Gardening is both a fun and rewarding venture. However, many people new to gardening may not know much about gardening and have many questions. One of the most asked questions by new gardeners is, how often should one till their garden?
You should till your garden at least once a year. The best time to till your garden is early spring at the beginning of the planting season or fall after harvesting. Over-tilling your garden may lead to soil compaction, strip nitrogen, and harm beneficial bacteria and fungi that aid plant health.
In this article, we will look at garden tilling in detail, discuss the right time for you to till your garden, and explain the differences between a no-till and a tilled garden. We’ll also expound on the advantages and disadvantages of no-till and till gardens. Read on to learn more.
Choosing the Right Time and How Often to Till Your Garden
It’s best to till your garden at least once a year. The best time to till is early spring when the planting season begins. The soil is moist but not wet—which is the best time to till your garden.
It is crucial to avoid tilling your garden when the soil is wet, as it causes damage to the soil and compacts the soil.
The other alternative time to till your garden is in the fall after harvesting.
If you are lucky enough to live in a place where you can grow year-round, you can till your land after every harvest or before every planting.
Some people till their gardens in the autumn, although this is not very common. Autumn tilling works when you want to introduce farmyard manure in the garden or when preparing a new garden—or one that no one has tended for a long time. To avoid over-tilling, tilling in autumn is not the best practice.
Tilling vs. No-Till Gardening
In the past, tilling was a necessity on many farms every spring. However, recently there have been debates about the benefits of no-tilling vs. tilling one’s garden.
Some people have embraced the no-till method of gardening since tilling is now thought to have very few advantages.
The no-till garden should not be confused with an uncultivated garden. A no-till garden is a garden covered with sheet mulching instead of being tilled. On the other hand, a wild garden grows naturally—without human intervention.
There are many arguments for and against these two methods of gardening. Let us look at some of these arguments.
Tilling Method
Humankind has used tilling as a farming method from time immemorial. People have devised many innovative techniques to till the land to get the best out of it.
Before tilling, you need to know how deep you should till your garden and the factors affecting the depth of tilling. You should also know when to till the garden. Tilling has both advantages and disadvantages. Let us look at some of them.
Pros of Tilling Your Garden
- Soil aeration. The primary advantage of tilling is soil aeration. Soil aeration helps air circulation, and it gets moisture in the soil to enhance the growth of plants. The University of California Cooperative Extension recommends using two inches of compost to boost poor soils like sand and clay; for better drainage and soil aeration.
- Deep penetration of roots. Tilling helps the soil loosen up and allows deeper penetration of the roots, which helps the plants thrive.
- Reduce soil compaction. The right amount of tilling can help reduce the compression of the soil, but you can only achieve this if you till your garden at the right time and do not over till as over tilling causes compaction of the soil.
- Reduce the occurrence of weeds. Tilling a garden helps to suppress weeds. You mix the weeds with the soil during tilling, where they decompose and give nutrients to the plants.
- Warm the soil. Tilling turns the soil and warms it up for planting. Warm soil enhances the germination of seeds.
Cons of Tilling Your Garden
- Degradation of organic material. Intensive tilling can be detrimental to your garden. It can lead to faster degradation of the organic material used in the garden as mulch.
- Soil compaction. Over tilling a garden can lead to soil compaction by drying out the soil by air and water erosion.
- Strips your soil of nitrogen. Tiling exposes the bacteria and microorganisms that help break down ammonium to form nitrates for your plants to absorb.
No-Till Method
The no-till gardening method is a practice of cultivating crops with minimal or no soil disturbance. The United States Department of Agriculture defines no-till as the absence of tillage operations from the previous crop’s harvest to the current crop’s yield. Many people have recently embraced this practice to help build the soil’s health and fertility.
It is important to note that the no-till method can only work in established gardens, and you have to till virgin gardens. Let us look at some of the advantages of the no-till method.
Pros of No-Till Method of Farming
- It’s cost-effective. When you leave your growing area to nature—you can spare yourself all the expenses involved in the tilling process, such as equipment and labor.
- Help keep the soil moist. The leftover crop remnants can increase the soil’s ability to absorb and retain moisture.
- The no-till method encourages microbial growth in the soil. No tiling encourages the good bacteria in the soil that breaks down nutrients so the plant can readily absorb them and enhance growth.
- Better for the environment. The no-till farming method prevents farming toxins and herbicides from being leached into waterways by runoff.
- Reduces soil erosion. The crop residue in the no-till method helps to reduce soil erosion. The soil covered by plant remnants will not be swept away by high winds and heavy rainfall; this helps retain the nutrients and boost the soil’s health.
- Boost the health of the soil. According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, no-till farming increases the soil’s health by boosting organic matter retention, reducing soil erosion, and increasing the amount of water getting into the ground. It also increases the soil’s microbial organisms, making it more resistant and full of nutrients.
- Promotes subsequent plant growth. As the no-till process is healthier for the soil, you will find that your following planting will produce bountiful harvests.
Cons of No-Till Method of Farming
- Risks of fungal growth. Even though your untilled soil is healthier, the increased moisture retention could also attract harmful fungal growth. Mildew and molds can ravage your plants and are difficult to control without synthetic fungicides.
- More weed growth. Tilling suppresses the growth of unwanted weeds, which can flourish in your untilled garden.
- Your soil lacks aeration. Over time, the no-till method may cause the earth to compact, which is not ideal for root development. Roots need oxygen to respire and absorb nutrients from the soil.
- May spread plant diseases. When the ground is left untilled, the disorders in the unremoved plant residue may contaminate the new generation of plants you sow.
- It makes it more difficult to amend soil nutrient deficiencies. With the penetrating action of tilling, soil amendments can penetrate to the root level for soil that is nutrient poor or suffers from pH imbalances. When untilled— soil amendments will not penetrate as deeply into the earth utilizing surface applications.
- You need to rotate your crops. Crop rotation is essential in no-till areas as keeping the same crop can promote disease and crop-specific pests when planted consecutively. It can also hinder weed growth by changing the soil conditions each season.
Bottom line
You should till your garden at least once a year in the early spring or late fall after harvesting. It is important to till the garden less often as over-tilling compacts the soil.
Even so, you can choose to practice the no-till method of farming. This method involves sheet mulching and offers many benefits to the soil.
Ultimately it comes down to your choice whether tilling your garden is worthwhile—since both these techniques offer advantages and disadvantages.
