Dig Dig Digging (Awesome Engines)

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This does beg the question ‘if no-dig growing is so good, why does anyone dig over their plot nowadays?’ Annually the soil is dug over to at least one spit deep in the autumn and left in large lumps. In the winter the freezing and thawing action breaks down these lumps into a finer consistency. In the spring this is further broken down with a cultivator and raked to create a fine tilth for seed sowing and planting.

Worms are encouraged by the surface mulch and draw this down into the lower levels opening up the soil and allowing easier water absorption and drainage. Labour saving in that no digging is required although this may be outweighed by the labour making the compost. Over the first winter, I planted grazing rye and winter tares in part of the plot and it grew very well. A few weeks before the bed was needed, I cut it all down and covered it with brown mulch and permeable membrane. The green manure showed no signs of re-growing and everything my wife planted did well – but she still complained that the soil felt ‘hard’ just below the surface (our soil is clay). I know as I sit down to write this that no-dig growing is one of those subjects that people get passionate about on both sides. It’s one of those internet forum topics that can get quite heated, to put it mildly. So, with some trepidation, my thoughts on the merits of the different systems. No-Dig Growing Systems are Not New You can find plastic hand tools. These will be lighter to hold, but may be less effective at digging.If you have any sight loss, you may find a right-angle guide useful. These are homemade guides that you lay on the ground to show the area you are working in. Look for tools with easy-to-hold grips. You can find ergonomic hand tools, either with the handle at a right-angle or with curved handles. You may find these more comfortable. however as I’ve said on numerous occasions I’m not totally convinced about the no dig gardening so I wish to stay neutral although we do raised beds and open cultivation on our allotments Fork over the bottom of the trench. This is where the name 'double digging' comes from, as you dig twice the depth of usual, single digging

Interestingly the ladies who actually conducted the trial and who both held a BSc. (Hort.) commented that they felt additional weeding on the no-dig plot outweighed the labour saving benefit of not digging. A traditional method of digging soil deeply and incorporating well-rotted manure or garden compost, especially on vegetable plots. It can be beneficial when creating new beds or to increase the depth of fertile soil. double digging over other methods of soil cultivation where the soil is compacted, where ground has not been previously cultivated, where demanding long-term plants such as asparagus are planned or when making raised beds. All bare ground is suitable for double digging. The sub-soil is then broken up with a fork before manure or compost is laid in the trench above the forked-open sub-soil. This will percolate down into the sub-soil, encouraging worms and micro-flora to convert the sub-soil into top soil. The removed top soil is then replaced above it to dig the next trench.If you garden sitting down or in a wheelchair, use a long-handled trowel or cultivating tool to dig at ground level. For breaking new ground to grow vegetables, I would suggest that the proven digging system is generally best employed if possible but a lot depends on the initial condition of the land. In this country Frederic Charles King (F C King) started experimenting with no-dig growing in the 1920s and published a pamphlet called Is Digging Necessary drawing heavily on Sir Albert Howard’s Indore composting system. This was published in 1946 and predated his later booklet The Compost Gardener Dave Matthews Band is a popular choice for songs about digging. This song is from the album Busted Stuff which was released in 2002.