One of the great things about gardening is that it never stands still. New research, ideas, technologies and ideologies spring up all the time, challenging long-held beliefs and ideas – many of which have been handed down from generation to generation without even a sliver of truth or reality.
One of the most recent trends that has hit the headlines as well as our plots with lots of truth firmly grounded in science and reality, is the practice of no-dig gardening.
What is no dig?
As you’ve probably already worked out from its name, the no-dig method involves not digging the soil! But this also extends to other cultivation practices, such as rotavating, tilling, lifting and turning the soil. This means the soil isn’t broken up, instead it is simply prepared by covering it with bulky organic matter (BOM), such as garden compost, well-rotted manure, composted bark, bagged products and leafmould. Another word for this is mulching. Plants are then grown directly in this organic matter.
If you currently grow your veggies in raised beds – a great way to grow them – you’re probably already practicing no-dig.
Obviously, there will be some occasions where you have to dig or cultivate – such as removing the roots of unwanted plants or planting out – but you can keep cultivation to a minimum.
Why is it a good idea?
It has always been believed that it is necessary to dig or dig over soil, particularly when preparing new beds or borders and to generally cultivate the soil. But recent scientific research provides evidence that cultivating the soil damages its structure, disrupting the natural processes that occur within it. Soil, and therefore plant, health is improved by minimising the disturbance. Cultivating destroys the natural drainage channels, including those made by worms, disturbs fungal and other networks, and releases carbon that’s locked in the soil into the atmosphere as the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Reducing soil cultivation through no-dig gardening preserves and improves the soil structure, greatly improving its overall health. But it actually does even more than that.
And, of course, it’s also great news for us gardeners. It makes light work of preparing new beds and borders as well as their on-going maintenance and cultivation. That’s much less strain on the back. A win, win situation!
Healthy soil = healthy plants
One of the main principles of all good and organic gardening is that if you feed the soil it will feed the plants – and a healthy soil means healthy plants. Embracing nature and harnessing the power of the small, tiny and even microscopic life going on in the soil ensures your plants grow brilliantly well.
Healthy soil is teeming with a wide range of beneficial insects and other invertebrates, including earthworms, and the essential mix of different microflora and microfauna, beneficial bacteria and fungi, including mycorrhizal (root association) fungi. These are essential, as they break down organic matter to create the all-important humus, releasing nutrients into the soil, creating a mix of soil ingredients and helping to improve aeration (roots need air to breathe) and drainage to reduce waterlogging problems.
As no-dig involves adding BOM to the soil, this material is essential, and you’ll need to make sure you have plenty of it available. BOM is also the lifeblood of the soil and what most of the organisms mentioned above feed on. No organic matter means no organisms, and a poor lifeless soil that plants will struggle to grow in.
Advantages
So, what are the benefits of no-dig gardening?
Soil health: It promotes the essential microorganisms, bacteria, fungi that make soil healthier and richer. Cultivating the soil disturbs the fungal networks and disrupts the natural processes that occur within it.
Soil structure: Cultivation can damage soil structure by destroying the natural drainage channels made by worms etc. No-dig preserves and improves soil structure, improving its overall health and reduces soil erosion.
Environment: Soil stores carbon and no-dig helps to lock it in, whereas cultivation releases it, and so preventing a build-up of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the environment.
Fewer weeds: No-dig keeps the soil covered, reducing the number of “weed” seeds that germinate and need dealing with if they’re unwanted. So, less weeding to do.
No evictions: Soil cultivation destroys the underground homes of all manner of soil-dwelling mini-beasts, including worms and mining bees.
Put away the hosepipe: Less watering is needed because mulching helps to prevent or significantly reduce evaporation from the soil surface; but it doesn’t necessarily mean no watering at all.
More bang for your buck: Growing veg in beds using no-dig produces bigger yields because the soil is healthier, and root crops are easier to harvest.
