The burn and till method is the way to start a new garden in Central Tennessee. So far we have laughed a little about it, but it really is a key step in making a successful garden.
If you are ready to burn and till, you will need to know the types of plants you’d like to plant and what/how much sun they need. This information is going to be found on the packaging of seeds, online, or one of those garden i.d. tags. (You could also ask a gardener.) This is important for the planning of the location.
We had to keep a few things in mind when choosing the best location for our garden, such as where the spring trees would have summer shade and where the hose was easily accessible.
For our vegetable garden we determined that the plants would need 6+ hours of direct sunlight. So the garden is located in a brightly sunny part of the yard. After choosing a wide variety of plants, we decided that a 4′ by 5′ garden would work best for our space and amateur knowlege.
The Burn
Now that the plan for placement and size was determined, it was time for Bryan . “Burning” the grass with the weedeater is prep for the tiller, so that it doesn’t get caught up in a bunch of grass, weeds, etc.
So, “weedeat” the space for your garden in what ever shape you’d like. Essentially, this is clearing the grass to expose the dirt.
The Till
This is the more complicated part. Depending on the type of tiller you have, the technique varies. Generally speaking, the tiller is a small engine propelled plow. The idea is to use your strength against the tiller so that is churns up 5 to 6 inches of soil. We are lucky enough to have dark soil, but you may run into clay.
Till on the left, burn on the right.
You can see in the picture that Nancy is standing on the “burned” ground while (trying her best) tilling.
*Please Note: All information is based on professional garden counsel and first hand application
