[alexroyall85]

Morning all

Have just read an article about no dig vs digging. Very interesting and informative and was wondering if any people had any ideas about it. And if people are using this system and if it has benefited the way people grow.

Looking forward to hearing about it
Regards
Alex

[JayG]

A recent discussion about no dig:
Stop digging, its bad for you! in Grow Your Own - Page 1 of 2

You may have missed it as it has 'dropped off' the first page. 

[DHM]

I like the concept but there's no way I'd be able to source enough compost each year.

[snowdrops]

Yes I’ve gone totally no dig this year & wont go back, so we’ve got a rotovater going spare now which was my father in laws. Plants took off like they had rocket fuel under them, & the crowning glory for me was how few weeds there were & are, freed me up to do lots of other stuff.
The large amount of well rotted mulch can be an issue initially but after the first large addition (6 inches, I think is recommended) it is advised 1-2 inches as a top up. Which if you have a large area is obviously a lot but doable, plus by the time you’ve dug, turned that amount of compost you’ve got any digging aspirations out of your system lol.
You can always start with a small area to start with.
Look up the Berkeley method of hot composting, I’ve done a sort of version of it but haven’t been able to turn it every other day but it’s still gone down very quickly. With that & my 5 compost bins I’ve made approx 5/6 cubic metres of compost since August.

[DHM]

I have 800sqft of planting space plus a 2x3m polytunnel, would anyone know roughly how much compost would be required at the start then ongoing? I have 4 tardis compost bins, 2 small 2 large so I wouldn't expect that to even touch the sides.

[JayG]

I'll try some schoolboy maths!   

Covering your entire 800 sq ft to a depth of just 4 inches (0.333 ft) would require 266 cu ft of compost.

266 cu ft is 7532.28 litres.

Assuming your compost bins are 2 x 330 and 2 x 220 litres, when full they would contain a total of 1100 litres, which is about 15% of your annual requirements.

(I'm thinking 'raised beds!'  )

[Plot 1 Problems]

Rather than wholly switching to no-dig maybe it would be more prudent to convert over several years, section by section, if only to manage the initial organic material demands?

[snowdrops]

A good source of well rotted mulch is manure from stables or farms. Could you buy in a bulk load just once maybe? This year I have been & collected at least 200 large bags of either well rotted horse manure or fresh horse manure that was free, I have had to have help with the transport.The fresh has been used to mix in with garden waste in the compost bins & to construct a compost heap on the ground to the Berkeley method. I do agree it is a lot of work initially

[DHM]

Loving the maths JayG! I have a manure supplier who will come and dump a shedload of manure for 30 quid, but half of my plot will be roots so I won't manure those bits. Going on JayGs superb workings out, to achieve a 4-6 inch manure pile on half of my allotment I would require about 3 loads (which I can't afford) and still would be short of compost for the rest, and that's assuming I fill all 4 compost bins to the top!

Still, I like the concept, it's just the trad way is more practical for me. The work doesnt put me off but being an all or nothing man, the prospect of converting bit by bit doesn't really appeal to me.

A couple of questions to no-diggers;

How do you manage the increasing soil height as the years go by?

Why are raised beds integral to the method?

[snowdrops]

Raised beds are not recommended in the UK, because of slugs that use them to hide by the sides during the day & then come out to gobble the plants at night, the level of soil goes up a bit, well a lot initially but then when the worms get to work they take the mulch down. As for not maturing where the roots go that is only if you dig it in! If it’s no dig & stays on the top the carrots don’t fork.
I have long narrow beds with slabbed paths between, & yes I need to sweep the paths when I’ve been working on a bed or the blackbirds have been rooting around. Had I of known I wouldn’t have put all slabs down as Charles Dowding recommends just covering the soil with cardboard & mulch, & walk on it. Plus you can in theory walk on the soil with your mulch on inbetween rows & it doesn’t compress the soil, but that one I’m finding a bit hard to let go of after years of not standing on the beds. Oh & no dig yearly is no dig, you don’t dig roots out either, sweetcorn for example I just cut down to the ground & left thesoil undisturbed 😱. So we will see, carrots are pulling out easily, though not sure the parsnips will

[Veg Plot 1B]

I have just been reading "Ideas for what to grow through the season" in Charles Dowdings Diary.

He uses an example for a 5 x 16 ft bed = 80 square feet.

Total harvest in one year 94 kg 206.8 lbs

To my mind this give an excellent return and would only need 26 cu ft of compost the first year.

"How do you manage the increasing soil height as the years go by?"

It does not get taller as it degrades into the soil.

"Why are raised beds integral to the method?"

You can archive the same results without raised beds, just raised beds look neater and is easier for beginners like me.

[rowlandwells]

I have to say I haven't adopted the no dig option yet it took me sometime to go with raised beds but I've found they are a much better option in my retirement years  I'm able to manage them better never had a slug problem because I use slug pellets on covered raised beds but would't use slug pellets on open
ground

having said that I'm still commited to doing some trad gardening and use the raised beds for my brassicas carrots sweet corn beetroot celery swede  parsnips some onions  the rest of the veg are back to trad

basiclly   it would be more time consuming and not cost effective for me  to change to the no dig option so each to his own not to dig or dig that is the question