As far as I have observed, Fukuoka’s statement of “no fighting with weeds” is discussed many times. In fact, it seems to be one of the most difficult points to be accepted in natural agriculture for many people. Those who have tried to cultivate for a few years without killing weeds say that this is not possible. They give up and tell us that this will not be done without plowing and tilling the soil.
Leaving the soil by itself is different than “do-nothing farming” method which is mentioned by Fukuoka.
Wild grasses are a natural solution to heal nature. There are very few signs of life in a soil that has been plowed, chemically exposed or deserted for years. The amount of organic matter is low, moisture holding capacity is very low and there is no vitality.
Nature uses wild grasses to heal itself. Those wild grasses come to revive the soil and bring it back to life. Each of them provides a different benefit to the soil. They all come back again and again to improve the soil, from the couch grass to the chicory.
We try to keep plants alive that have a desire to die and cannot exist on a dead soil by themselves (the plants are we sowe). But people try to kill plants (wild grasses) that they desire to live.
You will have to spend a lot of energy if you try to cultivate by acting in the opposite direction to the energy of life. It is like swimming in the opposite direction to the stream.
Once the soil wakes up, wild grasses are not problem in a living soil. The reason is that weeds do not come predominantly and aggressively because the soil is already healed and alive. Wild grasses will come rarely after than. You do not need to do irrigation, fertilizing, tilling soil and that kind of work anymore to keep the vegetable seeds you scattered to alive. Thus the soil has healed, whichever seed you plant will germinate and grow and produce healthy foods.
Let nature do its job, heal the soil and then you can produce any food you want with zero labor force. Wild grasses that you don’t want to be in the land are there to heal your sick soil. They will not come out so aggressively after the soil wakes up.
Spanish farmers have a saying like that; Till the soil 1 year and kill the weeds 7 years.
You kill the soil as you plow it and the soil disseminates more wild grasses seeds to heal itself.
Do not fight with nature, just love it. The way of natural agriculture is before your eyes. When you look
a bit carefully and listen, it becomes possible to see.