No-Till Flower Bed Prep – Easy, Manageable, and Affordable!

Going into this flower season, I knew that I wanted to go No-Till. I wanted to go this route, for a few reasons; I don’t have a tractor, renting a tiller is expensive and not easy to use while 8 months pregnant, and I know it’s what’s best for the soil microorganisms. However, when looking into the different no-till methods, they also seemed cumbersome and not very affordable for my budget. A lot of them used inches of compost for each bed, and involved unraveling many cardboard boxes. So I deceived to create my own no-till method, with the tools and resources I could afford and manage this year. Check out the video below, of my process!

Essentially, I replaced cardboard with a 3ft wide roll of Kraft paper, and then topped it off with what I could afford in compost. I know that it’s not a perfect, ideal, system. That was not my goal this year. My goal was to plant some flowers in a way that I could manage at this point in my business. Are there better methods? Probably. However, I found this to be a great method for me this year. I am just going to try and be as meticulous about weeding and mowing around the flower beds, as I can.

I invested in a couple of tools that I think will be helpful in managing the weeds. First, I purchased a manual push mower off of Facebook marketplace for $35. I made my flower beds wide enough for me to be able to push the mower through. This is something I can manage myself, and I don’t have to worry about grass clippings hitting my flowers as I mow by. Second, I purchased a collinear hoe from Johnnys. I did this, so I did not have to bend down while weeding. Again, very pregnant, and trying to grow flowers, I needed a solution that worked for me.

Things are looking good so far this season. I am excited with the progress and growth we have made since last season!