‘No-Dig’ Gardening 

I garden organically and use no-dig methods.  

Feeding the soil beneath our feet by mulching a layer on top of your beds leaving the organisms under your feet to do all the work is sound practice for sustaining a healthy soil environment. I garden using no dig methods as I believe that leaving nature to do things its own way is best without constant interference (i.e. no digging). I believe that having a good soil ecology allows a balance of organic matter, pest and predator. My sowing timeline will follow this ethos, sowing dates ensuring optimum growing conditions and plentiful harvests. 

The benefits of no-dig methods are numerous, gardening the no-dig way is easy but can be a huge minefield for those of you starting out. Charles Dowding, one of the leading pioneers in no-dig has been one of my biggest influencers over the years, I encourage you to do some research, you will find lots of information at your fingertips on his extensive website www.charlesdowding.co.uk but I have summarised some valid points below:

• A healthy soil – allowing a vast network of fungi and microorganisms beneath our feet to work together to maintain soil health, find nutrients and water and in return support healthy plants.

• Less pests – gardening organically means that I do not use any chemicals on the garden at all, I believe that everything has its place and if you can encourage biodiversity, the pests you might have encountered will in time look after themselves. 

• Less weeding – a dug soil is ‘stressed’ no dig soils are healthier and discourage germination of weeds, mulching also suppresses weeds so in time they become weaker. Light surface hoeing during the season keeps weeds in check. 

• Less watering is needed because the roots of plants connect to beneficial (mycorrhizal) fungi networks under the soil which extend the root area of plants. No dig beds are not compacted so aiding watering, water soaking into, rather than running off the surface. 

• Encourages efficient use of your plot, no matter how small, you are able to utilise the space better, namely because you don’t have to dig soil over to plant more crop, on second sowings, you can just re-plant without any new soil preparation.