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A no dig garden lets you create a vegetable garden any where Custom Search A no dig garden may be the urban or city gardeners answer to an all too common complaint “Where can we grow some food, dear?” With this increased interest in growing your own produce, this can be a major problem to families who do not know where or how to start a garden. The no dig garden technique will allow you to create an organic vegetable garden in one day virtually anyplace that is level and receives at least 5 to 8 hours of sunlight daily. And yes, I said anyplace, even on your driveway or on a paved patio.
Step 2. This step is not absolutely necessary, but it is a good idea to create a border of planks, concrete blocks, bricks, paving stones and the like and make it 8 to 10 inches tall.Try to make your raised bed about 4 feet wide so that you can access it from both sides.
Step 3 If your bed is on a hard surface, a pad is required. Lie sheets of newspaper, overlapping so everything is covered, to a thickness of about one quarter inch, and soak thoroughly. Corrugated cardboard or old carpet can also be used. If you Dempsey dive for the card board, do not use the brightly printed shiny cardboard as it will not decompose. This layer helps to discourage most weed growth and gives earthworms a place to call home. Spread bone meal and some blood meal over this layer.Step 4 Next spread 4 inches of alfalfa (Lucerne) leaving no gaps. Do not skimp on these materials as they will compact down. Spread about 1 to 2 inches of quality manure such as horse, cow sheep or mushroom soil, and then add 8 inches of clean hay. These materials will compress when you water it down. Step 4 Finally add 3 to 4 inches of compost or compost mixed with topsoil. Step 4 Start to plant your seedlings.
Other things to note:This method is really the same as raised bed gardening and has all the same advantages. Plant vegetable seedlings rather than individual seeds, the tiny shoots will tend to get lost in all that hay and straw. Plant intensively in groups, rather than planting in rows, so that the crops can be harvested and rotated to take advantage of the growing seasons. Almost any vegetable will thrive in a no dig garden, but buy the shorter species of carrots unless you have a mega deep bed. Root crops should wait at least one season until the beds have matured. Never, never, never walk on your beds because it will over-compress the layers of organic materials and reduce the water retaining ability of the bed. Mulch regularly to maintain the health of your no dig garden. Mulching regulates the soil temperature and moisture content and prevents weed seeds from sprouting
Companion planting
which is implemented as a means of pest deterrence works extremely well in this style of garden.
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