No Dig - Nobody Digs the Soil in a Woodland!

A couple of years ago I discovered Charles Dowding and the No Dig method of gardening – realising then, that I was already following a lot of the principles anyway as I hadn’t really dug the soil to any depth. I also found certain “traditional” methods to take too long or just not work for me, which meant I had never dug the ground for growing like you are “supposed to”. It was partly because I seemed to always have something growing in the ground and partly because I didn’t want to hurt the worms - I wanted more worms, not chopped up ones! I had only dug the soil when I thought I’d have to. For example, starting the new vegetable plots where the soil was so heavily compacted by tonnes of gravel for a long period of time. With my current knowledge, if I were to create new plots, I would not dig at all and would instead lay down lots of compost and mulch.

So, what is No Dig?

Well, just what it says - not digging/tilling the soil, but instead adding 2cm-5cm of compost or mulch on top every year. This doesn’t disturb the soil and allows all the good things - worms, fungi and bacteria - to continue doing their thing, thereby improving the structure and fertility of the soil. The more goodness you put into the soil, the better the soil. Soil is very important. You need to look after it and feed it.

The Benefits of No Dig:

1. Not digging saves time. Time which can be spent adding composts and mulches to provide more organic matter which improves the soil structure.

2. The compost/mulch helps to conserve moisture meaning less watering is needed in summer, and the soil is less likely to become waterlogged when wet or solid and cracked during dry spells.

3. Weeds grow in disturbed ground. When digging, weed seeds are brought back up to the surface. Once they gain light they will grow. By not digging, these weeds are not brought to the surface and less time is spent weeding throughout the year. Weeds will blow onto the beds, but this is easier to control and can just be removed as you see them (no weed killers necessary!).

4. New plants can be planted straight after one harvest and, with intercropping, you can grow more in one space.

5. No dig helps to lock in carbon as digging aerates the soil causing some oxidation of carbon to produce CO2.

6. Healthier soil equals healthier plants!