No Dig Gardens - How to Build One

The no dig garden is exactly what it describes...a fertile garden bed with no digging at all. It involves layering clean, organic materials that will literally compost around your plants as they grow.

The No Dig Garden is built on top of the ground, so you can build a garden anywhere. This makes it extremely attractive for those sites that have poor soil or are weed infested. It's also a great method of gardening for those that can't (or don't want to) dig a garden patch!

The site you choose for your garden must get at least 5 hours of sunlight a day. Drainage will be good because of the materials that will be used in making the garden.

If you are planting over lawn or weeds, mow them to ground level. If you are planting on a hard surface, put down some cushioning organic material first (like seaweed or leaves).

To build your no dig garden start with a layer of newspaper (no colour printing), at least 6mm (1/4 inch) thick. Surround the garden with some sort of border material. This can be bricks, logs, planks or rocks but should be at least 20-25CM high (8-10 inches) to contain the organic material within.

Lay down a layer of lucerne hay leaving no gaps, to a height of 10cm (about 4 inches). Layer some good organic fertilizer on top to a height of 20mm (1 inch). This can be just about any sort of good quality material like chicken, horse, cow or sheep manure.

Add another thick layer of straw to the garden 150mm (6 inches) and another layer of fertilizer and then top it off with a 100mm (4 inches) of compost.

Water the garden until it's soaking and let it settle for a few days before planting.

Seedlings do better than seeds in the no dig garden.

Here's what will happen. The seedlings will get a kick start in the rich, compost top soil. The fertilizer underneath will start the 'composting' of the lucerne hay and straw. The composting will generate heat and biological activity that will really kick along the seedling growth. The roots will further break down the straw and hay and it in turn will become solid enough to support the growing plants.

The newsprint is thick enough to discourage weed growth through the layers, but will deteriorate enough to allow earth worms to chew their way upwards.

Continue to layer mulch, straw and compost as the garden bed matures. Never dig this bed over, just layer more and more material as required. Rotate your crops and add fresh compost regularly.

Your garden bed will deliver consistent, spectacular results season after season.

Judy Williams (http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com) splits her time between being a media executive and an earth mother goddess. No Dig Vegetable Gardens represents a clean, green way to grow your own food. The site covers all aspects of growing, cooking and preserving your harvest.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Landscaping/Gardening Information:

Related Articles


Buying a Lawn Mower
Anyone with a lawn, no matter how small will at some point need to cut the grass, up root any weeds etc. Like most people, I normally manage to do this at weekends.
Plant Hardiness Zones
When selecting plants for the landscape, is important to select plants that will grow in your climate. The United States has 10 of growing or climate zones.
How to Grow Basil
Today there are sprays, scented candles, plug-ins, and even discs that promise to freshen your air by putting a variety of aromas into your home. However, when you know how to grow basil, you can have enough variety of fragrance to package your own potpourri! The most commonly grown basil is the annual, ocimum basilicum that carries a minty fragrance that smells like? well, it smells like sweet basil.
10 Tips for Successful Rose Planting
Planting roses isn't actually complicated, as long as you have some good advice and tips to start with..
Tuberous Begonias
If you appreciate plants that have no hesitation in boldly stating their presence with huge, almost artificially perfect flowers, then tuberous begonias are for you. While some may find them rather too overstated, downright brazen even, if you like colour, and plenty of it, with subtlety an option rather than compulsory, then look no further.
External vs. Submersible Pumps. Which One Should You Use?
For many people, it's never been a question of whether to use asubmersible pump vs. an external pump because most people havesmaller ponds and are used to just using a submersible pump.
How to Find and Work With a Porch Swing Contractor To Install the Porch Swing of Your Dreams
You've found a great Porch Swing and you know exactly where you want to put it, and it's not on the Porch. If you're a Do-it-Yourselfer, no problem.
Koi Pond Aeration
To achieve Koi pond aeration, there are some things you can do. One, you can go to your local hobby store or pet supply store and purchase one of those small air pumps, hook some tubing to it, along with an air diffuser or sometimes called an air stone, and place it in your pond.
Developing the Perfect Landscaping Idea
Using landscaping ideas can be an effective way to attract wildlife, such as birds, to your yard and neighborhood. Thoughtfully placing bird feeders or houses around your yard can make it an inviting environment for different types of bird species.
Fall Garden Chores for Spring Flowering Bulbs
As the school busses begin to rumble down the road again we are reminded that the gardening season is drawing to a close. For the gardener with an eye toward next spring, however, the season still promises plenty to be done in preparation of a showy spring to come.
Seeding Flowers Indoors: An Inexpensive Way to a Beautiful Summer Garden
Every year you plan that THIS will be the year you have pots and pots of lush plants on your balcony or deck. Then you visit your local nursery in the spring and reality hits -- the cost for your fantasy is just outrageous! Sound familiar?But you can have the planters of your dreams at a fraction of the cost and with a choice of varieties far beyond what the local garden center offers.
Roses and Juniper Rock Gardens
Wide circle driveways don't happen much anymore, but when they do, what do you do with them? Clear out the grass, mound up some soil, and park a few boulders in strategic positions and you've got the perfect spot for an artistic rose garden. Plant some dark green Juniper and a few golden-tipped junipers for background color before adding your roses.
Preparing The Garden For Winter
Are you like me? Sad to see the summer end but at the same time relieved that there is one less task to tend to. Weeding, watering, pruning, and more weeding is over for this year and with a few more chores the outdoor gardening year draws to a close.
8 Simple Tips to Keep Your Lawn Mower Running
1. If you have a non-electric mower which runs on petrol or gas have a look in the instruction manual to find out how to check and change the oil.
How to Create a Wildflower Garden
In today's gardens often populated by geraniums, roses, and zinnias, wildflowers can provide a simple and graceful flair. Almost any garden or landscape can be beautified by their presence.
How to Care for Your Outdoor Water Fountains
Garden lovers around the world love putting fountains among their flowers, plants, bushes and shrubs. And with the Christmas season upon us in the U.
A Bit About Bare Root Roses...
Scents from the rose garden filling the air as you walk by..
Making Memories with Flower Gardening
Flower gardening is not only about the present, but can be about the past as well. Although this article is ostensibly about flower gardens, it is really more about carrying memories forward.
How to Decorate your Outdoor Space without Breaking the Bank
Noted English clergyman Sydney Smith (1771-1845) is quoted as saying, "Economy in the estimation of common minds means the absence of all taste and comfort." But finding thrifty ways to decorate your outdoor living space doesn't mean you have to sacrifice either of those things.
The Rich History of Wild Roses
Wild roses, of the genus Rosa, are those naturally occurring natives found in Northern Hemispheres around the globe. Wild Roses can be found in forests, canyons, logged wastelands and thickets.