Back to Eden Gardening

I watched a movie last week about Paul Gautschi's method of gardening using wood chips as mulch. The movie is called Back to Eden and can be viewed here. His method is as follows:

• Cover ground with 3 - 4 inches of wood chips (not bark, sawdust or mulch) in fall (so it can age over winter)
• Put 3 to 5 layers of wet newspaper on ground first to kill grass; remove weeds first
• Plant seed in dirt under wood chips
• When plant emerges, backfill/sidedress with wood chips
• Water when seeds are germinating; minimal watering needed afterwards
• Use organic fertilizer the first year if wood chips are not composted (blood meal or fish emulsion are water soluable)
• Do not till wood chips into soil; leave them on the surface as mulch
  

His method requires less watering, no fertilizing after the first year and less weeding.
I'm planning to try out his method. I went down to our town recycling center today and they have wood chips available for free. Next Saturday I plan to bring several loads of wood chips home with my Jeep. I'll put them on my garden this fall, so they have the winter to age. I'll also put them on my paths to keep the weeds down.

Speaking of my garden, here are some pictures of this year's garden. I planted potatoes again this year and they did well. I had problems with my spinach and lettuce this year. I also planted some asparagus plants for the first time this year; it is doing well.


I tried a new method of staking my tomatoes with twine this year. It worked well.

Potatoes blooming.


Spinach and lettuce starting.