“The natural way of gardening is a big change from the traditional way. It is human nature to resist change! This change will be much easier to accept if you take a good look at a forest or natural glades.
compost in place
Food growing like weeds
Excellent video by One Yard Revolution YouTube channel, one of my favorite gardening channels now. This is the goal for much of our garden – all the spaces in between trees, bananas, papayas, pineapples, etc. are being planted as explained in this video. These are all robust, fast, easy to grow plants that keep growing every year with minimal maintenance. These perennials and self-seeding annuals are planted in an intensive polyculture, much like you’d find naturally in nature. It’s no surprise that gardens like this attract massive quantities of earthworms and effective microorganisms. ‘Weeding’ primarily involves thinning the plants and eating them.
Compost in Place
People have asked about our lack of compost piles and bins at our new homestead. Here’s an overview of the composting method we’re using on our forest garden. Compost happens no matter what approach you use. We prefer no till gardening — get out of the way and let nature take care of things. Simply spread soil amendments on the garden as time and money allow and then let it break down naturally. The following article from Dave’s Garden explains the process in more detail.