| You can create a garden anywhere when you | | | | of about 10cm. Put a layer of organic fertilizer on |
| choose to do no dig gardening. No dig gardening is | | | | top of that at a height of about 20 mm. Add a |
| exactly what it implies, gardening without digging. | | | | level of thick loose straw on top of that to 20cm, |
| In a no dig garden, you basically add a layer of | | | | another layer of fertilizer, and finish your no dig |
| organic matter above the soil and plant your | | | | garden with 10 cm of compost. |
| garden. The garden is the compost that feeds the | | | | Your no dig garden will be richer if you plant |
| plants. People usually refer to no dig gardening as | | | | seedlings instead of seeds. Seeds have a |
| raised bed gardening. No dig gardens are becoming | | | | tendency to disappear in the mix. Seedlings are |
| increasingly popular. | | | | easier to keep track of and you can plant |
| If you live where the soil might not be conducive | | | | seedlings well in the rich mixture. Try peas, beans, |
| to whatever it is you would like to grow, (the | | | | lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, or |
| most common choice is a vegetable garden) or | | | | sweet corn. Wait before you start planting root |
| you want to grow a garden on top of clay or a | | | | crops until you have a more mature garden. |
| stony area, no dig gardening can be your answer. | | | | Besides, you'll have to dig to remove those. |
| Anything grows in compost. | | | | There are no size or shape restrictions in raised |
| Just like regular gardening, you must choose a site | | | | bed gardening. Make your garden as large or as |
| first. The spot should be level and have no less | | | | little as you want. Try to avoid walking on it or in |
| than five hours of sun daily. Don't worry if the soil | | | | it, as this will compact the layers and impact your |
| is not good or the weeds are invasive, as this is | | | | harvest. Keep building your garden up because it |
| of little consequence to a raised bed garden. | | | | will tend to settle down. Practice crop rotation |
| Starting a garden on top of lawn or weeds will | | | | when you re-plant, continue to add compost and |
| simply create more compost material in time, as | | | | be sure to mulch around replacement plants. |
| long as you do not expose the vegetation to | | | | Keep in mind that no digging means your garden |
| sunlight. This is part of the joy of no dig | | | | is easier to make, but you will have to work at |
| gardening. | | | | maintaining it if you want a nice yield for your |
| You will most likely want to outline your garden | | | | efforts. Always organic materials in your garden. |
| space by creating a border around it. For this, you | | | | Never use chemical or man-made fertilizers or |
| can use old bricks, logs, stones, etc. The raised | | | | pesticides. No dig gardening mirrors nature's way |
| borders hold the garden inside so it doesn't stray | | | | of growing, so staying organic is of the utmost |
| and nothing or no one can encroach. Next, lay | | | | importance to the philosophy of no dig gardening. |
| down a layer of lucerne hay (alfalfa) to a height | | | | |