[DHM]

Thanks to all for taking the time to give me your thoughts, really appreciate it.

So go for it, don't go for it and everything inbetween! I've taken a bit of everything on board and come up with the following:

Put my name down for another 5-6 rod plot but only take it if its really close to the current one and in a reasonable state. If one doesn't come up by autumn, I'll rebuild the shed on my current plot to give me something to think about and enjoy summer bbqs among the veg.

If one does come up, go totally no dig, and plant fruit bushes and dwarf trees and loads of flower bulbs/ wildflower area and make it a bit more twisty turny than all straight lines, and give ourselves a full year to bring it up to scratch rather than bust a gut like we did with this one.

If it becomes too much we simply hand it back, not the end of the world...

I'll let you know how it goes, thanks again!

[Fairy Plotmother]

A decision made. Well done! Perhaps you could help me decide on which type of worktop and flooring I should choose for my new kitchen 🙄😂😂😂😂

[snowdrops]

Lovely, I like it when a plan comes together, & I like you’ve opted for no dig, I’m really sure you won’t regret it. And contrary to lots of belief you don’t need 6” of compost all over every year just an inch or 2 if you can manage it after the initial 6 “. Don’t forget to cover with cardboard first if it is grass/weeds digging out perennial like do etc, but apparently bindweed can be eliminated no dig but I’ve not needed to do that

[DHM]

The main culprits on site here are marestail, bindweed, hogweed and couch grass. The old raised beds I removed (about 5 inches of rubbish soil, topping weed suppressing fabric) still had live bindweed roots underneath (in places woven themselves into the fabric and grown through it) so some hefty cardboard action would be required. I have a good manure supplier so I'd be tempted to load that on rather than compost which we can't really afford or make en-masse.

I'd give it a go and if it worked for me think about converting my existing plot also.

Fingers crossed a goid plot comes up!

[New shoot]

If you are planting fruit, which is a long term crop and a nightmare to eradicate bindweed and the like from, I would do some digging.  You can weed spray and cover part, while you work you way through.

I had to move all my fruit off the big piece of my plot because of weeds invading from the neglected plot next door (now not so bad thankfully).  Even with cardboard, deep mulches and the like, it was hopeless and in the end, too much work.   Brambles, bindweed and couch laughed in my face and I ended up having to ditch all my fruit and buy new to keep the new planting area clean.

I prepped the small plot by digging, then planted, then went back to mulches and no-dig, apart from the odd weed removal.  I've been growing in plots for years and am not at all anti trying new ideas, but if it don't work, I ditch it.  That will probably bring comments from some on here, but it was my experience    This was all pre-CD.  No dig is not new and there was very similar advice around about how 'tis done when I tried it