SOIL No-till pots?

[amy24]

Hi everyone! I have been using the same big plastic totes to grow my plants for the last two years. Usually, I pull out the old plants, till in new soil and compost, etc, and then transplant my seedlings. After hearing about no-tilling, I left all my stems and root systems in all winter, covered them with biodegradable composting materials, then covered them so they could break down all winter. It’s time to transplant my seedlings, and am wondering, do I till a little bit now to add compost, etc, or do I just dig out a hole and stick it in? Maybe add a fresh layer of soil after transplanting? Any suggestions would be helpful, thanks

[3Berries]

If it were me I would till them up a bit. Not knowing how much you have. Worms in the soil?

[amy24]

Yes, there should be worms in there, I have tons in my compost tumbler, so I spread them around my gardens and pots periodically.

[SoOrbudgal]

Hello amy24 i'm a avid gardener myself. Ya know if i had your pots i would stick my hands in the soil. I'm really into working with my hands an hardly wear gloves cause i love the feel of soil, wierd maybe but i know good soil by the feel. I would dig down 6 inches just to see whats gone on. I turn over my raised beds in spring/summer right before i plant. I've found big moth larve in it besides good worms.

[crucialbunny]

I have tried the "no till" thing twice and I wasn't a big fan. I found that the soil became compacted and didn't allow for even distribution when watering. These days I start preparing my soil in February by putting my old soil in a 50 gal trash cans and adding some fresh compost, worm castings from my worm bin, powdered kelp, oyster shell flower, fresh pearlite, Epsom, and moisten it with molasses tea. I let it develop for a couple months and it comes out ready to go. Letting it develop is what brings the PH into balance. I haven't had to PH my soil since I started doing this method.

[amy24]

Thanks for letting me know about your experience! I also like to prep my soil all winter long, it’s kind of nice to have an extra composting/soil making hobby while growing season is on pause.

[90Gizmo]

I don't know what "growing season on pause" means I water different spots around my pot with just a little water to get the top soil wet. Once wet, I give the big watering and the wet soil will soak up enough water to let the entire root system get the water.