[DD.]

I don't dig, don't rotovate either.  My soil is clay but it's fine for not being knocked about 

I do make an awful lot of compost but I think every grower should do so irrespective of whether they dig or not 

I make as much as I possibly can.

I have 14 "Daleks" in total, but it still only covers a very small fraction of two full size plots and the home garden. There is absolutely no way I could ever cover my plots in compost.

[JayG]

On sandy soil like mine you don't dig, you sieve it through the prongs of the fork! 

Digging is confined to lightly turning in compost using a border fork to improve structure and moisture retention, and even that has to be done not too far in advance of planting as it's easily leached away along with any nutrients.

[New shoot]

The diversity of replies just shows everyone's soil is different and there are a wealth of tactics at your disposal to get your veg grown 

I do a fair bit of digging as my soil is heavy.  I have also tried old fashioned methods like trench composting - effectively a giant bean trench you dig and cover row by row.  Squash and courgettes love this as well as beans   
I use surface mulches as well, but even with a fairly extensive compost bin empire, there is no way I could make enough for the whole plot either.

Clay loves organic matter, so however I get it in there, its all good   

[LilacSandy]

I have heavy loam, not too much clay thank goodness so I think I am very lucky.  I compost everything I can, even get my dad to give me all his peelings etc.  I have 3/4 of my two plots when I dig and I have 5 large raised beds at the top of the lotty where I am going to use the no dig method.  I have spent hours digging and preparing the soil at the bottom of the beds and I am now nearly finished filling the last one with my home made compost.

Last year I put my squashes into one of the beds where the compost was still rotting down.  I scraped out a hole and put in an established plant, I had some good results.  This year I will be filling one with carrots as I have mixed results in the dug beds and this should give them a really good root run.

[Mad4fev]

Im thinking of trying a few no dig beds this year don't think I will have chance to dig the whole 10*15 meter plot in time for sowing.

I was tryin to think of a lazy method for growing spuds I've allocated them 1/4 or the plot this year. The plot currently looks like a lawn with a few plantains growing. I don't really want to buy loads of weed matting.

Hi, been 'stalking' this site for a while and finally decided to join.

Anyway here's a method for lazy beds - used it myself last year converting a (very poor) lawn into a veg patch (pots and brassicas - both did well, am still harvesting kale, cabbage and sprouts) http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/diary/tech/lazybed.htm

[shokkyy]

Im thinking of trying a few no dig beds this year don't think I will have chance to dig the whole 10*15 meter plot in time for sowing.

I was tryin to think of a lazy method for growing spuds I've allocated them 1/4 or the plot this year. The plot currently looks like a lawn with a few plantains growing. I don't really want to buy loads of weed matting.

You could always put them in polypots on top of the soil, depends how many you're doing. They seem to like that method on the JBA website and I'm going to use it for my earlies this year.

[mumofstig]

Hi, been 'stalking' this site for a while and finally decided to join.

Anyway here's a method for lazy beds - used it myself last year converting a (very poor) lawn into a veg patch (pots and brassicas - both did well, am still harvesting kale, cabbage and sprouts) http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/diary/tech/lazybed.htm

Not exactly no dig, though, is it? 

[Mad4fev]

Hi, been 'stalking' this site for a while and finally decided to join.

Anyway here's a method for lazy beds - used it myself last year converting a (very poor) lawn into a veg patch (pots and brassicas - both did well, am still harvesting kale, cabbage and sprouts) http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/diary/tech/lazybed.htm

Not exactly no dig, though, is it?  

Turning a few turfs over? Hardly digging is it and the poster wanted an easy/quick way to grow spuds.

Probably less effort than spreading 6" of 'muck' over the 'pasture' to kill off weeds if you really want to not touch a spade - and certainly considerably cheaper if you haven't loads of homemade compost/manure to hand. Took me less than an hour to plant up a 4m x 2.4m bed. A weekly weeding and essentially weed free by the end of the year.

Anyway don't think I'll  bother coming back again

[compostqueen]

Here we go again. 

Who said anything about covering the plot in compost?  I use my home made compost the same as you do I suspect, when planting, and making a new bed or refreshing a planting area

I see what's happening here, as it always does, that the diggers take the moral high ground and us non-diggers get portrayed as nutters and the nit picking begins.

I'll be off I need to finish knitting my courgette sandals 

[New shoot]

I don't dig my raised beds at home so I certainly don't think no-diggers are nutters.  It just doesn't work so well for me on the plot 

If it 'aint broke, don't fix it, so if you get good crops by digging, not digging. lasagne beds, lazy beds or any other cultivation method, go for it 

I am, however, intrigued by the courgette sandals.  Crafty method to lure slugs and snails to the beer traps   

[Christine]

The only rule is to keep it well cultivated so that the committee doing the inspection doesn't send you "the letter" is the rule us up here who aren't on committee use.  (well we don't mind a letter with a tenner in but the committee doesn't do that  )

[Yorkie]

I find it quite offensive to be accused of taking the high ground and calling others nutters. 

[angelavdavis]

Charles Dowding is an advocate for no dig cultivation:

http://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/node/67

He recommends the following approach for no dig potato growing:

"There is no specific method, it depends on your resources. I make a small hole with my trowel so tubers are just buried, then pull a little surface soil up to make a small hill, and cover that with three to four inches of compost or manure, which carries on enriching the soil after potato harvest, which is by just pulling up the main stems." 

http://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/content/potatoes-planting

On a personal level, I can't dig as I have a back injury.  Half an hour's digging means me laid up for at least two days.  I am constantly trying different methods to produce crops and, whilst I am a little envious of people fit enough to dig their plots - I have found good results from my predominantly no dig approach and find it works for me - each to their own!

By the way, love the idea of the courgette sandals!!!

[allotmentann]

  Courgette sandals, you didn't share those with us when we all had a glut! 

[pdblake]

I have heavy clay at home which gets given a good autumn dig over with whatever manure/compost I have to hand.

The raised beds are usually just mulched, again with whatever there is to hand.

Up at the allotment the soil is more of a clay-loam and just needs turning over. Whatever isn't planted up gets sown with green manure and this turned in when ready (like now, after a fortnight of snow has mushed it all up for me, as soon as it dries up enough )

So I kind of do both, and a bit in between.