Developing the market garden and creating "no dig" permanent beds

After contemplating the lay out of the site for some time, today we finally staked out an area of the field for the "no-dig" vegetable beds. Although we are taking gradual baby steps, the market garden is finally starting to take shape.

Today, with a little bit of help from the kids and Pepper, I started the process of creating the first no dig permanent beds. The aim is to develop these incrementally over the next 3 years, so the market garden is established at a slow and manageable pace. The first stage was to mark out a vegetable bed area of 20m x 40m using a 50m tape measure and wooden pegs. The target this year is to cultivate a quarter of this area, with a view to cultivating the remainder as well as adding the polytunnel in year 2. Once this is successfully established, I will then look to double the total production area in year 3, meaning an area of around 1 acre will eventually be farmed, to include polytunnels and infrastructure. I have chosen a relatively flat, south facing plateau of land at the top of the slope as the location for the first beds, polytunnel and packing shed. Being immediately adjacent to the woodland to the north, this area also benefits by being shielded from north winds. The polytunnel runs east to west, so will receive maximum sun, and the packing shed is positioned in a practical location in between the beds and polytunnel to minimise the transport of produce. The compost bins and tool shed are also within this area for ease of access, and mains water and electricity can eventually be extended from the house which is also a relatively short distance away. Finally, an access track from the road will run up the shallowest part of the slope, passing the shed and compost heap before reaching the flat plateau and terminating at the packing shed and polytunnel, meaning all elements of the infrastructure are potentially accessible by a 4x4. The picture below crudely attempts to illustrate the first phase of this layout.

To establish the vegetable beds, I am going to adopt the “no-dig” approach, and the aim today was to lay down two 5m x 20m sheets of thick black polythene in order to smother the grass.

So, what is no-dig?

I must admit that when I first came across the idea of no dig gardening, I was very skeptical. My immediate assumption was that it was a fad dreamed up by lazy gardeners and had no credibility as a serious long-term farming technique. I then stumbled upon a you tube video by Charles Dowding (see below), one of the UKs leading commentators on the subject, and my attention was grabbed. From here I bought his book and researched various other examples of “no dig”, or “no till” cultivation strategies, many from contemporary market gardeners, such as Richard Perkins of Ridgedale Farm in Sweden (see below). As I understood more about no dig, I could see the correlations with the principles of permaculture and the notion of soil preservation and working with natural order. Essentially, the no-dig approach is gardening or agricultural farming that does not involve tilling the soil - in fact the aim is for absolute minimal disturbance. Generally, the ground is initially intensively mulched with a thick layer of compost, or a layer of light omitting material, such as tarpaulin, and this serves to kill the weeds and grasses underneath leaving the soil free to plant after a further application of compost. The soil is then “fed” from above by periodic applications of compost or manures, in order to maintain a healthy structure, in a similar way nature replenishes soil in a woodland ecosystem. The process of aeration and the incorporation of the mulch is left to earthworms and other soil organisms who essentially take on the role of the tillers. This is where the philosophy of no dig gets more interesting and coherent, as it mimics the wider processes of natural soil ecosystems, that have evolved over millions of years to build complex symbiotic relationships with plants. Although to the naked eye, soil appears to be a layer of boring compacted dirt, it is an extraordinarily complex, dynamic and interactive system. For instance, Mycorrhizal fungi form vast delicate webs of secondary roots, that support plant growth through reciprocal root relationships, whilst microscopic bacteria help bind the soil and create vital structure in which earthworms and nematodes continue to turn, aerate and condition the soil. The fact is that repeated digging interferes with, or even destroys these finely tuned structures and ultimately creates a soil desert. In fact, Mycorrhizal fungi is sold to gardeners as a soil supplement, and its use is advised on regularly tilled soil for this very reason. No dig gardeners argue that by leaving this soil structure alone, and only feeding the soil from above results in a much healthier soil, less weed growth and more disease resistance. Although a new concept to me, its already been an exciting educational journey into alternative farming techniques and i can't wait to get started.

Charles Dowding

Richard Perkins