One of my favourite things about gardening is that there is no "right" way to do it. I've never been one to follow directions. I like improvising. I like options.
When I was planning my garden last year, my first-ever year gardening, I read all I could about gardening methods and I found one I really liked: square-foot gardening. The idea is to, instead of planting in rows, plant in squares. You build a 4x4-foot square (like this) and then put in a grid (like this). A lot more can be planted this way, which is especially convenient if space is limited.
After the grid is created, and you've decided what you'd like to plant, you look up how many seeds/plants can be planted per square-foot. My favourite site to look this up on is this one.
Now, because I'm an over-achiever, I didn't pick just one gardening method, I chose two. The second method I used last year, and am using again this year because it worked so well, I found by accident while I was reading a friend's blog. It's called Back to Eden. There was a (free to watch) documentary film made as well, that I have watched at least three times already. I highly recommend watching it, and I guarantee you will be blown away.
The guy behind the method, Paul Gautschi, was wondering why he had to work so hard to make things grow. He took a walk through the forest that lines his property, and he looked at the ground. He dug into the forest floor and found rich soil full of moisture. He looked up at the trees and thought about how they never get watered, yet they grow huge and strong.
The leaves fall in autumn, covering the forest floor. They break down, year after year, creating beautiful topsoil, which holds loads of moisture. When it is rainy, the cover absorbs the water, keeping the soil from flooding. During dry spells, the cover protects the soil from drying out. It's brilliant. After his discovery in the forest, Paul started using this method in his garden. He brought in broken-down wood chips and put them on his soil as a cover. He found that his fruit became juicier, and here's the thing: he never waters his garden.
And he rarely needs to weed, and when he does, the weeds come out easily, root and all. Two of the most labourious things about gardening, watering and weeding, become nearly unnecessary. Also? He never tills his soil.
One of the great things about this method is that it can start to be used at any time during the growing season. Ideally it's done before seeds are planted, but it can be used after things are growing, too.
I learned a lot using the covering last growing season, and in the fall I covered my garden with the leaves raked from my lawn. My soil had already improved significantly after one season using the covering, but by spring, after having the cover over the winter, the soil was softer than ever. Also, last spring while my friends' gardens were flooding due to the volume of rain we had, mine was not, because of the cover.
The Back to Eden people use mostly wood chips as a cover, but I used (untreated) grass clippings (straight from the mower) and they worked just fine. I had to deal with a few more weeds, though, since the clippings were fresh. A cover that has been composted for at least a year is better, but since I didn't have that, fresh clippings did the trick.
I have quite a few friends using the Back to Eden method this year after seeing the yield I had from using it last year. I'm excited to see how it works for them, and for you, if you decide to use it.
So how do I use these methods together? Instead of using the raised beds recommended by the square-foot gardening people, I measure out the squares every year and mark them with sticks and gardening twine. It's a less exact method, but since we do not own our property and because I find it works better with the cover anyway, the twine works best for me. It really doesn't take that long to measure out the 18 squares that fit in my garden space.
Do you have a go-to gardening method? If so, how long have you been using it? Do you love it or are you looking for something new?
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