If you want to be more self-sufficient, you're likely constantly on the lookout for natural ways to boost the health of your garden (and your soil) without resorting to store-bought fertilizers or imported truckloads of compost.

One simple yet effective method to achieve this is known as chop and drop. This regenerative and syntropic practice mimics nature's own way of nourishing the soil by recycling garden organic matter directly back into the ecosystem.

In this article, you'll discover what chop and drop is all about, the scientific principles behind its effectiveness, and practical tips for incorporating this practice into your home garden.

Get ready to see how this sustainable gardening method truly IS all it's chopped up to be! 🌿

What is Chop and Drop?

→ Chop and drop is a gardening practice where plants are cut down and left to decompose in place, forming a natural mulch that enriches the soil.

Take a second to think about the forest. The soil there is rich and cool, filled with organic matter and mycelium. Plants thrive on their own. The forest remains an oasis of green even during droughts. How does this happen?

Leaves and branches constantly fall, naturally making a mulch around the plants. Over time, microbes transform that natural material into organic matter, further boosting soil health.

In essence, this is what chop and drop is—except instead of letting plants fall naturally, we as gardeners grow and cut down plants, allowing them to decompose in place. Just like in the forest, this process feeds the soil, improving the overall health and vitality of our garden.

A quick history lesson

→ For a deeper exploration of the history of regenerative agriculture, you might like this time traveler’s guide and historical timeline.

Trees and plants have been chopping and dropping on their own for the last few hundred million years. But when did gardeners come into the picture?

Early Origins

• 2350 BCE: The first recorded instance of composting in Meopotamia
• 2000 BCE: Agroforestry (growing food intermingled with established trees) helped grow crops in the eastern Amazon.

Modern Reintroduction

Fast forward a couple thousand millennia to 1975, Masanobu Fukuoka shares chop and drop with the world in his book/manifesto, One Straw Revolution.

Benefits of Chop and Drop

• Soil Health Improvement:
  As plants decompose, they release essential nutrients back into the soil, feeding the next generation of plants. This process enhances soil structure and fertility.
  ‍
• Moisture Retention:
  A blanket of organic matter helps keep the soil moist, reducing the need for frequent watering. This is particularly beneficial during dry spells.
  ‍
• Weed Suppression:
  The mulch layer helps suppress weeds by blocking sunlight, reducing the need for manual weeding or herbicides.
  ‍
• Biodiversity Boost:
  This practice creates a habitat for beneficial insects and microorganisms, promoting biodiversity in your garden.

My Own Chop and Drop Practices

In my own garden, I've seen a remarkable improvement in soil health and plant vitality since adopting chop and drop. The soil has become richer, retaining moisture better, and the overall ecosystem feels more balanced.

I first heard the term “chop and drop” from Huw Richards, on his youtube channel. As a regenerative gardener always looking for organic free mulch for my soil, the idea immediately piqued my interest.

It kind of transformed the way I saw plants that grew in and around my garden. Weeds, trees, herbs, broccoli leaves, spent plants - almost everything could become mulch for my soil, food for the soil microbes, and improve the health of my crops.

While I love using organic straw as a mulch, it’s both a drive to get to and an expense. Grass clippings are a great free mulch resource, but in my yard they’re not always available or weed free. Fallen leaves are obviously only available for a couple of months a year. Chop and drop helps my garden immensely since it provides mulch during the growing season, when I need it the most.

In my raised beds, ample plant material applied as a mulch has meant that I don’t need to “top up” my beds to compost or garden soil as much. The dropped material composts in place and eventually becomes integrated with the soil.

An unexpected benefit has been the appearance of amphibians, like tree frogs and even a salamander, or reptiles like small snakes. Since these creatures are all attracted to dark, cool, and moist places, seeing them throughout my garden in the hot dry summers lets me know that the benefits from chop and drop mulch is working - and adding to the biodiversity of my yard, too!

Overall, I’m able to water my garden less, which is a huge feat during our dry summers.

Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing Chop and Drop

1. Identify Plants:
   Start by identifying plants that are ready to be cut back. These could be cover crops, pruned branches, or spent plants.
   ‍
2. Chop:
   Use garden shears, loppers, or a sickle to chop the plant material into manageable pieces.
   →It’s important to leave the roots behind so that they can decompose and help feed the soil microbes (unless the plant is invasive)
   ‍
3. Drop:
   Lay the trimmings around the base of your plants, ensuring even coverage.
   →You can drop directly or bring the plant material where its most needed in your garden
   ‍
4. Monitor:
   Observe your garden to see how the plant material decomposes. You may occasionally need to turn the mulch to speed up the process.
   ‍
5. Repeat:
   Continue this process throughout the growing season to maintain a healthy mulch layer.

What Plants are Best for Chops + Drop? Implementation Tips

Choosing the right plants for chop and drop is essential for maximizing the benefits of this regenerative gardening practice. Here are some of the best plants you can use for chop and drop, categorized by their benefits:

Nitrogen Fixers:

These plants nourish the soil by fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere. Remember to leave the roots in the ground as you chop → that’s where the nitrogen will get released!

Growing these as a part of a permaculture guild or cover crop works well for this reason.

1. Clover (Trifolium spp.):
   • Grows quickly, adds nitrogen, and decomposes rapidly.
     ‍
2. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa):
   • Deep-rooted, efficient nitrogen fixer, and improves soil structure.
     ‍
3. Alder (Alnus spp.):
   • A tree that fixes nitrogen and produces large amounts of leaf litter.
     ‍
4. Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides):
   • Hardy shrub that fixes nitrogen and adds organic matter.
   • Berries taste great and are highly nutritious

Herbaceous Favorites for Chop + Drop:

These plants create a lot of organic matter to feed your soil microbiome

1. Comfrey (Symphytum officinale):
   • Grows quickly, deep roots mine nutrients that get brought up to the leaves, and it decomposes rapidly.
   • Tip: Grow Bocking 14 Comfrey, it’s sterile so it won’t spread in your garden except by root cuttings.
     ‍
2. Borage (Borago officinalis):
   • Has similar properties to comfrey, being in the same family. I cut this plant back when its in bloom and it will regenerate continuously until a hard frost.
   • I like to let it bloom to support pollinators, but it will spread happily around your garden if you let it go to seed.
     ‍
3. Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale):
   • Deep taproots accumulate nutrients, especially minerals. You’re weeding it out anyways, might as well let the leaves compost in place!
     ‍
4. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium):
   • Accumulates nutrients and improves soil structure.
   • Also used in biodynamic farming for soil health benefits.
     ‍
5. Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
   • Once established, mugwort produces heaps of biomass and its considered a dynamic accumulator.
   • I chop it back heavily a couple times a season, leaving only one or two stems to bloom to make herbal teas and tinctures from.
   • I haven’t noticed the cuttings taking root BUT this plant does spread readily from both seed and rhizomes, so be cautious
     ‍
6. Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
   • Similar to mugwort, one catnip has been in your garden for a couple of years, its biomass production is impressive.
   • I’m also able to get a couple of cuttings from catnip each year. Like with mugwort, I leave a couple of stems to bloom for herbal tea.
   • Like mugwort, I haven’t noticed the cuttings taking root but this is a spreading plant.
     ‍
7. Motherwort (Leonorus cardiaca)
   • Like mugwort and catnip 🙂 I notice the stems of motherwort take a little extra time to break down, which for me is usually an advantage.
     ‍
8. Mullein (Verbascum thapsus):
   • Grows quickly and adds aromatic biomass.
   • Do not let go to seed.
     ‍
9. Nettles (Urtica dioica):
   • Spreads rapidly, providing continuous mulch. Wear sturdy gloves when working with nettles!
   • → If harvesting some for tea, you want to harvest it BEFORE it goes to bloom, unlike some of the other plants mentioned here.
     ‍
10. Fennel (Foeniculum):
    • Grows quickly and adds aromatic biomass.
    • Do not let go to seed unless you’re harvesting it for seasoning or tea.
    • Can perennialize for continual biomass.
    • Biomass decomposes quickly, but will attract slugs in the rainy season.

Cover Crops:

These plants cover the soil, preventing erosion and improving soil health when chopped and dropped.

Have a look at our full guide to cover crops for more information.

1. Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum):
   • Fast-growing, suppresses weeds, and provides a lot of organic matter.
     ‍
2. Rye (Secale cereale):
   • Produces a dense mat of roots and foliage, excellent for weed suppression.
     ‍
3. Oats (Avena sativa):
   • Adds organic matter and suppresses weeds.

Examples of Woody Plants:

While woody plants decompose slower, they still provide long-term benefits.

1. Willow (Salix spp.):
   • Fast-growing and adds substantial organic matter.
   • Takes well to coppicing and being cut back
   • Goats love to snack on this if you have extra to give.
     ‍
2. Elder (Sambucus spp.):
   • Grows fast and takes well to coppicing.
   • Be sure to properly process berries before eating - it’s not recommended to eat them raw.
     ‍
3. Mulberry (Molus spp.):
   • Grows quickly and adds aromatic biomass.
   • Livestock, like goats, also appreciate the leaves.
   • Enjoy the berries as they come, usually around year 3 or 4.

Why These Plants Are Suitable for Chop and Drop:

• Rapid Growth: These plants grow quickly, providing a steady source of organic matter.
• Nutrient Accumulation: Many of these plants are dynamic accumulators, drawing up nutrients from deep in the soil.
• Weed Suppression: Some of these plants spread rapidly and shade out weeds.
• Soil Improvement: Deep-rooted plants break up compacted soil and improve soil structure.

Scenarios Where Chop and Drop Might Not Be Suitable:

1. Pest Infestations:
   • If your garden is dealing with a significant pest problem, chop and drop may inadvertently provide a habitat for these pests.
   • Example: I tend to increase my rate of mulching in our dry summers, when slug populations decrease.
     ‍
2. Plant Diseases:
   • Don’t mulch with diseased plants! This can spread pathogens through your garden, infecting healthy plants.
   • Example: Plants infected by powdery mildew, blight, or rust.
     ‍
3. Slow-Decomposing Plants:
   • Some plant materials decompose very slowly and can create a mat-like layer, which might not be ideal for all garden types.
   • Example: Woody stems or branches can take a long time to break down, making them less suitable for quick turnover in vegetable gardens.
     ‍
4. Plants that Have Gone to Seed:
   • Don’t mulch with any weeds or invasive species that have gone to seed.
   • Example: I once chopped and dropped a single borage plant that had gone to seed and four years later I’m still finding borage seedlings everywhere.

Case Studies

Today, regenerative farmers in the Amazon are replacing slash-and-burn practices with slash-and-mulch - just another term for chop and drop. According to a 20-year study published in the Global Advanced Research Journal of Agricultural Science, “research has shown that chop-and-mulch and no-tillage systems ensure secondary vegetation regeneration because they avoid damage to root systems.”

In Belize, farmers rank chop and drop practices as a top way to prevent wildfires - which are easy to spread from slash and burn practices.

A study in Honduras looks at how farmers experience resource-saving benefits when they left slash and burn methods aside and instead mulched the plant material.  This ancestral skill, coupled with no-till practices, leads to better water retention, doubled harvests, and improved soil health.

In Burkina Faso, West Africa, climate change and increasing crop demands have lead to soil depletion. It’s predicted that 1 million farms in this country may not be able to grow food in the future. A doctoral thesis by Georges F. Feliz Lancelloti describes how slash and mulch practices can prove to be a feasible solution to the issue. He found that shrub-based wood amendments, as opposed to tree branches, offers increased benefits with less crop competition.

Conclusion

Chop and drop is a way to participate in a cycle of regeneration that benefits your garden and the planet. It’s simple, but its results are impressive.

It’s an easy action to take to improve the sustainability of your garden. Why not give it a try?

Additional Resources

• Books: "One Straw Revolution" by Masanobu Fukuoka*
• Websites: Dynamic Accumulator Nutrient Levels Database
• Article: How Soil Microbes Benefit Your Soil
• Videos: Jacques from Epic Gardening Builds a Chop and Drop Garden Bed

Key Takeaways:

• Chop and Drop Basics: This practice involves cutting down garden plants and leaving them to decompose in place, forming a nutrient-rich mulch.
• Historical Context: Developed from ancient agroforestry practices and popularized by Masanobu Fukuoka in the 1970s.
• Benefits: Improves soil health, retains moisture, suppresses weeds, and boosts biodiversity.
• Implementation Steps: Identify plants, chop them, drop around the base, monitor decomposition, and repeat.
• Practical Tips: Ensure you do not use diseased plants, monitor for pests, and turn mulch occasionally for faster decomposition.
• Personal Experiences: Many gardeners have reported increased yields and healthier gardens using this method.

*I earn a small commission when you buy a book from this link at bookshop.org, which supports independent bookstores and is a certified B Corp. It's at no extra cost to you.