**PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A VIRTUAL PROGRAM THAT WILL TAKE PLACE VIA ZOOM. Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Meeting via email.**  

No-till means exactly what it says--you don't till the soil or turn it over or break it up every year. Using a rototiller once or digging by hand to start a garden is fine. However, over time digging adds too much oxygen to the soil, which deprives the plants of nutrients. Digging brings weed seeds to the surface and turning over the soil disrupts the symbiotic relationships and fungal networks which are so important for healthy soils. No-till is easier on the body and can become a fun family activity that makes gardening nearly weed-free and a joy.

Mark Gostkiewicz of Tri Gable Lea Farm, a small family farm in Connecticut, will cover a variety of easy ways to start a garden bed from scratch, including times to start and how to tweak your method to match the season. Although some methods involve digging, most do not. Learn about sheet mulching/lasagna mulching, hugelkultur beds, forest garden beds, raised beds, and straw bale gardens, and the materials and mulches you can find for free or purchase inexpensively (cardboard, straw, hay, wood chips, top soil, compost). Once the beds are ready for planting, also  learn how to drill and plant both seeds and plants into the soil. No-till requires few tools, but Gostkiewicz will show off his favorites.

Register directly on Zoom HERE.  Co-sponsored by the Friends of the Tewksbury Public Library. This virtual event is a collaboration between the libraries of Andover and North Reading.