No Till Methods and Fertilizer

I am interested in ways that others have applied nutrients such as compost and manure in no till gardens. The no till method that I am familiar with uses cardboard to keep weeds from spreading. I would also be interested in hearing about other no till methods.

Hi< Mellany, welcome to the forum!

If I wanted to fertilize a no-till garden I would use compost tea.

There are several ways to make compost tea and probably everyone has their favorite.

Here is an easy way:

https://permies.com/t/53922/composting/Compost-Tea-easy

If I wanted to use manure I could make a tea similar to making compost tea or use it as a top dressing.

I don't use cardboard, most folks use chop and drop as a means to keep weeds from spreading.  Just chop before the weeds go to seed and let the plant add nutrients when dropped.

I am looking forward to hearing how others do no-till and fertilize.

I think some folks here use a broad fork, garden fork, or even a spade to loosen and aerate soil. They don't turn it over, just create a vertical slice that opens a gap through which compost/manure can penetrate more deeply.

It's not completely no till, but since it doesn't mix up the soil layers it seems like a compatible method to me.