This is the best place to ask about no-till.

[CapnChkn]

I have to say I'm surprised with the new place for my plantings. In the past few years I've planted in what used to be the garden, now shaded by huge Hackberry's I can't cut down, and the barnyard, that's had the grass cut and left on a foundation of hard limestone gravel for around 30 years. In both cases the composts I planted in worked pretty well.

Now I've cut down a bunch of Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle vines) and other brush. I've laid from 0 to 13 inches (0 to 330mm) organic matter in different rows. I see the same relative results in each.

Can anyone share their experiences with these systems? The earth is clayish, but I can poke some stakes and so on in "pretty good" when it's wet. The sunflowers are not doing nearly as well as they are in the old garden, which hasn't been tilled in some spots for many years. The Country Gentleman Corn seems to handle the untilled ground fairly well.

All my veggies look small. Brandywine fruits are huge, but the vines are only about 4 or 5 feet long. The only things really doing well are the Zuchs, and some hybrid cabbages.

I grew Crimson Clover in the beds, I have White Clover in the aisles, I use the worm castings, goldfish water, and urine to embellish. I tried to deal with the "Living mulch" concept, but need more experience on that front. I've taken straw and grass clippings to mulch in some cases and am trying to cultivate thyme and oregano as a cover in others.

I'm looking to add some mycorrhiza. Right now I'm more concerned with the mosquitoes, rabbits, and deer which keep stomping my plants...