# Back to Eden Garden



## farmhousecrafts (Jul 24, 2015)

Has anyone tried this method? I've been watching YouTube videos and it looks like a lot less work.

Would like to hear other people's experience.


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

Those are very popular methods in this area.


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## geo in mi (Nov 14, 2008)

To me, Eden Gardening is only one of many variations of an organic style of gardening. The fundamental basis of organic gardening is having biomass in the soil, no matter what form that biomass takes. 

This method may work well for you, or it may not, and it will depend on your soil, your moisture content, and your ability to find good quality wood chips. I wouldn't put all my faith on just one method, but I would suggest you give it a test on a portion of your ground, and hedge your bets on the rest. 

Some wood chips are poor quality--mostly the carbon parts of the tree. They won't give you any nitrogen for a long time(years) In fact they will steal nitrogen, however little you may have, from other parts of your soil, leaving none for the plants. Good wood chips will consist of green leaves and green cambium layers--found in young branches... 

Some soils, like mine, if you pile up a layer of any kind of mulch, will not dry out enough in the early springtime to plant seeds--and in some instances, even transplants, since wet soil will usually be cold soil. Some kind of the larger seeds, like beans or corn require soil contact--which they won't get in loosely packed mulch.

Some soils--usually heavy silt or clay, will just remain underneath the surface and the roots of the plants will not penetrate--they will remain in whatever compost layer has developed--and that may take a few years to develop.

And, sometimes you will have pathogens develop in your soil--and you will need to rotate--so, hopefully you will have prepared another Eden plot just to be ready for that.

A lot of people, it seems, hear the preaching about the Back to Eden method and think it must be so easy, if God ordained it...... They may discount the work and cost involved in annually gathering the wood chips and spreading it.....So, I would say, if you try it, it may pan out good for you--but then....just be ready to buy a greenhouse to start your plants--and a rototiller to get your soil ready. And don't forget, there are other biomass methods to take a look at. That's my take on Back to Eden.

geo


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

The garden soil ecosystem and the forest soil ecosystem, are two totally different types of ecosystems.

Most garden soils depend on worms and bacteria to break down nutrients. Whereas forest soils depend on fungi to break down nutrients.

My farm is located in forest, so as I work the soil I am faced with converted it from the forest type to the higher energy veggie garden type system.


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## vickinell (Oct 10, 2003)

I watched the videos and tried it on a small scale. It keeps the weeds out. I did not get to plant as much as I had planned because my four hens dig every thing up or eat it. But I have a plan for next year.


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## DaisyDuke (Nov 21, 2017)

I don't agree with the basic permits of the book. The dew YouTube videos in back o Eden seem moe doable.


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## FCLady (Jan 23, 2011)

We do something very similar to Back to Eden. We put mulch down and compost and leaves - all free.
It takes all 3. We dig down to the dirt part and plant seeds, when they sprout I push the mulch closer to the plant to keep weeds out. You trade tilling and weed pulling for carrying/spreading mulch. It is a hard adjustment to plant in mulch instead of freshly tilled, soft, fluffy dirt. This spring we are adding railroad ties around the mulch to keep it more in place, then we're adding fence to the top to keep our four legged friends out.

Last year, our 3rd year of gardening this way, I wanted to check the size of my potatoes, so I dug in there with just my hands. Ended up digging the whole 2 rows by hand... because I could. 

It doesn't stop the dandelions from coming through, but I just pull those the best I can and feed them to the bunnies or sheep.


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

I do something similar as well.

I started with hard unbroken ground that had lots of stubborn weeds, and ended up with a great garden without the aid of a tiller. In late Winter, I sprinkled organic soil amendments/fertilizer on the intended garden spot, then put 3 layers of newspaper down, and topped it with a couple of inches of well broken-down wood chips. In Spring, I punched holes in the newspaper and planted.

The garden never needed any weeding, and did not require much water to thrive.

The following year, I repeated the process in the exact same spot. The worms are plentiful and do all the tilling I ever need. And again, I enjoyed a productive garden with minimal effort and zero weeds.


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## geo in mi (Nov 14, 2008)

Yesterday, while I was out, the Asplundh crew came by, looking at the right of way corridor that they will be cutting soon. All the trees and brush were marked last fall, but the hurricanes caused any tree trimming up here in MI to be delayed. Anyway, they're back--with brand new equipment--letting me know they will soon be through--maybe this week. I asked them if they will be doing any chipping. Nope, the boss said, we have a new machine, on tracks, that will just mow everything in place. I kidded them about robots taking their jobs.....but maybe I should be warning Eden gardeners that wood chips may get scarce in some areas in the future.

geo

It's on the neighbor's property now. I'm hoping to get some pictures....


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## Hoopy Frood (Mar 2, 2018)

Agreed with the notion: You need organic matter in your soil, it doesn't matter what it comes from.

The nice thing about wood chips is the not-nice thing about them: They are so carbonaceous and have so much lignin and cellulose that they don't break down readily. So to "feed" your soil with them is very slow process. But they make an incredible mulch and it's mulching that yields many of the amazing benefits of BTE.

We use woodchips in the paths between garden beds, but on our no till beds we mulch with wheat straw and green manure cuttings. Those things break down much more readily and so we can offset our fertilizer needs (one day I hope to need zero fertilizer!).

One could mulch raised beds with woodchips, but it's a lot harder to manipulate than straw and they won't feed much of the soil biome, so you'll need some other organic matter as @FCLady said.

Foregoing wood chips in the beds means we have to find an annual supply of mulch. To-date we've bought it. But this will be my first season of growing/harvesting our own mulch. Fingers crossed!


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## jp_over (Jun 20, 2013)

> *farmhousecrafts*
> Has anyone tried this method? I've been watching YouTube videos and it looks like a lot less work.
> Would like to hear other people's experience.


We tried it on a small scale and had fair success for a year or so.

Our big lesson learned was that wood chips from the local tree service delivered for free might not be the best idea. In example, we received a truckload of wood chips that included a heavy dose of noxious stinkhorn mushrooms/spores. They're not poisonous or anything but did prove true to their name and caused an early demise to our square foot gardening (wooden) enclosure.


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## Hoopy Frood (Mar 2, 2018)

jp_over said:


> We tried it on a small scale and had fair success for a year or so.
> 
> Our big lesson learned was that wood chips from the local tree service delivered for free might not be the best idea. In example, we received a truckload of wood chips that included a heavy dose of noxious stinkhorn mushrooms/spores. They're not poisonous or anything but did prove true to their name and caused an early demise to our square foot gardening (wooden) enclosure.


A great point! There's a reason arborists are taking down punky trees in the first place, right?  I'd like to say that was a reason we didn't consider them for the raised beds. The concern hadn't even occurred to me, actually. Glad you mentioned it!


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## Mrs.Monnock (Feb 26, 2018)

We are trying this method out this year. I have learned so much about so many different methods that I don't think I am following any one systems "rules" but rather making my own determinations as I go along. You can read more about how it's going here: https://ouroffgridjourney.wordpress.com/2018/03/19/diggin-in-the-dirt/


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Your Mileage May Vary.

Where I live we have weeds that can run under mulch for 20 feet before a sprout breaks the surface. So I lay down weed barrier and I remove the sprouts every couple of days. For me it works, but only because I keep up with it, which keeps the weeds in check.

And, one gent in the well-watered South says he gets some weeds on top of the bark, which annoys him to no end. Without the bark chips he can weed with his tractor or whatever.

But in most areas the bark mulch appears to work well.

If you try it, will you let us know how it works for you?


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