No-Dig Gardening: The Method for Better Vegetables?

In an area like gardening, whose scope is so vast and varied that you could dedicate an entire lifetime to it and still barely scratch the surface – or, not scratch it at all as we’ll come onto… – you’d be forgiven for letting the odd trend pass you by now and again.

No-dig gardening is a concept that’s been around for many years, with some suggesting 19th century origins, but what actually is it? And importantly, does it result in better homegrown vegetables? Fear not, in this post we’ll be delving into all things no-dig, including the what, the why and the how.

Jump to:

• What is no-dig gardening?
• What are the advantages of no-dig gardening?
• Why is no-dig gardening good for vegetables?
• Statistics on no-dig gardening
• What are the disadvantages of no-dig gardening?
• How do you start no-dig gardening?
• No-dig gardening FAQs

What is no-dig gardening?

As the name suggests, no-dig gardening is a method in which you don’t disturb the soil, but rather add layers on top of lawns or existing soil beds, which can include compost, manure, newspapers, cardboard, mulch, etc.

You then plant within these layers, so that the underlying soil remains pristine. There’s no set rule as to how many layers you need to use, but we’ve found that, generally speaking, a six-layer bed (comprising cardboard, compost, manure and straw) works nicely. So, that’s the what, but what about the why?

The advantages of no-dig gardening

The major advantage of no-dig gardening is that the soil isn’t disrupted. In areas of high erosion or where the soil is naturally thin, digging the soil can be detrimental to the general ecological balance of the site, displacing nutrients and preventing the soil from truly flourishing.

If you look at agriculture historically, both cover crops and fallow periods have been used alongside more traditional tilling cultivation, as a means of giving the soil a chance to ‘reset’. To continually dig, dig and dig some more is to deplete the soil without ever giving it the opportunity to get back to its best.

Why is no-dig gardening good for vegetables?

So why can no-dig gardening lead to better crops of vegetables? Well, you’re creating a better-aerated, less compacted and more nutritionally available medium in which your veg plants can grow. It also reduces competition from weeds and enables beneficial soil microbes (like bacteria and fungi) to get to work. And really, when you think about it, it’s simple. Is it any wonder that a better overall quality of soil ecosystem leads to better overall quality of plants within that ecosystem?

Another benefit of no-dig gardening is that you’re not bringing dormant seeds to the surface that might go on to germinate into weeds. When you dig and till soil beds, the chances of weeds being brought to the surface are significantly increased.

What do the statistics say?

There have been several studies over the years into the efficacy of no-dig gardening in relation to conventional tilling gardening. The findings? Well, they’re pretty interesting!

Yield

In terms of yield, the RHS found that no-dig yielded comparable or better results for brassicas and legumes, while Charles Dowding’s study suggested leafy greens and tomatoes eventually produced as much as 15% higher yields after a few years of being established.

As for root vegetables and potatoes, Dowding found that while yields were initially lower than dug gardens, they were matched in as little as two to three years. The RHS study showed that carrot yields were superior in dug gardens, however the weeding requirements were greater.

Soil health

No-dug gardens have been shown to have greater soil carbon (⅕ more) and higher quantities (by 30%) of microbial biomass which leads to better drought tolerance and nutrient cycling respectively. Another study found that in order to maintain yields in dug gardens, a greater quantity of synthetic inputs was required, when compared with no-dig gardens.

Resilience

No-dig gardens are also more resilient from a climatic perspective. No-dig beds retained as much as 30% more moisture during drought conditions than dug beds, while remaining cooler throughout heatwave periods, and thus stressing the plants less.

The disadvantages of no-dig gardening

The primary disadvantage of no-dig gardening is that it requires more time/materials upfront. With conventional ‘digging’ gardening, you’ve got the soil bed there ready and waiting for you. With the no-dig method, by contrast, you need to purchase additional compost, cardboard, manure, etc, so it can be a slightly costlier method of gardening.

Similarly, it’s going to take you some time to set up and establish the no-dig bed before you can begin planting. You could argue, however, that this is merely time would have to have been used weeding the soil bed anyway, so it probably evens out in the long run, anyway.

Source: Local Food Initiative (Flickr)

How do you start no-dig gardening?

1. Preparing the base area (layer 1)

To begin with, you’ll want to prepare the area that’s going to be home to the new no-dig bed. For this, you need brown cardboard picked clean of any staples or parcel tape. Newspapers can work just as well; their advantage is how quickly they break down over time, their drawback, meanwhile, is that they’re less effective than cardboard at preventing weeds from growing through. Once laid down, wet your cardboard or newspaper.

Top tip: If you’re placing your no-dig bed directly on a lawn or patch of grass, then applying a layer of manure and lime beneath the layer of cardboard/newspaper can be beneficial in helping to more easily break down the grass.

2. Adding compost (layer 2)

Next, you add your compost. Something from the home compost bin comprising organic food waste is ideal. This helps the new bed by enriching it with nutrients and improving its overall structure for better moisture retention. Apply a few inches of compost and rake it out across the plot so that the depth is roughly even throughout. Alternatively, you can add kitchen waste (such as fruit/veg peelings, or a layer of alfalfa hay.

Did you know? You can actually plant at this stage, rather than continuing to add subsequent layers, and you’ll still likely have some success with just this one layer of compost. Weed suppression will likely be weaker, however, and the bed might be less nutritionally enriched than it would be were it to have multiple layers. Single-layer no-dig beds are a particular favourite of renowned no-dig gardener, Charles Dowding.

3. Adding manure (layer 3)

On top of your first layer of compost, add a layer of well-rotted manure. You can also use a compost/manure mixture if you wish.

4. Adding straw (layer 4)

Next, evenly distribute a layer of straw to sit nicely on the layer of manure beneath.

5. Add another layer of manure (layer 5)

Repeat step three (again, a compost/manure mix is also acceptable).

6. Add a second layer of straw (layer 6)

Repeat step four. This will give you your ‘lasagne’ bed of alternating layers. Create wells in the straw where you’ll plant your crops. Fill the holes with compost and then your plants, firming them in and giving them a good watering. And that’s it! Your very own no-dig garden bed.

Source: Local Food Initiative (Flickr)

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about no-dig gardening

Which vegetable plants are suitable for no-dig gardening?

In short, pretty much all of them! Even the comparatively challenging root vegetables like carrots and parsnips can be grown nicely in no-dig beds. In fact, deep-rooted vegetables are likely to do even better as they have a deeper bed in which to grow.

How much mulch should I add each year?

An extra couple of inches of compost each year is enough to refresh your bed, nutritionally speaking, as well as provide some backup weed prevention. Think of it as calling in for reinforcements; you don’t need an entirely new army, just some fresh energy and vigour.

How strict do you need to be with no-dig gardening?

Not particularly strict is the honest truth! So long as you keep any digging to a minimum (save for the removal of particularly troublesome weeds) and top up/refresh your mulch/compost each year, then you shouldn’t encounter many problems with your bed.

When should I make my no-dig bed?

The best time to set up your no-dig bed is after any final autumn harvests. This way, you’ve got a fresh no-dig bed ready to plant up come the following spring.

Why should you leave the soil undisturbed?

When you dig soil and turn it over, beneficial mycorrhizal fungi aren’t able to survive. When this fungi flourishes, it establishes a beneficial relationship with the plants in the ground, resulting in happier, healthier plants.

Source: Ivana in York (Flickr)

Final thoughts

Whether you opt for Charles Dowding’s single-layer approach, or want to create a lasagna that Garfield, himself, would be proud of, no-dig gardening is an excellent approach for growing vegetables.

We’ve got plenty of other handy growing guides, including both a vegetable planting and harvest calendar and a more general vegetable garden planning guide, so you have everything you need to get started growing your very own bumper crop of veggies!