No dig. Answers please!

[submariner]

Because of mobility problems, and loving my garden, I have had a raised bed 18ft long and 8ft wide, between 2ft 6" and 3ft high (ground slopes!) built. Now I have grown lots of diferent veg in there for a couple of years. I grow things close together. Each year, I have a gardner get up and dig the plot. However, reading one of the topics about no dig,is that neccessary? I usually have a bag of dried manure from the garden centre, dug in.What is the proceedure,of no dig, and are there any articles I can get, to help me? Any help would be appreciated.

[David]

Hi,

You could do worse than look through this website

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

I am experimenting with this this year and so far everything is growing well.

Good luck

David

[Carole B.]

Hi Submariner,I wouldn't have thought you needed to have the bed dug each year,just spreading the organic stuff on the top should do the trick with perhaps a top dressing of something like a bucket of pelleted chicken manure. 8ft is quite wide for a raised bed, do you have to get onto the bed for planting,harvesting etc? If you do then the ground may get compacted and need loosening up from time to time.

[submariner]

Thank you both. Carole I work it from both sides, so there are no real problems.

[sprout]

Agree with Carole, have you tried this one?
http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/

You don't need to dig, except to harvest. Hoeing, hand weeding and heavy mulching result in good crops, and I think it's better for the soil structure not to dig - provided you never tread on the soil. Mine are 1.1m wide and 4m long, with paths between.