Planning A No-Dig Vegetable Garden

A no-dig vegetable garden is an excellent option for many gardeners, especially for those who want to have an organic vegetable garden. It is probably based on traditional gardening methods but became popular in the mid-twentieth century when several books were published on the advantages of avoiding digging.

Raised bed of lettuce, tomatoes, 6 different types of basil, marigolds, zinnias, garlic chives, zucchini. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is not simply a question of saving your back - there are advantages from the point of view of your plants, too, to the extent that no-dig gardening has now developed into a whole method of agriculture sometimes known as permaculture.

Digging has been shown to be ineffective in areas that have thin topsoil, and therefore it can be assumed that it is not really beneficial in any kind of soil - it is simply that richer soils are better able to handle the damage done. For digging to work in agriculture over a long period, the soil has to be rested with fallow crops at regular intervals. Most gardeners do not do this in their gardens and the soil suffers.

One of the main advantages of having a no-dig vegetable garden is the preservation of the natural food web which exists in the soil. This includes all kinds of soil-based organisms from micro-organisms to worms. Between them, they produce nutrients necessary for plants as well as keeping off certain pests and diseases. If the soil is dug and turned, this delicate natural balance is disturbed, causing stress and destroying some elements of the food web.

Supporters of digging will point out that it allows you to remove the roots of various weeds. This is true, but at the same time it allows weed seeds that are buried in the soil to come to the surface and germinate, so the net result may not be in your favor. If you have a no dig vegetable garden you will simply need to remove any weeds as soon as you identify them, and they will not become established.

To construct a no-dig vegetable garden, you will need to introduce a thick layer of mulch onto the soil. This mulch should be made up of organic matter such as cardboard, newspaper, straw, sawdust etc. This will hold in moisture and prevent any deep rooted weeds from making it to the surface in the first season. However, it needs to be something that will rot so that your plants and their roots can break through it.

On top of that you will place a layer of compost or other nutritionally rich matter such as manure or leaf mold. If you are buying compost, be sure to buy organic.

If you are creating a new no-dig vegetable garden, you can dig before placing the mulch if you wish. If your garden is already established and you have perennials that you do not want to remove, simply place the mulch and compost around the existing plants.

Some no dig vegetable gardens are created as raised beds. This can be very effective. You will need something to bound the bed, such as wooden planks. Then place a layer of mulch followed by a layer of compost and repeat to the required depth.  Lower layers can be made up of compostable matter such as grass cuttings and food peelings rather than finished compost, if you wish. This type of no dig vegetable garden is known as 'lasagna' gardening because of the use of alternating layers. (See this excellent book for more on Lasagna Gardening.)

More No-Dig Gardening Resources: