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Home » Organic Gardening » Beginner’s Guide to Back To Eden Gardening

Beginner’s Guide to Back To Eden Gardening

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July 12, 2022 by Victoria 217 Comments

This backyard garden idea, the back to eden gardening method, is the perfect garden for first time gardeners! No weeding, no watering, just a high yield organic garden!

collection of photos showing produce grown in the back to eden gardening method, including a wheelbarrow full of carrots, a wheelbarrow full of spaghetti squash, many green beans, and hand holding 2 large tomatoes

The Back to Eden gardening method is a way to garden that recreates natures intended growing environment. It also meant that with just 2 hours of bed prep and planting time, we yielded over 1500 pounds of food in the fall! All without any watering or weeding!

In 2016 we lost our jobs, started making real money blogging, and moved to the country. It was a dream come true and we were thrilled to finally be working towards a real homestead!

Of course a big part of that dream was the ability to grow our own food. So we started researching just what kind of garden we wanted to have. I'll admit when I first heard about the Back to Eden gardening method I had two thoughts...

1. This sounds perfect! No weeding, no tilling the soil, and no watering?? I'm in!
2. Wait, I live in Texas. It's hot here. This will never work.

And oh friends let me tell you, only one of those thoughts turned out to be true.

✅ Check out our favorite seed company: White Harvest Seeds They’re a family business, great customer service, and our top choice.

What is the Back to Eden Gardening Method?

I would just say "it's magic" and leave it at that... because that's totally true... but you probably need more information than that ;-)

Basically the Back to Eden gardening method is all about recreating the environment in which plants already thrive in nature.

For example: if you have some wild berry bushes that you harvest every year, you probably aren't going out and watering every day and weeding around the plants right? And yet the plants grow and produce berries every year.

Fresh blackberries in a bowl

Likewise, our huge fig tree produces 100s of pounds of figs every year without a single inch of water or help from us at all? How?

Well, they are growing as God intended them to grow, by using the resources that they should have as provided by Him; ground covering to protect the soil quality and water from rain. That's all they need.

But, since we are not 100% foragers at this stage of the game, we need a way to recreate those resources when and where we need them for the plants that we want to grow.

And that's what the Back to Eden method is all about.

>> Do you know when to plant pumpkins for a Halloween and Thanksgiving harvest?

Setting Up a Back to Eden Garden

When I tell you about how simple this is, you'll likely think me insane. I'm not, I promise! Just wait till you see our results at the end of the post!

Steps for Putting in a Back to Eden Garden Bed

Step One

Decide where to put your bed. You can do it where you have an existing bed, or you can do it where there is grass, dirt, rocks, or whatever. You don't have to till up the soil for this method.

Step Two

(optional, but recommended) Cover the ground with newspaper. Make sure there are no gaps as weeds/grass will make their way up through any gaps. Cover with at least 3 sheets over the whole space.

We did this the first time but have since found that if we cover the ground with at least 6 inches of wood chips in step 4 then we don't have anything coming up through.

We contacted our local newspaper and were able to get about 100 old papers for free which covered the whole space!

Step Three

Cover the spot with 3-4 inches of compost (we bought organic mushroom compost that also had composted chicken poop in there too. It was $3 a ton and we used 1 ton). Make sure whatever you get contains nothing you would object to your food growing in...

Note: We get our mushroom compost from a local mushroom farm with locations nationwide (Monterey Mushroom). However, if you don't have access to a supplier in your area, you can make your own real mushroom compost OR make your own mock mushroom compost!

How to make real or mock mushroom compost!

Step Four

Cover the compost with 4-6 inches (6 inches is best) of wood chips. Be very careful about what you get for this step!

You don't want lumber chips from treated lumber, and you don't want wood chips that have been composted and are very small. You need the results of entire trees with their branches, bark, and leaves included being put through a chipper.

We found ours through the city dump. They take care of all the trees in our area that are cut down during construction or road work.

It was dark brown, had large chips 2-3 inches long throughout, and only cost $8 a ton! We used 2 tons for our 15x20 garden spot.

Step Five

Start planting! We scraped back the top layer of wood chips and planted about 1-2 inches deep. If you want to prep the beds early and let them rest for a full season, then the soil will be amazingly rich when you go to plant!

We didn't want to wait so we planted the same day we finished the beds!

This is the automated tool we use for seed starting. That way we know exactly when to plant by variety and how long we're going to have to wait for germination!

It's completely customizable for your area, just enter the last frost date and the tool will do the rest! And, it's free if you want to grab it!

>> We get our organic heirloom seeds from the amazing family business White Harvest Seeds!

Review of The Back to Eden Gardening Method

So, like I said at the beginning, I had two thoughts when I first heard about this concept...

First, that it was awesome and I wanted to start as soon as possible! And then second, that there was no way it would work for us in Texas where the temperatures reach 113 in the shade and rainfall is few and far between during certain times of the year.

But one I realized that Texas provides enough rain for all our native food producing plants I decided to give it a try. And I'm so glad I did! This one 15x20 garden gave us over 300 1500 pounds of food without a single drop of water from us, and when temperatures were well into the 100s!

RELATED: Common Gardening Terms Explained!

I'd say the proof is in the produce with this one... check out all this food! And this was just the tip of what was harvested!

giant zucchini in a harvest basket

blue wheelbarrow full of harvested spaghetti squash

large amount of fresh green beans on a blue and white towel

Tomatoes and green beans in a basket

When all was said and done, we had 1500 pounds of food that we brought into our home and either canned, froze, or ate fresh. About 25 pounds went to the chickens every 3 days above and beyond that!

>> Get the COMPLETE Guide to Back to Eden Gardening NOW!

Tips for Success with Back to Eden Gardening

Since we have a few seasons under our belts now there are a few things we've learned that make prepping the beds and planting even easier.

Tip One

Don't take more than a few days to finish the beds. So start small and make sure you can finish the area in no more than a day or two. You don't want the paper to fly away, or the compost to dry out.

Tip Two

Finish your beds about 2 days before a good rain. This will help solidify the bed and will get everything prepped for planting.

Tip Three

Don't agonize over perfection. Likely you will not have the perfect 4-6 inches of coverage over the whole bed. That's ok! If it's 3 inches here and 7 inches there, it really is fine! Just get it done and move on.

Tip Four

Be careful as you mow around the beds. Make sure that you aren't throwing grass seeds into the beds when you mow by mowing with the side that throws the grass positioned away from the garden.

While this method keeps weeds and grass from growing up through the compost and mulch it's great for planting in, so those seeds will take root and you will have to weed! Avoid that!

Tip Five

This is a learning process. Take it easy on yourself and keep at it. This method is the most amazing gardening method I have ever seen, it's worth it to keep trying. Even in Texas :-)

Tip Six

Make sure you have good seeds to begin with; we like to use seeds that are heirloom, non-GMO. This is because we want to be sure we can harvest seeds from our crops and use them again the next year, without worrying whether or not they will produce food (and not just plants without produce!).

>> We get our seeds from our family friends over at White Harvest Seeds!

Ultimately, the Back to Eden Gardening method is perfect for anyone who wants to grow their own food without the hassle of weeding or watering all the time. Start your food freedom journey today!

Get the Complete Guide for Starting and Perfecting Your Back to Eden Garden Today!

Complete Guide to Back to Eden Gardening

Get the easy to follow guide that will help you set up and use your Back to Eden Garden! Plus, get our best tips for pest control, companion planting, when to water, and how to prep for year 2 and beyond!

GET THE DETAILS

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Filed Under: All Posts, Homesteading, Homesteading Favorites, Organic Gardening Tagged With: Garden Ideas, gardening, Homestead Skills, Vegetable Gardening

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kevin says

    August 15, 2020 at 6:10 pm

    Hi Victoria,

    We Just found your article and we are planning on trying his in the spring. We are in Wisconsin, and found local mushroom compost with the following under the description….

    Straight Mushroom Compost
    This is a high quality compost that is a combination of composted straw, horse manure and supplemental nutrients.

    Straight Mushroom is an excellent soil amendment with high nutritional content to help plants grow while loosening and improving heavy soils. (Do not use unless mixed with existing soils. It will burn plants if used straight.)

    The question is….Can I go ahead and use this if there is 6 inches of mulch on top of it? Do I need to mix it with some topsoil?

    Wondering what your thoughts are.

    Thank you,

    Kevin

    Reply
    • Victoria says

      August 16, 2020 at 7:37 pm

      Hi Kevin, this is what we use too! So, definitely use this and then set up the mulch on top. You’ll be golden! So excited for you that you’re getting started! We love this method and we are in our 4th year… 5th? I forget. But it’s great!

      Let me know if y’all have any more questions!

      Reply
      • Kevin says

        September 7, 2020 at 5:51 pm

        Thanks Victoria, we appreciate the reply and are moving forward this fall to be ready for spring. Are they any sample garden layouts for the 20×15 Eden garden?

        Reply
        • Victoria says

          September 8, 2020 at 1:13 pm

          Hi Kevin! I don’t have any BtE specific layouts, no. Because it’s really just a standard garden, but set up in a way to be much lower maintenance. I would say that you should give each plant about double the space recommended normally though, because the BtE method grows HUGE plants! Our zucchini plants are taller than our 5 year old!

          Reply
  2. Kelly says

    August 20, 2020 at 2:28 pm

    Thank you so much for this post. I also live in the south with those annoying grasses and was confused on how to do this garden with them. At the end of the year before the next planting season you stated that you add a thin layer of compost on top of the wood chips and then add more wood chips on top of that? I have read that you shouldn’t put wood chips in the dirt because it will rob the dirt of Nitrogen. Have you noticed anything like that happening? The prep stage for the next planting season confuses me! Thank you for your help!

    Reply
    • Victoria says

      August 24, 2020 at 12:39 pm

      Hi Kelly! Sorry for the delay, your comment got caught in a spam filter! :-\

      We haven’t had any issues at all with nitrogen – we tend to have calcium needs over time, but have started adding diatomaceous earth around the plants from time to time if they show signs of calcium needs. The nitrogen supply with this system has been off the charts for us. HUGE plants! I hope that helps!

      Reply
  3. Julie Lauper says

    August 26, 2020 at 12:50 pm

    I noticed your comment about your fig tree. I have a fig in a pot that I want to get in the ground in zone 6a but I’m afraid of it not getting through the winter. I’m also unsure how close I can put it to the shed. ALso, this was my first year with the wood chip garden and you said you put compost on, is that right over the wood chips? I’m afraid our manure might got o seed if I put it on top…
    Thanks,
    Julie

    Reply
  4. Connie Cooper says

    October 15, 2020 at 11:44 am

    Hi! Great post. I started a raised box with this method last year and planted garlic in the fall then tomatoes in the early summer after pulling up the garlic. I have been needed someone to ask questions about this gardening method and now so glad to have found someone in the south that does this method. I am in middle Tennessee. So in a raised box I did water most days during the hottest times and I used Miracle Gro on them. They are Hybrid tomatoes Cherokee Purple and I had a terrible time with them splitting. Do you think I over watered or over fertilized or both?

    Reply
    • Victoria says

      October 15, 2020 at 12:03 pm

      Hi Connie! Definitely sounds like both. Rapid growth is what causes that split to happen, so with all the extra water and fertilizer the skin just couldn’t keep up!

      We don’t water our plants much, even when it’s really hot. Maybe once a week just during the hottest month. Part of the awesome thing about the BTE method is that the soil really retains a lot of the moisture. Now, depending on how you have the drainage set up in your raised beds, that might be more needed for you – especially if the water is draining out quickly. However, I would probably stop doing miracle grow altogether and just water as needed based on your beds.

      If the soil is still moist about 3 inches down, we don’t water at all. This year we watered maybe 3x total!

      I hope that helps!

      Reply
  5. Connie Cooper says

    October 15, 2020 at 11:45 am

    On my last inquiry I said hybrid but I meant Heirloom Tomatoes Cherokee Purple. Sorry

    Reply
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