I don’t have a tiller.
Instead, I have a shovel and I like to use it. During my 50 minute commute to work, I sit on
my behind. During the hours of the day
on my “real” job, I sit on my behind.
During my 50 minute commute back home, I sit on my behind. That’s a lot of sitting and that’s not good
for you. When I get home, I can’t wait
to get outside, get off my behind and do some manual labor and get some dirt underneath my
fingernails.
A friend called me on the way home yesterday and asked me
my thoughts on the no-till garden philosophy. I
have evolved a little in my thinking a little on this topic. There are pros and cons to tillage versus
no-till. I used to think that I should
not till, but then I began to think about this:
Proverbs 20:4
The sluggard does
not plow after the autumn,
So he begs during
the harvest and has nothing.
And this:
Jeremiah 4:3
For thus says the
Lord to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem,
Break up your
fallow ground,
And do not sow
among thorns.
And then this:
Deuteronomy 22:10
You shall not plow
with an ox and a donkey together.
I’m no theologian or Bible scholar, but I think that if
the Good Lord didn’t want you to plow, He wouldn’t have those verses (along
with others) in his Holy Word. All that
to say that the practice I now employ is that I turn over the soil one time per season with a shovel as I
don’t want to unnecessarily disturb the soil structure. I use a hoe to work up that worked ground into rows. I work compost, leaves, and manure into the
soil using trench composting, and I can see the improvement in the soil year after year. I know someone who runs his tiller over and
over and over in his garden. His seedbed
is beautiful, but the soil is almost the consistency of powder. When a hard rain comes, the soil becomes
compacted and hard – like a concrete parking lot and then it must be hoed and
loosened up. I think moderation is key,
whether you use a tiller, shovel, or hoe.
When I work the soil to get ready to plant, I’ll turn one
spade full of soil over and chop it several times to break it up and keep going
until the row is turned. There is a
problem with this process, though. When
I do this, there is bloody carnage. I
see writhing, squirming earthworms cut in half from my shovel. These little guys are working for me,
improving my soil, aerating my soil and fertilizing my soil. I don’t like killing them. When I think about this, I always think about my grandfather we called "Poppy." Poppy used to tell me the story of
Albert Schweitzer and his reverence for life – all life. The story I remember him telling is that
Albert Schweitzer would walk around ants on a sidewalk so as not to kill
them. I’m not necessarily a pacifist,
but I certainly don’t want to kill earthworms who are helping me improve my
garden soil.
So I researched more about earthworms and found this article. Some people erroneously think that an
earthworm cut in half will regenerate into two new worms. This is not true. However, an earthworm cut in half will not
necessarily die. I’m sure you’ve seen an
earthworm and seen a band around it. The
head of the worm is on the end closest to the band. That band is called the clitellum. If the worm is cut behind the clitellum, it
stands a very good chance of regenerating the tail that was cut off. The original tail will die, however, but some
will undoubtedly survive and will continue working in the garden. All is not lost when you turn over the soil. In fact, minimal tillage allows you to break
up compacted soil, turn over weeds, and work in organic matter.
In Genesis 2:15 it says “Then the LORD God took the man
and put in into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.” Cultivating and keeping a garden is a
learning experience. It is an exercise
of labor and trial. It can also yield immeasurable joy and pleasure in addition to nutritious vegetables. It can also be a temple in which to observe His Creation and then worship
the One who created it all.
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