No Till Garden Update

Our no till garden gets better & better and easier & easier with each year. The first year was the hardest as far as work. Getting the dirt and compost moved in and the beds set up. Last year we added two more beds. This year we have added one more so far. I want to add an additional two more this year.

Each year planting the beds established the previous years is so simple! No tilling needed! I top dress each bed with a 6-8 page layer of newspaper, 3"-4" of new compost, set the plants in (or so seed) and top with 6"-8" of straw.

The straw helps hold moisture in which conserves water and inhibits weeds from growing.

The two cantaloupe were about 3" tall and had three leaves about the size of a quarter when I planted them two weeks ago.  They have really taken off!

The two cucumbers have little more than doubled in size.  I planted what is suppose to be a gherkin cucumber.  I'm hoping that's what they turn out to be.

 Hopefully this year I will have some zucchini.  The plants are doing well and there is two small squash already.

The 8 tomato plants are looking great! Most are blooming.  I'm really excited to see how well my grape tomato plant does.  This is the first year I've ever grown a grape variety.  I hope they are sugar sweet!

Things are growing great so far.  Can't wait to start harvesting.... something.... anything.  I'm craving home grown veggies!  The watermelon is planted but nothing sprouted yet.  The asparagus is still growing and thriving, although there will be none picked this first year.  The potato plants are huge. I hope the potatoes are doing as well as the plants! And the okra has sprouted and it won't be long until it will really take off.

The great thing about a no till garden other than we didn't have to till last fall or this spring is that I haven't had to do any weeding yet.  The heavy straw mulch keeps it to a bare minimum.

What are you growing this year? Anything that you've never grown before?