By Jackie Sledge
Big Country Master Gardener Association
Something grabbed my attention the other day when I was reading an article about gardening and different types of flower, herb, and vegetable beds. Chaos Gardening. My first reaction was shock because I thought someone had peeked over the fence and been surprised by what I call my “flower bed in progress.” This is an interesting bed that contains my impulse plant buys that don’t exactly fit into other flower beds, but it has turned out to be unusual, fun, unique, enjoyable – lots of adjectives come to mind when I think about it.
Let’s get back to the article I read. Chaos Gardening is for someone who is creative, spontaneous, and loves surprises instead of preferring tidiness, order, and predictability. These casual gardens are started by simply scattering a mixture of seeds in an area and seeing what comes up, and this process can be especially good for gardeners who are intimidated by the complexities of traditional gardening. Chaos Gardening is becoming popular since it is a more natural approach for simplicity and is one of the easiest, low-maintenance ways to put left-over seeds and plants to use.
Chaos Gardens are easier to manage than traditional gardens because they require less weeding, watering, and maintenance since the dense planting suppresses weeds and helps maintain soil moisture.
Chaos Gardens are healthy gardens. The root systems created by so many plants in an area improve soil structure and fertility as well as reduce the need for adding fertilizers. This garden can also have natural pest control if you include plants that naturally deter pests.
Chaos Gardens contain a mix of plants, so they attract pollinators and beneficial insects.
Gardeners can successfully grow crops or flowers in a Chaos Garden because the diversity of plants ensures that some plants will survive even if some fail. Many people like the beauty of the unstructured chaos garden.
Here’s how to start a Chaos Garden:
- Select a spot that gets a lot of sunlight and has soil that drains well. If you are going to plant in the ground, be sure the area has well-draining soil and is clear of weeds. If you are going to grow in a raised bed, fill it with good, well-draining soil, and add compost or organic matter. Gardening in raised beds gives you better control over soil conditions and is easier to access.
- You can prepare the soil by using a garden fork or spade to improve soil aeration and drainage. Be sure to break up compacted soil, and then mix in compost. Another option is to just put down a layer of compost and use that for planting. Finally, you don’t have to plant your Chaos Garden in the ground so consider a raised bed, large pot, stock tank, or kiddie pool with drainage holes in the bottom if you don’t have ground space for a new bed.
- Select the seeds you want, and be sure to include a variety of flowers, herbs, vegetables, grasses, fruit, and cover crops. We all have unopened seed packets or leftover seeds that are well past their viability date shown on the package but go ahead and add them to the bowl of seeds. Since you are using some old seeds, you may want to pre-soak them before planting. Add warm water to cover the seeds and soak them overnight. The next day strain the seeds and allow them to dry on paper towels. Minimal planning is the basis of Chaos Gardening, but it may still be important to consider zone, water, plant size, color, textures, and soil conditions. Be sure to select some plants that attract pollinators.
- Now it’s planting time! Scatter seeds or transplant seedlings in the garden area for a natural look instead of in neat rows. You can mix a few handfuls of potting soil with the seeds to ensure a more even distribution of seeds and also to make them easier to scatter randomly. Be sure to think about how the plants would grow in the wild.
- Spread a layer of mulch over the planted garden area to help retain moisture, suppress weeds, and improve soil health.
- Water thoroughly after planting, and then water as needed, especially when the soil is dry about 6-8 inches deep. Watering thoroughly will help plants develop deep roots and become resilient.
- Let the garden grow naturally. Chaos Gardening means embracing weeds if you think they add beauty or color to the garden. An example is letting dandelions grow to add a nice yellow color to the garden. Remove any weeds that compete with your desired plants and let beneficial insects and natural predators manage pests.
- Chaos Gardens are low maintenance – not no maintenance. Watch your Chaos Garden to be sure plants aren’t suffering from overcrowding. Plants need light and water to grow, so they need to have adequate space to make them successful.
Tip: If you want a Chaos Vegetable Garden, mix just vegetable seeds together and spread them over the vegetable garden area. You can also have a separate Chaos Herb Garden or Flower Garden – whatever you want in the garden space.
Finally, should you plant a Chaos Garden?
- Be prepared for surprises and unpredictability since you don’t know what will grow from the seed mixture you plant.
- You must have a stash of seeds – even some from previous years – to plant a Chaos Garden.
- Decide from the beginning what approach you will take to grow your Chaos Garden. You can be completely hands off and see what grows without watering and weeding, or you can tend your garden by watering and weeding after the seedlings emerge. Your choice.
A Chaos Garden is not for everyone. It’s okay if a messy garden doesn’t sound like you would enjoy it. Sometimes people are afraid of planting a Chaos Garden because of the luck factor involved when using a variety of seeds – especially the old ones. If your Chaos Garden turns out to be a success, it will be just as stunning and beautiful as any type of garden. Planting a Chaos Garden is just an option to add a new type of garden to your landscape, and you decide what type of gardens will be enjoyable and make you happy.
BCMGA offers several education programs each month. There is a program at 6:00 p.m. on the 1st Tuesday of the month at the South Library Branch in the Mall of Abilene, and the same program is offered again at 10:00 a.m. on the 2nd Friday of the month at the Downtown Library. There is a Saturday Seminar on the last Saturday of the month at 9:00 a.m. at the Taylor County Extension Office Conference Room. Watch the BCMGA website and Facebook page for the topics and dates of these monthly programs.
If you have any questions, call the Taylor County Extension Office at 325-672-6048 or email us at mgardeners@yahoo.com. We hope you visit bcmgtx.org for information on all Big Country Master Gardener events, like us on BCMGA Facebook, and check out training presentations on BCMGA YouTube. We are here to help you.
