#2. No-Dig Method. The Plot So Far..
Still waiting on confirmation it's mine, but it's looking positive. 🤞 Thinking about going for the no-dig method.
The British allotment. Picture green wellies (long rubber boots), squelchy mud, run-down sheds, and the abandoned plot next to yours where the only thing growing faster than the weeds is the sense of panic as the planting season draws to an end.
But it’s midsummer as I write this and the sun is shining (sometimes), the horses are grazing in the green lush field next door. The polytunnels, netted covers, and staked beds safe-guard well-kept greens, beans, and plump aubergines. All is good in the world.
Except on my plot.
My new plot has been abandoned for some time, but I feel it holds promise. There is a straggly blackberry and raspberry bush and even a few ripe raspberries that I think are being plucked by the neighbours. Which is fine – they can race the bugs for them.
I’ve been looking into no-dig gardening which for those who, like me, are new to the idea, will be a quicker simpler solution to ensuring a nutrient-rich area for growing vegetables next growing season.
Compared to some other empty plots, I think mine is going to require less effort to rid it of grass and weeds. There was another one that will need a bulldozer and a small army to clear. At least this one looks doable. What do you think?
I’ve been told the soil here is very clayey. And the land is on a slope which I guess means I’ll need to level the beds out. I’ve also been told by a helpful family whose young boy and girl were collecting baby snails as pets and naming them, that the neighbour with the horses has told the gardeners to help themselves to his manure (the horses’, not the man’s). So, I’m thinking, my work this season will be to start collecting cardboard boxes, newspapers, straw, and investing in some good compost to let it do its thing over the next several months.
The No-Dig Movement
Is it a movement? Or just an alternative to traditional gardening? For those who aren’t familiar with no-dig gardening, it’s basically what the name suggests - not digging up the soil before planting.
This is what Wikipedia says about it:
No-dig gardening is a non-cultivation method used by some organic gardeners.
This technique recognizes that micro- and macro-biotic organisms constitute a "food web" community in the soil, necessary for the healthy cycling of nutrients and prevention of problematic organisms and diseases. The plants transfer a portion of the carbon energy they produce to the soil, and microbes that benefit from this energy in turn convert available organic substances in the soil to the mineral components the plants need to thrive.
So yeah. I love this idea, and will definitely be starting with it, because it seems a lot more achievable for me to lay down cardboard, straw, and mulch and maybe attempt to plant a few things to see how they get on before winter.
The cardboard stops the weeds from growing and basically starves any plant life of light. It also decomposes quickly and worms love munching on it apparently. It’s soft enough for the roots of the plants you grow to push through any bits that haven’t quite composed by then.
Benefits of a no-dig garden include:
There is minimal damage done to the microbiome that lives in the soil.
It feeds the soil life with the organic material such as cardboard, paper, mulch, straw, compost, woodchips, etc, that break down and add the carbon and nitrogen necessary for a healthy ground.
Fewer pesticides and fertilizers are necessary.
Minimises the amount of carbon being released into the atmosphere.
Keeps weeds to a minimum.
Less time-consuming and back-breaking.
Excellent for clay soils and other soils that may be less than ideal for growing some produce, because it adds the extra nutrients to create a better soil.
You can start any time of the year.
There are a couple of disadvantages to no-dig, such as the amount of compost needed. If you are buying the compost in plastic bags, then the plastic waste is a problem. You also need to top up the level of compost more often as it reduces during the year compared to tilled garden soil. This can get expensive. However, investing money in some good compost will pay you back with healthy plants and it means you can start right away.
Which is what I plan to do. 🥳
Except I still haven’t heard back from the Council woman to confirm it’s mine. 😰
So, I can’t. Bummer. ðŸ˜
I’ll keep you informed. 📢😉