Does no dig gardening really work?

[DirtMechanic]

Try to get your hands on a copy of this book......View attachment 36345

You people are cray cray. My poor neighbor has started thinking this is the thing too. They have been tilling the same plot for decades. It will be painful to watch if she actually tries it without the prerequisite naturalization of the soil. And even then, the soil we have gets so leached out by the heat and rain that its natural state just won't do for tomatoes.

 

[Meadowlark]

DM, 2 meters is over 6 feet! How on earth did you get your soil that loose that deep?

I requested a demo several times...none came.

I tried it myself applying the required molasses solution consistently on a couple of test plots for months...no increased soil penetration.

Repeatability is important and I'm still waiting for someone to repeat this phenomenal feat of 6 ft penetration by a piece of rebar into clay soil using only one hand.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I requested a demo several times...none came.

I tried it myself applying the required molasses solution consistently on a couple of test plots for months...no increased soil penetration.

Repeatability is important and I'm still waiting for someone to repeat this phenomenal feat of 6 ft penetration by a piece of rebar into clay soil using only one hand.

Oh its on now smarty

 

[Ruderunner]

I'd say no dig does work. Though I did it by accident.

I never went through the solarization process, just been building my soil over the years, tilling every year. Last year I was mulching heavily with grass and leaves. This year, my soil was loose enough that I didn't have to till my rows. That's a first.

Yes, I still have weeds but no real hard work was involved in this years planting. As far as the weeds go, I'm trying to work with them, they're getting nutrients out of the soil, sometimes deeper than one can dig. I let them bring the nutrients up, then turn them into much.

My walkways aren't quite wide enough for my push mower so I scalp with the weed whacker.

 

[roadrunner]

Yes it does work and as chuck says, you don't want grass, but luckily grass generally needs a lot of sun, so I don't have much problem keeping it out of the mulchy areas.

Although, It does take a while for the soil to build up naturally, the heavier the mulch the quicker it happens. I've been using this method for a few years and my soil improves every year.

Since this very old thread has be resurrected....

....I need to change my answer...just a little. I still say that No Dig Gardening does work, but at the time of this posting (in 2018) I had a slightly skewed understanding of No Dig -- I was confusing it for Paul Gautschi's Back to Eden method.


After reviewing many of Charles Dowding's videos is when I realized I was mistaken in the concept No Dig Gardening.

And then I watched this video to make sure I was understanding the true concept of No Dig gardening...and I was.

It definitely works, but I just don't produce enough compost to practice this method.

 

[Susan BBPM]

Yes, it works.

I live in the West of Scotland - cool, wet climate.

These photos are of no-dig beds on my front lawn - I put down the cardboard and compost onto grass/weeds in late May 2021 and these photos were taken at the end of June 2021. So from weedy lawn to flowers and veg in just one month! The beds have gone from strength to strength.

ERM_7779 by Paul Roberts, on Flickr

ERM_7798 by Paul Roberts, on Flickr

I started with just 3 inches of compost and now the soil (clay) is lovely about 10 inches to 1 foot down.

Some weeds break through, but if you keep on top of it for the first year or two they soon die off.
We also built a raised bed at the top of our drive way - it was rock solid hard core. We put about 4 inches of compost on top and planted into it. Flowers grew great from day one, but now a couple of years later that hardcore is breaking down into soil and the roots are getting down deep.

We've got raised bed for veg at the back and it works equally well.

All we do is add an inch or two of compost at the end of each year. No fertilizers etc. Very little weeding.

 

[Ruderunner]

I'm working on compost right now. Mowing season is here and I've already accumulated 4 cubic yards of grass clippings. At this rate, I'll be out of space by father's day.

That's 2 mows of my own yard.

 

[MiniOrchardDude]

The no dig no till method will work if there is zero grass. And the only way I know of to kill grass, weeds and their seeds is to solarize. Cardboard will not work nor will carpet as neither will kill the seeds which can live for years in soil. You can put a shovel of good compost onto a spot of soil, come back in 3 months and the soil is very workable. Now is the time to solarize. Start now and by next spring all of the grass, weeds and seeds will be gone. The secret to solarizing is to get the soil wet before laying down the plastic.

I disagree that cardboard wont work. It has worked great for me. Maybe the key is a thick layer of wood chips. My entire garden is wood chipped. Makes walking around very easy and in time my sandy soil will be high grade soil. I can see the chip dexomposing and creating a nice healthy soil. So far it is only a few inches. Needs more time.

Once you lay chips you should not til into the soil. It will steal the nitrogen.

MOD

 

[Nanas happy place]

I've been wanting to get into this. We are building a new home and have just good old dirt at the moment. And want some nice no till garden beds. The dirt is fairly inert, dirt sand mix. So basically a blank slate
We raise rabbits and have lots of compost. Can I put down a layer 3-4" thick of compost in rows to start this. Possibly put down cardboard cardboard everywhere and water down where I want rows. And wood chips where we want isles?
Any suggestions would be great

 

[Susan BBPM]

I've been wanting to get into this. We are building a new home and have just good old dirt at the moment. And want some nice no till garden beds. The dirt is fairly inert, dirt sand mix. So basically a blank slate
We raise rabbits and have lots of compost. Can I put down a layer 3-4" thick of compost in rows to start this. Possibly put down cardboard cardboard everywhere and water down where I want rows. And wood chips where we want isles?
Any suggestions would be great

Best source I've found is Charles Dowding. He has loads of info on his youtube channel and website, but this is a good beginners guide.
Charles (and I) is uk climate. Cardboard and compost works great for us, but there may be subtle differences in approach if you're in a very hot/dry/cold climate.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

suggests using cardboard or carpet (cringe) over top of the new garden for several months to kill off the grass

I have used carpet, it is fine if it is an all wool carpet, but I picked up one bit that had an artificial fibre running through it, I was pulling long strings of it out every time I put a fork in the ground long after the wool part had rotted away. Applying a lighter to the edge is a good indicator, any sort of melting, don't bother.

 

[Nanas happy place]

I've used carpet in pathways. Really helps keep weeds away

 

[redback]

I'd say no dig does work. Though I did it by accident.

I never went through the solarization process, just been building my soil over the years, tilling every year. Last year I was mulching heavily with grass and leaves. This year, my soil was loose enough that I didn't have to till my rows. That's a first.

Yes, I still have weeds but no real hard work was involved in this years planting. As far as the weeds go, I'm trying to work with them, they're getting nutrients out of the soil, sometimes deeper than one can dig. I let them bring the nutrients up, then turn them into much.

My walkways aren't quite wide enough for my push mower so I scalp with the weed whacker.

 

[redback]

No dig works. Once the soil has years of compost laid on top before each successive planting the soil loosens and weeding is a pleasure.
Use a planters hoe to clear the soil at the end of each crop. This hoe only scratches

the top few inches.

 

[redback]

This bed has been planted in cabbage and broad beans. The comfrey and capsicums are leftover from summer (our winters are very mild and capsicum overwinter). This is my no-dig because i hoed the old weeds and top dressed with my compost . I will hoe the weeds between the rows when i deem it necessary. Not everyone's view of beauty I know, but I see weed-free as a war with nature.