Summary
- No dig gardening enriches soil with compost, benefiting plants and reducing weed growth.
- The method creates a habitat for wildlife, helping to oxygenate the soil naturally.
- A no digging, no till garden bed approach saves time and maintenance effort, making it ideal for those with limited time.
Gardening is great for the mind and the body and it's even a nice perk for your fridge and pantry, but there are plenty of reasons not to completely love gardening. Spending a lot of time with bugs and dirt isn't exactly everyone's idea of perfect fun, and you're pretty much supposed to get a little sweaty and messy when you're in the garden. But what if you could eliminate one of the hardest parts of gardening entirely?
More people are turning to no dig gardening, a method that has proved to be highly versatile. Less work, less dirt, less mess, it all sounds pretty ideal. But what can you possibly grow without getting out a shovel?
What Is No Dig Gardening?
The shovels-off approach to planting
The no dig gardening method was pioneered by Charles Dowding, a gardening guru with a long career and wide reputation in the world of gardening. The idea is that instead of digging up soil and turning it and working it, which many gardeners do annually in order to prep their gardens for the growing season in spring, you simply place compost on top of the soil.
The no dig, no till garden method does not disturb the soil and in fact, enriches it with the layer of nutrient-rich compost that is placed over it. The layer of compost, which is mixed with mulch, prevents weed growth and provides plenty of organic matter to feed plants.
Gardening without aerating the soil, without tilling garden beds, is a fairly radical approach that breaks with more traditional, tried-and-true methods honed over many years of internationally growing plants from the soil. But there is a lot of logic behind this approach and there is a lot of anecdotal evidence from home gardeners who swear by it. If you're sick of wielding a shovel, this gardening technique may just be perfect.
What Happens in a No Dig Garden Bed?
What makes this method work?
Moist, nutrient-dense compost and mulch create an entire habitat for wildlife. Various worms, fungi, and other soil-dwelling creatures make homes in this rich material, creating tunnels and moving around in the soil. The underground structures and movement naturally oxygenate the soil, opening up pockets for air and channels for water. With no human interference, the soil becomes a natural habitat that is busy with life and action.
The no dig method allows soil-dwelling creatures to naturally enrich and aerate the soil, which eliminates in-ground gardening chores. Switching to this method can save a lot of time and energy.
If you've ever seen a toy ant farm in action, you have seen how ants burrow around and create intricate and complicated pathways. They are constantly moving the soil. When this much stuff is happening underground, gardening with no digging does sound like an interesting option. Many gardeners find that it works well for their needs. But is no dig gardening a viable method for every garden?
Benefits of the No Dig Approach
Why you might consider this gardening style
No dig gardening does not mean that seeds, tubers, bulbs, and rhizomes no longer need to be planted down in the soil. You will still need to dig into the soil to create space to plant seeds, root balls, etc.
However, the no dig approach means that you can typically plant everything by hand or with a small spade, simply pulling away the soil where you need to plant. The often labor-intensive practice of turning garden soil or re-working garden beds is eliminated with this approach, which does take a lot of work and time out of gardening.
Those who don’t have a lot of time to spend on gardening, or who do not have naturally nutrient-rich soil in the yard, can benefit from using this no till garden method.
Other Benefits of the No Dig Garden
What’s so great about a no dig garden?
Proponents of no dig gardening say that it has far-reaching benefits that impact much more than your own garden. Gardening with no digging may have wider ecological effects.
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Reduce carbon |
Digging in soil releases carbon dioxide into the air. Carbon emissions, even those from soil, have a negative impact on the environment when too much carbon is released into the atmosphere. Digging churns up all the soil and the creatures living in it, releasing carbon into the air. With the no dig, no till garden method, all that carbon stays in the soil so that it can be recycled and processed by plants and creatures living underground. |
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Water conservation |
Leaving the soil undisturbed and enriching it with mulch and organic materials regularly also helps to prevent evaporation in soil. Churning up soil and turning it over exposes it to air, where it will lose moisture. Undisturbed soil will lose less water to evaporation, which means you will need to provide less water to the soil to keep the garden flourishing. |
How to Build a No Dig Garden Bed
Here’s how to get started in your backyard
Digging isn't required, but that does not mean no work is required for this gardening technique. You will need to prepare your beds to get started with this method.
- Clean the area by removing weeds, rocks, invasive vines, or anything else that doesn't belong.
- Mow the area down to soil level and leave the clippings.
- Apply ¼-inch of compost in an even layer.
- Soak pieces of cardboard in water and layer them over the area, creating two layers of cardboard.
- Cover the entire area with a 6-inch layer of compost.
- Let the bed rest for four to six weeks.
Once the bed is prepped and ready, start planting!
No dig gardening makes it possible for people of all physical abilities to grow a variety of different plants and flowers. It requires less work than more traditional methods and it creates a rich environment for all growing things. Many who use the method swear by it.
Try growing a no digging, no till garden this summer, and see if this shovels-free approach to gardening works for you.