Comments on: Go Veganic http://pattricejones.info/blog/archives/276 communications from an eco-anarcha-feminist animal Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:38:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Charlotte http://pattricejones.info/blog/archives/276#comment-3702 Charlotte Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:05:15 +0000 http://www.pattricejones.info/blog/archives/276#comment-3702 One veganic site I checked out before gardening this year also noted the destructive consequences of tilling (for the soil, for the creatures who live in the soil, etc.). The person who put up the site half-jokingly referred to her recommended alternative methods as "no-till," a sort of play on the words "no-kill," but not a full play because of course it's literal as well. There is this handy-dandy tool which is like a VERY long pitchfork that you shove down into the soil and wiggle around to loosen things. That's what we used instead of a tiller or shovel, and then we just used our hands to really loosen things up, mix in compost, get rid of vines (yes, even this method is some-kill, all gardening involves some killing, unfortunately), and just generally make the soil happy for seeds. It felt good to do and it didn't wreck the soil structure. Most importantly, perhaps, it worked -- things are growing like crazy. :-) One veganic site I checked out before gardening this year also noted the destructive consequences of tilling (for the soil, for the creatures who live in the soil, etc.). The person who put up the site half-jokingly referred to her recommended alternative methods as “no-till,” a sort of play on the words “no-kill,” but not a full play because of course it’s literal as well.

There is this handy-dandy tool which is like a VERY long pitchfork that you shove down into the soil and wiggle around to loosen things. That’s what we used instead of a tiller or shovel, and then we just used our hands to really loosen things up, mix in compost, get rid of vines (yes, even this method is some-kill, all gardening involves some killing, unfortunately), and just generally make the soil happy for seeds.

It felt good to do and it didn’t wreck the soil structure. Most importantly, perhaps, it worked — things are growing like crazy. :-)

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