I have seen Ian discussing the no dig technique. As an organic grower this is of great interest to me

Quote " I have used this 'no dig' technique and although it does seem to work it does not give an easy way out. I would say that it works best on an organic plot where all the 'creepy-crawlies' can get stuck in and do some of the work for you.

In the autumn, annual weeds are hoed off the ground and perennial weeds dug out. Then a thick layer of compost, well rotted manure or other organic matter is put across the surface.

To cover 10 square yards with 2 inches of compost would take a minimum of 15 cubic feet of compost. A standard 10 pole allotment plot would require nearly 17 cubic yards to cover. That's an awful lot of compost!

The mulch over the surface helps to keep the soil warm and this keeps the worms active, drawing the compost down, into the ground aerating it and breaking it up.

In 1967 the HDRA  reported on the theory in some depth and the conclusions thay came to were interesting. Initially soil fertility was higher, giving better crops, but after 7 years there was a crash and fertility plummeted.

Bob Flowerdew, from BBC Radio4’s Gardeners Question Time, claims to have used the No Dig technique quite successfully for many years, without the fertility crash. He contends that the digging required for root crops, especially potatoes, is enough and he finds that no additional digging is required.

In the Harrow area the soil tends to be heavy clay soil with an underlying solid 'yellow' clay. Where the soil is not compacted by traffic (such as walking on) the No Dig Method seems to work - for me at any rate. The ground does get dug as root crops etc. are cultivated.

I am sure that heavy clay, compacted and regularly waterlogged, would be a different story. I would imagine that digging in matter to build up the soil structure would be necessary in this instance.

Whilst the 'No Dig' technique works for me at home, as far as on the allotment goes I cannot realistically make enough compost to cope with the needs of my entire plot. I will continue to dig the most part of my plot each year and take heart from the fact the exercise must be doing me some good!"


I think this is most interesting and will try and incorporate it somewhere - to test out the theory

Thanks Ian