Tilly’s ‘Back to Eden’ garden experience

This week my friend Tilly, a mother of 8, an amazing homemaker and gardener, shares with us.

Back to Eden is a documentary movie about a gardener named Paul Gautschi. In the film he explains his mulching method. Tilly tried out this gardening method in her northern garden shares her experience with us.

1. First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Tilly, we live north of Calgary, Alberta where we have moderate winters and summers (growing zone 3A). We have 8 children and live in a small town. Therefore, my gardening space is limited, and yet with the ‘Back to Eden’ gardening method, I was able to receive a great crop of carrots which we are still enjoying very much (it is and of January!).

2. Where did you hear about the Back to Eden gardening method?
Thanks to friends from Manitoba who came to visit and gave me a video about gardening with wood chips (Back to Eden) and how productive that could be. Even at an age of over 50, this gave me a thrill and a joy to give this form of gardening a try. As the saying goes, you are never too old to try something new.

3. How difficult was it to find the wood chips and get started?
I gave Dave’s Tree Mulch a call and he delivered 10 yards the next day, for $100. The kids helped to put the mulch on the garden, and within a few hours, we had it all distributed about 4-6 inches deep.

4. What is your first year experience?
It took about a month for the seeds to come up because I did not leave the mulch off the seeds until they germinated. But once the seeds came up, I literally saw the plants grow by the day. I am not joking or exaggerating either. Seriously!

5. Any future plans?
Next spring, I plan to get another load of the same mulch to add to the garden and flowerbeds, in hopes of having better results come harvest time.

6. Would you recommend it to others, why or why not?
In my opinion, the benefits are huge to this type of gardening. The mulch keeps the soil soft and moist, but not wet. We have lots of dry summers here, and water is expensive for watering.
No watering, no hoeing (not kidding), occasional weeds, potatoes don’t need digging, and production of all vegetables doubled. I feel so Blessed that God has given me strength and the curiosity to try new methods of gardening.
Try it, I can guarantee you, you will be amazed daily at the beauty of your garden and the results at harvest time. Be creative, curious, and experimental. Happy Gardening!

Tilly, thank you for sharing with us! You are an encouraging example that it is never too late to learn something new to get even better results!