How to Start No‐Dig Gardening in a Temperate Climate
Decide on the lay out of your beds and estimate how much compost and / or card you will need., Cut weed growth back as short as feasible on the new area., Mark out beds., Consider weed suppression., Compost all plant material and manure prior to...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Decide on the lay out of your beds and estimate how much compost and / or card you will need.
Obtain required materials.
For example, a bed 4x8ft (1.2x2.4m) needs over 1 tonne compost for 6in (15cm) depth.
Filling beds with compost gives better growth than with soil, compost is the best investment you can make.
Beds of 4ft (1.2m) width is good for starting but beds can be narrower or wider.
No-dig beds have firm structure and it's fine to put feet on them to reach the middle.
The bed filling wants to be firm, not fluffy. -
Step 2: Cut weed growth back as short as feasible on the new area.
Remove cut material to a compost heap.
You could leave it in place and build beds on top, except the slug population will increase to help it decompose.
Slugs are recycling agents!, If you are planning on using wooden sides, either temporally or permanently, put them in place.
Permanent sides have advantages in terms of access and defining an area (e.g.school gardens) but allow light soils to dry out faster and provide a hiding place for slugs (esp. as the wood decays), woodlice, ants and weeds.
They also add significantly to the initial cost., If you have enough compost for a 6in (15cm) depth, this will be sufficient to suppress weed growth even on completely uncultivated land.
If using less compost, then you can lay a thick layer of unprinted cardboard or newspaper, after removing tape and staples, before spreading the compost, to help suppress weed growth.
It's a temporary barrier only, and your vegetables' roots will pass through to the soil below, after 8-10 weeks., This will make the growth of new sowings and plantings stronger and healthier.
It wants to be dark in colour and reasonably crumbly.
It's best to keep the finest compost for the surface layer, making it easier to sow and plant into.
If you are prepared to wait a year before planting, you can mulch with woodchips.
Eventually they turn to compost, but they compete with plants for nitrogen while doing so.
Best keep woody material for paths, or use just a thin surface layer, and small pieces are better than large chips. , Once this is done, even by walking on it in dry weather, it will be possible to sow and plant straightaway.
Treading the compost down provides a secure planting medium, for plants such as brassicas (kale, broccoli, cabbage etc) which appreciate a firm footing. If there are many roots of vigorous perennial weeds in the soil (couch grass, bindweed), consider covering the bed and paths with light excluding polythene for a whole year, after spreading compost.
This is easier when you have no wooden sides.
You can plant through polythene, cut a hole or slit to insert the plant, then pull any weed growth that may emerge through this. , Take as much root as possible, and pull or hoe weed seedlings as they appear. Weed growth lessens with every month and from the second year is very manageable.
On soil with few weeds, pull all but the tiny ones and spread two to three inches (5-7cm) compost. , To maintain fertility and a full bed, add a top dressing of compost to a depth of 1 to 2 inches (3-5cm) annually; this will support continual cropping of the land and high yields.
This method works for all vegetables including root crops, which do not suffer any detriment from a surface dressing of compost.
Carrots for example grow large and mostly unforked. , This allows them to be weed-free and makes it so that fewer weeds invade the beds.
It's possible to push a large wheelbarrow along a 15-18in (40-45cm) path, it's fine to rest the legs on beds while emptying or filling.
Path mulches in the first months, if there are many weeds to kill, could be cardboard with some wood shavings on top.
Be wary of membranes, which need regular lifting and relaying, in order not to become buried by compost and soil. -
Step 3: Mark out beds.
-
Step 4: Consider weed suppression.
-
Step 5: Compost all plant material and manure prior to application.
-
Step 6: Fill and firm the compost.
-
Step 7: Remove perennial weeds (such as dandelion
-
Step 8: couch grass and bind weed) with a trowel.
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Step 9: Dress the bed with more compost annually.
-
Step 10: Mulch the paths.
Detailed Guide
Obtain required materials.
For example, a bed 4x8ft (1.2x2.4m) needs over 1 tonne compost for 6in (15cm) depth.
Filling beds with compost gives better growth than with soil, compost is the best investment you can make.
Beds of 4ft (1.2m) width is good for starting but beds can be narrower or wider.
No-dig beds have firm structure and it's fine to put feet on them to reach the middle.
The bed filling wants to be firm, not fluffy.
Remove cut material to a compost heap.
You could leave it in place and build beds on top, except the slug population will increase to help it decompose.
Slugs are recycling agents!, If you are planning on using wooden sides, either temporally or permanently, put them in place.
Permanent sides have advantages in terms of access and defining an area (e.g.school gardens) but allow light soils to dry out faster and provide a hiding place for slugs (esp. as the wood decays), woodlice, ants and weeds.
They also add significantly to the initial cost., If you have enough compost for a 6in (15cm) depth, this will be sufficient to suppress weed growth even on completely uncultivated land.
If using less compost, then you can lay a thick layer of unprinted cardboard or newspaper, after removing tape and staples, before spreading the compost, to help suppress weed growth.
It's a temporary barrier only, and your vegetables' roots will pass through to the soil below, after 8-10 weeks., This will make the growth of new sowings and plantings stronger and healthier.
It wants to be dark in colour and reasonably crumbly.
It's best to keep the finest compost for the surface layer, making it easier to sow and plant into.
If you are prepared to wait a year before planting, you can mulch with woodchips.
Eventually they turn to compost, but they compete with plants for nitrogen while doing so.
Best keep woody material for paths, or use just a thin surface layer, and small pieces are better than large chips. , Once this is done, even by walking on it in dry weather, it will be possible to sow and plant straightaway.
Treading the compost down provides a secure planting medium, for plants such as brassicas (kale, broccoli, cabbage etc) which appreciate a firm footing. If there are many roots of vigorous perennial weeds in the soil (couch grass, bindweed), consider covering the bed and paths with light excluding polythene for a whole year, after spreading compost.
This is easier when you have no wooden sides.
You can plant through polythene, cut a hole or slit to insert the plant, then pull any weed growth that may emerge through this. , Take as much root as possible, and pull or hoe weed seedlings as they appear. Weed growth lessens with every month and from the second year is very manageable.
On soil with few weeds, pull all but the tiny ones and spread two to three inches (5-7cm) compost. , To maintain fertility and a full bed, add a top dressing of compost to a depth of 1 to 2 inches (3-5cm) annually; this will support continual cropping of the land and high yields.
This method works for all vegetables including root crops, which do not suffer any detriment from a surface dressing of compost.
Carrots for example grow large and mostly unforked. , This allows them to be weed-free and makes it so that fewer weeds invade the beds.
It's possible to push a large wheelbarrow along a 15-18in (40-45cm) path, it's fine to rest the legs on beds while emptying or filling.
Path mulches in the first months, if there are many weeds to kill, could be cardboard with some wood shavings on top.
Be wary of membranes, which need regular lifting and relaying, in order not to become buried by compost and soil.
About the Author
Carolyn Reyes
Brings years of experience writing about pet care and related subjects.
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