in humility! Meanwhile, I made a discovery last Friday.
Landscape dudes rototill.
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| photo courtesy of Sergejs Nescereckis |
Glory be! Why didn’t I think of this miracle before now?! Forget the used rototiller (there weren’t any) or a new rototiller (you want how much?!). I can now have my land rototilled and I don’t have to actually do the work. I’m sure seeing a 5’2” woman chasing after a runaway rototiller would have made for some great YouTube moments. However, I am sure it is much better this way!
So I called one of the several I interviewed and he’s all set to come out on Saturday and tear up the land so my wee babies have a permanent home. It’s in a great sunny spot and veggies have been planted there before and grown successfully ~ many moons ago.
Then another wrench was thrown into the works. But a good one!
I think.
A girlfriend of mine who is also into nature and gardening sent me this link. Whether one agrees with Paul Gautschi's spirituality or faith or not, he does makes some really good points about observing how nature works and using those same principles in gardening. His way of gardening certainly seems more sustainable and eco-friendly.
So now I’m wondering: do I call the rototiller dude and cancel the tilling and ask him to bring me a truckload of find compost/wood chips/organic material??
Oremus pro invicem,
~ Mikaela
I need your help on this one: to rototill or to mulch ~ that is the question!
3 comments:
I really enjoyed the video. I'm an aspiring gardener. We don't have land so my gardening experience so far is with a window box and a hanging planter (we don't till or mulch :D ) but the no till ideas seem very appealing in principle and (assuming they work) seem more practical for a hobby farm beginner. Layering newspaper to smother the grass, lots of compost, and lots of mulch seems like a good way to start. I suppose I'd rather spend money on long term helpers compost and mulch than the short term gains of tilling. I'd love to hear from someone who has experience with both.
Meghan ~ a window box is a great way to start. Are you growing herbs, veggies or flowers?
I've decided to do both methods as a test. So one plot will get tilled tomorrow and the other will get newspapers, etc laid on top of it.
Those who do not have background with regards to gardening or landscaping will just plant seedlings right away but others who have doing this for some time know that the quality of the soil is very important. This is why tilling needs to be learned if you want to enjoy the beauty of your outdoor property and see the blending of colors from different plants.
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