Gardening starts with thinking.
Let’s say we have an idea for a garden. What do we need to think about and consider first before digging a hoe into the dirt?
A place.
The location of our garden is one of the most important things. Based on the location of our place, we can choose suitable plants to grow.
It is nonsense to want to grow tropical palms and cacti in a place where winter temperatures drop below freezing.
I recommend looking around—what plants grow freely in nature here, and do they thrive? What do the other neighbors have in their gardens? I will elaborate more on this topic in the “What to grow” section.
All plants need plenty of sun, nutrient soil, and water. However, each plant has different requirements, which we must consider when planting.
Plants are bothered by weeds, shade trees, and bushes, strong wind, stagnant and retained water, or places where water does not penetrate well into the soil (hills, unsuitable soil type). And, of course, there are exceptions to all of this.
The ground.
One of the most crucial factors when considering a place is soil quality. Healthy, good-quality soil is essential for optimal results. But what does this mean exactly?
To understand healthy, fertile soil, you can examine store-bought soil. You’ll notice it is dark brown, loose, and easy to handle – not sticky like clay. You can often find this type of soil in natural forest environments, which is enriched by decomposing organic material over time.
Healthy soil is well-draining but not sandy, and it contains humus – a mixture of decomposed plant and tree matter, decayed animals, and, if you want, even kitchen waste. As humus forms, it starts as a lighter brown and gradually darkens, eventually turning almost black as it matures into nutrient-rich soil.
One indicator of healthy soil is its abundance of visible living organisms, such as earthworms, insects, and invisible microorganisms. It’s important to note that in this context, we’re not referring to pests but to beneficial soil organisms.
The structure of the soil is equally important. It should be permeable and not overly compacted. If the soil is too compressed, air movement and soil organisms’ activity is restricted. Additionally, water and nutrients will quickly drain away, making the soil unproductive.
What is better, digging or not?
Traditional gardening often involves turning the soil annually, typically in winter when most plants are dormant. Gardeners repeat this process once or more each season to aerate the soil, disrupt weed roots, and enhance water absorption.
However, turning the soil has its downsides. Aside from requiring significant physical effort, it disrupts the natural habitat of microorganisms in the soil. While adding humus or fertilizer each year is necessary for both methods (no-dig and dig), soil tilling can destroy essential elements like fungal networks, insect larvae and eggs, and other critical factors that promote healthy plant growth and crops.
In nature, the soil is rarely disturbed to this extent. Instead, organic matter like leaves and branches falls to the ground and decomposes naturally over time, enriching the soil with nutrients. An animal like a wild boar may occasionally dig into the earth, but this happens infrequently.
In our gardens, we control what and how it grows, so we must actively maintain soil quality.
No-Dig Method
The usual method of working with the soil goes deep, while the no-dig method piles the layers. So, instead of digging, we layer new soil where we wish to have a bed.
The no-dig method involves covering the soil with cardboard or another biodegradable material, followed by a thick layer of humus or mulch. This method creates nutrient-rich soil and minimizes weed growth. Since the soil is left undisturbed, beneficial microorganisms can thrive.
The cardboard acts as a barrier, allowing water to pass through but blocking light. Without light, weeds beneath the cardboard cannot perform photosynthesis and eventually die off.
I recommend mowing the grass first and covering the area with black sheeting for a few weeks before starting with the cardboard.
How to Apply the No-Dig Method:
- Select the area for your garden bed and cover it with natural, uncolored cardboard, ensuring no gaps for light to pass through.
- Add a thick layer of humus and let it sit for a few weeks, covered with black gardening fabric.
- After this period, add more humus, remove any remaining weeds, and plant your seeds or seedlings as per the season.
- Another variation is to layer cardboard, wooden mulch, and a final layer of humus to create a thick, nutrient-rich bed ready for planting.
- Moisturize each layer, including the cardboard, to ensure it decomposes appropriately.
- Use borders made of cardboard or wood chips to prevent weeds from creeping into your bed.
While effective and time-saving in the long run—reducing the need for frequent watering and weeding—the no-dig method requires a substantial amount of high-quality soil. That’s because the soil level will settle over time, requiring yearly additions of new layers of nutrient soil. This fact can be tricky if we have a small garden without the possibility of creating a significant amount of humus every year, we want to keep gardening low-cost, or we have a type of terrain that is hard to reach with vehicles.
For instance, the no-dig method isn’t ideal for my situation. Living in a mountainous area with terraced terrain, carrying bags of humus from the store is impractical due to the steep stone steps leading to my garden. Additionally, my garden doesn’t generate enough organic material to produce the necessary humus for all my beds.
Minimal Digging Method
If the no-dig method is not feasible, how can we achieve similar results? One option is a minimal digging approach, which can offer the benefits of no digging method while allowing for some soil turnover.
There’s an ongoing debate over whether adding humus on top of cardboard or lightly digging is more natural. Both have advantages and disadvantages, but in nature, limited digging does occur, though it’s kept to a minimum. Excessive soil disturbance is not beneficial, and this approach strikes a balance by only disrupting the soil where and when necessary.
Black sheet, interplanting, and mulching
When considering why we traditionally turn the soil, the primary goals are to aerate it and remove weeds and their roots. However, alternative methods exist to achieve these benefits without disturbing the soil structure too much.
One approach is to combine the old way and the no-digging method. We mow the grass on the property, then use a hoe and rake to clear away all remaining plant debris. Removing all root fragments is essential, as even small pieces can regenerate into new plants. Once we clear the area, we cover it with a black garden fabric that allows water to penetrate but blocks light. The black fabric prevents weeds from growing and establishing root networks during the fall and winter, eliminating the need for extensive weeding in the spring.
We can choose to cover all garden areas or create individual beds and paths.
Before the new growing season begins, we enrich the soil with fertilizer (such as well-aged manure) or high-quality humus to boost nutrient levels. So what is the point if we have to use humus anyway? The difference is the amount. With the no-dig method, the roots grow only in the humus – the new soil we must add. But with this method, roots have all the ground needed, and we only enrich it.
Interplanting maximizes space in the garden by growing different plants close together. This approach ensures that desirable plants dominate the garden beds, leaving little room for weeds to take hold. As a result, the need for soil disturbance is minimized.
Mulching achieves a similar effect by suppressing weed growth. It also helps the soil retain moisture and maintain a stable temperature that benefits plants. Additionally, as mulch decomposes over time, it enriches the soil with valuable nutrients.
I will discuss the topics of interplanting and mulching in more detail in the following chapters.
Acidic and alkaline soil
Most plants we grow in the garden prefer neutral, slightly acidic soil. If we observe plants naturally growing in our garden, we can get a picture of the type of soil there. An immense number of acidophilic plants in our garden can indicate acidic soil that is not perfect for growing our edible plants. But usually, it’s enough to “correct” it with a layer of humus.
We can only perform more significant ground adjustments if we know the pH and how to get the right results. Randomly changing the pH of the soil could cause more harm than good. This applies in cases where we can see by eye that the ground is not suitable for planting or there is nothing growing, even if we do things correctly.
We can send a sample of our ground to a specialized laboratory, where they will examine it. Based on the pH level, we will find out if our soil is acidic or alkaline.
The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with seven being neutral. Soils with a pH below seven are considered acidic, while those above seven are considered alkaline.
Acidic Soil
- pH Range: Less than 7, typically 3.5 to 6.5 for agricultural purposes.
- Characteristics: Acidic soils often occur in areas with high rainfall, where water leaches away essential minerals like calcium and magnesium, making the soil more acidic. These soils are usually rich in iron and aluminum.
- Effects on Plants: Some plants thrive in acidic conditions (e.g., blueberries, azaleas, rhododendrons), but many plants may struggle as essential nutrients like phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen become less available. Highly acidic soils can also increase the toxicity of certain elements, like aluminum and manganese, which can harm plant roots.
- Management: Materials like lime (calcium carbonate) or wood ash can be added to the soil to raise the pH and reduce acidity. This process is called “liming” and helps to neutralize the acidity.
Therefore, in places where it rains a lot, you can see that they sprinkle white powder (lime) on the fields to improve the soil’s quality, i.e., reduce its acidity and strengthen its physical attributes.
Wood ash is more efficient and faster to use, more accessible, and, let’s say, more natural.
We can apply wood ash in the fall so that it has time to work before the season begins. It’s essential not to use ash right before the season because it also works as a “disinfectant,” meaning it kills all microorganisms – the bad and the good. Also, for this reason, it is recommended NOT to put ash on seedlings – we would slow down (or stop) growth and fertility.
Alkaline Soil
- pH Range: Greater than 7, usually 7.5 to 9.
- Characteristics: Alkaline soils are commonly found in dry, arid regions where evaporation is higher than rainfall, leading to the accumulation of calcium, magnesium, and other salts. These soils often appear light in color and may have poor structure.
- Effects on Plants: Alkaline soil can make certain nutrients (such as iron, manganese, and phosphorus) less available, leading to deficiencies. Plants that prefer acidic conditions may exhibit symptoms like yellowing leaves (chlorosis) due to the lack of iron uptake.
- Management: To lower the pH and increase acidity, materials like sulfur, iron sulfate, or organic matter (compost, peat moss) can be added to the soil. Acidifying fertilizers, such as ammonium sulfate, can also help gradually reduce alkalinity.
Gradual Changes: Adjusting soil pH is usually a slow process, and it’s important to avoid drastic changes that can harm plants and soil life. Regular testing and gradual amendments are the best approaches.
Plant Preferences
As I mentioned above, most vegetables, grasses, and annual flowers prefer neutral to slightly acidic soil. For this reason, it is better to grow your acid-loving plants (such as potatoes and blueberries) in a separate place away from plants that like neutral soil.
Now that we know much about our soil, we can look at other aspects of our place.