Initial Tillage for Wildflower Meadow Garden Under Fruit Orchard

If you already have grass, then light tillage helps break up the soil to get wildflowers established. However, deep tillage brings up weed seeds that can out-compete your wildflowers. The good news is you'll only need to till once.

Here I've used stakes to mark my bed areas, then outlined them with the BCS tiller. Upslope I'm tilling deeper to allow me to bring soil downslope and to stabilize the growing area. Deeper tillage up slow soaks and spreads water that runs in from the grassy area.

Check out part one of this wildflower under fruit trees video series, https://youtu.be/szDjs97e3RA

If you'd like me to do a tutorial that includes your specific questions, then ask them below. This wildflower bed will explode with color come spring. Come see this wildflower bed in full bloom this spring by signing up for a tour at http://www.sustainablehomestead.com/

This wildflower bed contains daikon radish, white clover, and a southeastern native flow mix suitable for my area. The daikon radish breaks up soil while providing spring greens and vegetables. The white clove is nitrogen-fixing to feed flowers.