[Aidy]

And your soil according to Mr Wong.
I was sent this link, makes interesting reading and supports the no dig method but logistically I dont think I could achieve the no dig on my plot! I reckon within two to three years I would have a forrest of marestail as has been witnessed on a couple who have tried it and gone back to digging.
Any way for those who would like a read here it is..
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/oct/21/stop-digging-it-is-bad-for-your-soil-and-you-james-wong

[snowdrops]

My allotment was snide with mares tail when I took it on, I gave up trying to dig it out a few years & just pull it up when I see it. I’ve gone totally no dig this year & found it pulls out so much better, plus lesss weeding all together,also  I’ve got more time to look out for any of the few weeds that appear,hoeing the whole plot now happens at least once a week & plants are like rocket fuelled. It just makes perfect sense to me.
How about trying a bed for a couple of years & see how it goes?

[mumofstig]

It'll just start the dig no dig argument debate again on here.
It depends on your soil and what manure/compost you can actually get without spending a lot of money.

I'll just say, as I always do, that for me, my back and my bank balance - moving enough compost to put a nice layer on the beds (10cm suggested here p.a.) is much harder on my back than the gentle forking over that I do at present and would cost much more, as there's no free manure available around here
I've always added as much compost as I can, so I'm not disputing the worth of doing so.

Anyone who wants to try 'no-dig' really should visit Charles Dowding's website

[Aidy]

Problem is Snowdrops I am stuck in my ways and prefer one large plot rather than raised beds, having said that I do have a seperate bean bed so might try it in that and as me beans grow to the outer atmosphere mares wouldnt really affect them 
We are lucky Mum, we have lots of donkeys here in the tropics so we get a lot of their waste products 

[Enfield Glen]

Call me weird but I like digging.

If you have larger beds I can't see how you can not dig without compressing the soil where you walk on it to harvest and weed.

[Tenhens]

Call me weird but I like digging.

The same here.

I find digging very therapeutic ,  some are in favour , some are not. 

[snowdrops]

It'll just start the dig no dig argument debate again on here.
It depends on your soil and what manure/compost you can actually get without spending a lot of money.

I'll just say, as I always do, that for me, my back and my bank balance - moving enough compost to put a nice layer on the beds (10cm suggested here p.a.) is much harder on my back than the gentle forking over that I do at present and would cost much more, as there's no free manure available around here
I've always added as much compost as I can, so I'm not disputing the worth of doing so.

Anyone who wants to try 'no-dig' really should visit Charles Dowding's website

I’m lucky I can get free manure & the transport issue isn’t insurmountable, but I think the thing that most people miss is that your plants are noticeably better.

[snowdrops]

Call me weird but I like digging.

If you have larger beds I can't see how you can not dig without compressing the soil where you walk on it to harvest and weed.

There is still plenty of digging in no dig 😂 just not the soil, making compost & shovelling manure certainly feels like digging to me & is quite enough physical exercise to give me a thorough workout.
I honestly can’t see me going back although to be fair I didn’t dig the plot in the traditional way reall. Hubby did rotovate it for me but more because he wanted to than me requesting it.
But now that I’ve learnt that it is better for the soil,organisms,worms,creatures I struggle with why one wouldn’t. But each to their own

[Dev]

Interesting posts. I'm a Charles Dowding fan and have been no dig for a couple of years now. My paths are permanent and covered by wood chip and most of the raised beds are not bordered by scaffolding boards although the three that are are gradually rotting. I see the pro's as no digging (bad back), less weeds (although some are blown in from neighbouring plots who are not no dig), no rotavating, what weeds there are come up easily ( even bindweed - no Mares Tail thank the Lord) less slug damage although I wonder about the rotting boards and the ability to slot in module raised plants all over the place (I'm gardening for two, although there's one or two down the pub who benefit as well). The cons? Compost - I try to produce as much as I can (if you see what I mean) but still need to buy in from CPA - £115 this year. After the first year you only need a 1 inch covering, and you can walk on it when necessary. I still haven't got my head round spuds on no dig though! At the end of the day allotmenteers will do what they like - that's why they've got allotments!

[rowlandwells]

there is certainly many  gardeners turning to the no dig method although I signed up to the Charles Dowding web site and I have to say it makes interesting reading the no dig  seems to work with very good results for some gardeners we had an interesting talk the other night by a speaker  who is committed to the no dig method I was most impressed


I haven't actually got round to the no dig method yet I suppose I'm stuck in my old ways of gardening and because I plough most of my allotments and cultivate them with my trusty old ferguson tractor that's good for my back 

and with adding plenty of horse manure to the ground I can't see me changing my old ways of gardening but then again everyone to the own who am I to change your opinions on this topic

[Mr Rotavator]

I'm trying to do no dig as much as possible to save time at the plot as my time is limited because of young children. I love allotmenteering so I will not give it up, but I cannot have a plot that is dug top to bottom like the retired folk on my site. I plan on mulching and collecting material for composting over the winter. In the next few months I will need to collect compostable material for this year's mulch and next year's compost. I have three large bins made of pallets and chain fencing for this initial composting stage.

Today I mulched a 5 x 1.2 meter bed for garlic with home made compost and some well rotted horse manure I sourced from Facebook. I have three more darlek bins to empty on my other beds (one per bed) and my horse manure source is not going to run out in the near future.  I will get a photo of the pile the next time I go as it is quite a sight.

To also cut down on weeding time I am thinking of growing: shallots, leeks, onions, squashes and some other  veg through weed membrane. I picked up a roll of polythene from a car boot a few years back as this is a an environmental concern to buy new and it's been sitting in my shed for 5+ years now.

Well that's the grand plan. However, life will get in the way and I'll be rushing around furiously to catch up in the spring to get stuff in the ground.

[Aunt Sally]

Aid,  have a peep at an article I wrote quite a while ago about Mare's tail.  It might br helpful.

Mare's (Horse's) Tail Treatment in Growing FAQs and other Information - Page 1 of 1

[DHM]

Landscaping and clearing a new plot this summer, the digging has been one of the the least physical tasks; carrying pallets and paving slabs miles on foot, sawing wood and moving metal benches has felt like more backbreaking to be honest! I don't mind a bit of digging, it's not really much of an effort the way I do it. None of my lower back issues have been affected and I've lost a bit of weight too so I'm quite happy having a little dig.

[mumofstig]

To also cut down on weeding time I am thinking of growing: shallots, leeks, onions, squashes and some other  veg through weed membrane. I picked up a roll of polythene from a car boot a few years back as this is a an environmental concern to buy new and it's been sitting in my shed for 5+ years now.

I hope this is weed control fabric and not just sheet polythene? Weed control fabric lets rain water through to the soil and roots - sheet polythene doesn't.

[Aidy]

Aid,  have a peep at an article I wrote quite a while ago about Mare's tail.  It might br helpful.

Mare's (Horse's) Tail Treatment in Growing FAQs and other Information - Page 1 of 1

been following and repeating the "never let it see a sunday" for a good many years, as you know this stuff has been around since the dino's, it laughs at us and often sticks one finger up as well 
I have a bed which I use for squash as part of the rotation, all summer I can dig when it pops up and keep removing the roots, by the end I think, yep, thats pretty clear now and then following year all its relatives from around the world move in and its like a forrest again