No matter how experienced you might be as a gardener there will be times on a cold autumn or spring morning when the thought of digging over your vegetable plot deflates your enthusiasm. The expectation of blisters on your hands and those aches that can get into your bones may stop you in your tracks. Not every gardener goes through this rite of passage however; some follow a different path and choose to never dig their garden at all. The name for the technique they use is unsurprisingly known as the no dig method of gardening.
This technique was first explored in the 1930's by Masanobu
Fukuoka in Japan, and later developed in the USA
by Esther Deans. At its most fundamental level the no dig method simply involves not digging over your garden beds and relying instead on organisms within the soil to do the work of cultivating the soil. Manure or compost is added to the bed as mulch at least two or three inches deep and is left to the actions of the worms to incorporate it into the ground. Worms are also left to build up the structure of the soil by naturally aerating and draining it as they tunnel their way through it. By leaving the soil relatively untouched a more natural ecological system is said to develop which in turn allows the correct build up of beneficial organisms.
The process of establishing a no dig bed is straightforward. First collect plenty of old newspapers and cardboard. Clear the bed of any strong perennial weeds and then create an edge to the bed, fitting the newspaper (about eight sheets thick) into this edge. This should be followed by the cardboard. The cardboard is much easier to manage if it is wet, not least because it clings better to the contours of the bed. Now cover the entire bed with the newspaper and cardboard, overlapping it by about ten inches (25 cm). Over all of the newspaper and cardboard add a layer of manure or compost about three inches thick, and leave for about twelve to eighteen months until all of the grass and weeds underneath have died down. This is a long process that requires a lot of patience but the hard work and aching muscles it saves you can more than compensate for this.
Now that the beds have been prepared they should never be walked on to prevent any compaction of the soil. For this reason beds around five feet wide are ideal so all parts can be reached from the sides. During the initial twelve months waiting period the temptation to just plant something in the bed may be gnawing away at you. If you succumb to this, annuals should be
ok, although if you decide to do this it is best not to apply the mulch in the winter because this will trap in the cold, whilst mulching in warmer weather will help to keep in that warmth. Good crops to grow in the early development of the bed include pumpkins, marrows, tomatoes and potatoes. Once the crops have been lifted the above steps will need to be followed again.
There are variations of the no dig method that suggest adding layers of straw and green manure such as alfalfa, as well as a sprinkling of blood and bone meal in the initial stages of creating the beds, which will help the fertility of the soil immensely. Once the bed is established the surface is never disturbed, and instead manure, compost and lime etc are top dressed to be pulled into the soil by watering and the actions of worms.
During the winter months the beds are given a cover of either green manure or straw to suppress weeds. To then suppress the growth of the green manure the beds can be covered with black plastic sheeting, which will generate enough heat to kill off further growth. If this looks as if it will slow down your plans for spring planting, the green manure can be picked, laid on the bed then covered with a layer of mulch.
The no dig method will not suit all situations. For instance, the first requirement is access to plenty of organic matter which is not always easy for every gardener. Since this method offers no means to loosen heavy soil, there will be limited or no success with clay soils. The system was reported on in some depth by the Henry Doubleday Research Association.
in 1967 which found that although soil fertility was initially higher, after seven years there was a crash and fertility was drastically lowered. However, some exponents of no digging have claimed to have used the system successfully for many years without experiencing this lowering of soil fertility.
In spite of these considerations the no dig method can be applied successfully under suitable circumstances. On balance, for those with garden beds that produce the right conditions giving up digging in favour of this technique could be worth considering, particularly since once your beds are established they should reward you with a good, stable soil structure with a friable top soil from which seedlings can easily emerge. You may also find that you have an abundance of crops and the need for watering is greatly reduced. Because weed seeds are not brought to the surface through digging they cannot germinate, so you beds will be much easier to maintain. The only real way to discover if this method is suitable for you is to give it a try.