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No dig or not no dig?

• Message 1. 

  Posted by elderberry (U13512571) on Thursday, 28th October 2010

  Who her advocates 'no dig', and why? Has anyone tried it, and found it didn't work for them?

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by pjgolf (U2469936) on Thursday, 28th October 2010

  I have tried the no dig on a potato crop a couple of years ago. I mounded as much organic matter as I could get and planted the pots through some plastic. It worked well but was harder work than digging IMHO.
  
  A good explanation here !
  
  
  
  PJ
  
  

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• Message 3

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  Posted by the2 jays (U14383723) on Thursday, 28th October 2010

  Is this a new plot? We got our allotment 2 years ago & OH double dug trenched & manured the whole plot, well half plot. In March this year we had a load of well rotted manure & put a layer on top of each bed. In April our daughter was allocated a half plot on a different site & OH did exactly the same on her plot. She had some manure left over so we put a thick layer on each of her beds but the manure was so old that it was more like compost so she will plant her alliums through it.
  Have you read Charles Dowding's book on no dig. It's a very good book & explains it very well. Have a look on his web site too.

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• Message 4

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  Posted by TopVeg (U7524957) on Friday, 29th October 2010

  We have arranged our beds so that we can usually work them from the side, and not tread on them. If we do have to go on the bed we tread on a board to spread our weight. So the soil does not get compacted and we do not dig each year. We normally dig the potato and carrot plot

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• Message 5

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  Posted by richardbees (U3432591) on Friday, 29th October 2010

  Yes, I also try not to dig by avoiding treading on the soil after harvesting whatever crop was on it. Also 'spot' weed from the edges and I'm continually surprised by how much 'worm action' lifts the soil over the winter.

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• Message 6

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  Posted by TopVeg (U7524957) on Friday, 29th October 2010

  Yes Richardbees - we are the same. Have a photo of picking runner beans on a board
  

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• Message 7

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  Posted by Carole (U14408231) on Sunday, 31st October 2010

  Hi
  
  We have tried both methods. In my back garden I use the no dig policy and it works. The only time I dig is when I put in bulbs or plants. The rest of the time we just mulch with compost.
  
  However, at our allotments the gound is heavy clay and although we have been working the soil for many years, it is still necessary to dig most in the winter. There are areas however, that we manage to just spread horse manure and let the worms do the rest.
  
  Good digging, or not,
  
  Carole

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• Message 8

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  Posted by ageing_hippie (U6742113) on Wednesday, 3rd November 2010

  No digging - it sounds so attractive and idyllic, but whether you can do it successfully seems to depend very much on your individual circumstances. Bob Flowerdew is a successful non-digger. He reports that his garden hasn't been dug for decades, but he has very light sandy soil. Heavier soils are more prone to compaction, even in permanent beds that are never walked on. Some deep rooted weeds such as equisetum are hard to control without an occasional dig. Also it can be difficult to obtain sufficient mulching material for a large area.
  
  My soil is silt loam over clay. I've tried no-dig potatoes but I had lower yields for about the same workload. My only beds that I never dig are the asparagus beds, but they are still high maintenance. The rest of my beds get various degrees of digging every few years, despite my bad back.
  
  
  
  

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• Message 9

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  Posted by Braidman (U11753668) on Wednesday, 3rd November 2010

  Hi;
  
  If you believe in "Fads" good enough!
  
  For "no dig" method, first you would need mountains of organic matter to cover the ground and lots of veggies do not prosper in freshley manured ground, namely carrots and parsnips!
  
  Then you will have to dig out potatoes to about a spade and a half depth, I have just dug out some parsnips, two spades depth I had to go to avoid damaging the roots!
  
  This defeats the object of "no dig"!
  
  Cabbage and caulies would do for a no dig sitiuation, as they need compacted soil, otherwise they fail to form proper hearts!
  
  Hope this helps!
  
  .
  
  

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