No Dig, Composting & Soil Secrets

To Dig or Not to Dig...

In the words of The Mock Turtles, Can You Dig It? Well of course you can if you want to,

however there are many followers of the No Dig Movement where soil disturbance is kept

to a minimum. So what is No Dig and why would you follow this method of cultivation?

Growing up with my grandparents I was taught the traditional ways of gardening, this was

to dig and double dig when necessary the whole garden every year, often twice a year let

alone the digging of potatoes and root veg. The soil was moved one way or another,

potatoes moulded into rows, as soon as a harvest was finished it was dug over for the next

crop. Looking back there was succession planting but a more measured and deliberate

method.

In fairness I continued with this over the years I had gardens, crops nearly always grew

and harvests were bountiful, I had not really thought or been told of any other method.

After a hiatus of many years I obtained my first allotment, which was in a state of being

unloved and unkempt. Similarly my second adjacent plot was even more neglected. My

first thought was to dig both these plots over, meticulously removing every weed, large

stone and unwanted plants. After the first year I then rediscovered Charles Dowding, the

Champion of the No Dig cause. His book No Dig transformed the way I then approached the

new growing season.

The no dig method is as basic and simple as the name would suggest, by not digging soil is

left in its natural structure and can continue the natural processes within. The key to all

growing is the quality of the soil.

To boost the soil once a year a layer of well decomposed organic matter is added, this

allows the micro-organisms to do their thing. The compost can be purchased or home

made essentially carbon based material broken down over time to produce a mulch.

On my plots all of the beds are now no dig, all my paths are tree mulch or chippings which

add to the soil over time and are much easier to walk on even in the wettest of times. So if

you get chance even if it is a bed or two give it a try and see the results for yourself.