Quick Tip A Warning about No-Dig Gardening Methods

Can you plant in a no dig garden right away?
How long does it take for a no dig garden to break down?
How do you top up a no dig garden?
How long does it take for cardboard to break down no dig?
What is the no dig method?
Why are there no dig gardens?
How can I make my soil better without digging?
What are the layers of a no dig garden?
What do you put under raised beds?
How do you set up a raised vegetable garden?

Can you plant in a no dig garden right away?

You can plant in your no-dig garden beds right away, but you should avoid deep rooted vegetables, like potatoes and carrots, for the first year while the soil becomes established. Over time, if undisturbed, the soil in your raised bed will become a balanced, natural environment for plant growth – no digging required!

How long does it take for a no dig garden to break down?

NOTE: The no-dig garden will approximately halve in height in the first six months as it composts away. Therefore, if for example you want a 30cm high vegie bed, build a 50-60cm no-dig garden. In this time the layers that you put down will turn into fertile black compost.

How do you top up a no dig garden?

If the garden bed has sunk 30cm or more, it's a good idea to add a layer of pea straw before the compost. This will aid soil structure and provide a mix of nitrogen and carbon as it breaks down over the coming years. Fill the garden bed to the top with mushroom compost and pack it in by stomping and hopping .

How long does it take for cardboard to break down no dig?

For marestail/equisetum, the procedure is the same as for couch grass, bindweed, ground elder etc – no need to dig first, just mulch with the usual thick cardboard then compost on top. The cardboard is a temporary weed barrier, say for 2-3 months.

What is the no dig method?

In a no-dig regime, weeds are controlled by shallow hoeing, hand weeding, contact weedkillers and mulching. Debris is gathered up rather than dug in. Mulches are taken into the soil by soil organisms, and fertilisers are washed in by rain.

Why are there no dig gardens?

Digging destroys the networks, preventing them from establishing themselves widely, thus reducing some plants' ability to access nutrients and resist pests and drought. Of course, all that compost also improves water retention.

How can I make my soil better without digging?

We can add organic matter directly to the soil surface, such as manure, compost, straw, leaves etc. Garden waste such as prunings from trees and shrubs can be fed into a mulcher to break them down into smaller pieces, and then spread over the soil as a mulch.

What are the layers of a no dig garden?

A no-dig garden consists of eight 10cm layers - apart from compost and manure which should be 5cm. Remember to water each layer thoroughly as you go.

What do you put under raised beds?

The bottom of a raised garden bed should be a layer of grass clippings, leaves, wood chips, straw, and other organic material. The cardboard should be placed on top of that layer. The organic material will turn into compost, while the cardboard will prevent weeds.

How do you set up a raised vegetable garden?

Here's an example of how you can layer the soil in your garden bed:

LAYER 1: Bark chip mulch. ...
LAYER 2: Soil. ...
LAYER 3: Hay.
LAYER 4: Large tree clippings (such as palm fronds. ...
LAYER 5: Soil.
LAYER 6: Hay and grass cuttings.
LAYER 7: Organic fertiliser and manure (horse manure works well)
LAYER 8: Compost.