The 5 Secrets of Effortless Gardening.
Taking care of your garden is a real pleasure.
But people who have a garden or vegetable patch know that it takes a tremendous amount of time and effort.
But did you know that with less effort, you can have better crops?
Here are the 5 secrets of effortless gardening:
1. Use the “no-till” gardening method
“No-till gardening” is about not tilling or digging the soil in your flowerbeds.
The idea is not to disturb the complex environment of the basement. It is this environment in its natural state that will be beneficial to the plants in your garden or vegetable patch.
Amendments and fertilizers. But how do you add the usual amendments and fertilizers (such as compost, manure, peat, lime, organic fertilizers, etc.)?
These amendments are simply added to the soil surface. Over time, they are integrated into the basement.
Here's how it works: On the one hand, watering incorporates amendments into the soil. And on the other hand, the activity of organisms that abound in the subsoil also participates in the assimilation of fertilizers.
This means that there is no need to plow your land to incorporate fertilizer. Result, less effort!
Less weeds. With the “no-till” method, the need for weeding is considerably reduced.
In addition, if you use a mulch (layer of protective material laid on the ground) containing bark, you prevent weeds from appearing.
In addition, the few weeds that succeed in breaking through are easily uprooted. Indeed, one of the advantages of using mulch is that the soil always stays moist.
This moist, spongy soil is the perfect way to speed up the growth of your shoots and re-plantings. It is an efficient process because it reproduces the way plants grow in the wild.
Less effort. If you adopt the “no-till” gardening method, there is no longer the need for strenuous efforts with your spade and shovel.
It means a lot less work for you in the spring!
On the other hand, it is important to renew the mulch in your garden or vegetable patch - and not to step on it.
2. Mulch, more mulch, more mulch
Laying a thick layer of mulch on your garden soil and around your plants has many benefits.
This improves the growing conditions for your plants. In addition, it cuts down on weeding and watering time.
Water saving. Mulch saves water because it prevents evaporation. In addition, it prevents the surface of the soil in your garden from drying out.
Therefore, the need for regular watering is significantly reduced.
In addition, the mulch prevents weeds from growing. Those that succeed in piercing are easy to uproot since the soil remains loose and moist.
This is why mulch is really a "must" in areas where water is a scarce natural resource.
What type of mulch to use? A good gardener is always on the lookout for free, organic solutions that he can use as mulch.
Here are some ideas:
Mowing dried grass is a readily available resource. Fresh lawn mowing has a high nitrogen content. On the other hand, for plants that are ready to bear fruit, it is best to use dried lawn mowing.
In the fall, you can resort to dead leaves, straw (but not hay), algae and plant waste that covers the forest floor.
It is good to know that for vegetable gardens, you should avoid using bark-based mulch, geotextile and plastic sheeting.
Usage tips. Once you have laid a layer of mulch, it is important not to disturb it.
For amendments and fertilizers (such as lime, compost or phosphate), simply add them to the surface of the mulch, without mixing.
For the sowing of seeds and re-planting, it is sufficient to remove the mulch. Once the plants take root, replace the mulch around the plant.
Mulch naturally disintegrates in the soil. This is why you frequently need to add mulch to your garden.
When the mulch thickens and begins to disintegrate, you know you have built up nourished soil and have loosened it well for your next harvest!
You can easily find mulch at garden or home improvement stores.
3. Use plant cover
Between crop rotations, adopt the cover crop method.
This involves planting a ground cover - peas, forage plants, rye or buckwheat.
This method is especially interesting for gardeners who use peat moss between their rotations. This saves the purchase and transport of heavy and bulky bags.
In addition, this method requires less manure and fertilizer.
Cover crop seeds are easy to plant.
Once they reach the stage of ripening, all that remains is to bury them to prepare for the next culture.
Usage tips. The use of ground cover is an effective complement to the “no-till” gardening method.
It contributes to better aeration, loosening and fertility of your soil - all without tilling!
Burying a ground cover crop should be done before it goes to seed. But little effort is needed for landfill.
When you are ready for your crop rotation, we recommend that you cut your ground cover with a pair of shears or pruning shears. Then, leave the clippings on the ground, as mulch.
You can also “smother” the crop with dense mulch (eg algae). This creates what is called a "lasagna effect". This environment allows you to replant your crop - without plowing or weeding the soil.
The advantages of plant cover.
- Avoid weeds. Nature does not like to leave a virgin land. If you don't farm your soil, it will be overgrown with weeds in no time.
Growing ground covers will make it harder for weeds.
- Limits the need for peat. Adding peat to the soil requires a lot of effort. Each bag should be lifted and placed at least 4 times before the peat is spread on the ground.
Peat is needed to aerate and loosen the soil. But a ground cover is just as effective and requires a lot less effort.
- Limits the need for fertilizer. Forage-type ground covers will add nitrogen to the soil. Therefore, you will need less fertilizer for your next crops.
We recommend that you use rapeseed as a green manure: it is much lighter than manure.
4. Use raised beds
After a few hours in the garden, our backs tire easily.
You quickly feel the urge to come home to have a cup of tea and move on to another activity.
And no need to add that the older we get, the more supple the poor knees and backs lose.
In your own garden, the best-maintained flowerbeds are likely to be the highest flowerbeds.
Normal, since they are easier to access!
To make your gardening easier and increase your yields, try converting your garden or vegetable patch to raised beds. This allows you to grow evenly - and without your back pain!
Ideal dimensions. We recommend that you build beds 120 cm wide.
The idea is to be able to easily reach the full width of your flower bed from just one side.
The ideal height for a flowerbed is 40 cm.
More control. With raised beds in your garden, you can better control weeds in passages between your beds.
Indeed, the walls of your flower beds serve as protective barriers and prevent the invasion of weeds.
In addition, you can easily smother weeds in the passages by laying pieces of cardboard (or mulch, for a more aesthetic look).
The result ? A neat and tidy garden - without wasting time or energy with weeding!
5. Use drip irrigation
Dragging your garden hoses through the garden is time consuming and requires considerable effort.
Watering is an inevitable part of maintaining a garden or vegetable patch.
One can quickly become a slave to this task. There are even people who change their schedule to be able to water their plants.
Another problem is to take care not to water the leaves of certain plants (tomatoes, in particular) because one can cause the appearance of downy mildew.
Therefore, automatic sprinkler watering cannot be used on this type of plant.
Lots of problems and inconveniences for watering plants - is there a solution? Yes !
The drip system. This system consists of having several tiny pipes and several emitters (the “drippers”). It is also known as micro-irrigation.
The pipes are laid on the ground of your flowerbeds. Just turn on a small faucet and the water will slowly and steadily drip down to the roots of your plants.
This system saves a lot of time. In addition, the water saving is considerable, since the water is no longer sprayed everywhere as with a garden hose.
It also means that the passages between the flowerbeds are no longer watered.
This is an important aspect. Because, without water, the weeds in the passages of your garden dry up and make weeding easier. Less effort!
Usage tips. Lay your drip pipes under the mulch of your flowerbeds, so that they are invisible.
There are also battery operated electric timers that program the time and duration of your watering. This allows you to take care of your vegetable garden - without being present!
Better harvests. It is one of the good surprises to use a drip system and a scheduler. The growth and harvests of your plants will increase!
Drip watering takes longer than sprinkler watering. Therefore, it exploits the natural absorption time of the roots of your plants.
The result ? Your garden produces better crops - with less effort!
You can easily find a micro-irrigation kit at garden or DIY stores. Otherwise, you can buy it online here.
Conclusion
There you have it, the 5 smart secrets of effortless gardening. :-)
If this topic interests you, know that we were inspired by the theories of natural agriculture of the famous Japanese farmer Masanobu Fukuoka.
You can find his book, The Revolution in a Single Strand of Straw: An Introduction to Wild Farming,at your bookseller. Otherwise, you can buy it online here.
What do you think ? Maybe you know other gardening tips? Share them with us in the comments. We can't wait to hear from you!
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A Free and Easy to Make Vegetable Garden!
How to Weed Your Garden Naturally and Free?
