Creating a bed without digging: the no-dig method

In order to create a bed, does soil have to be poked and growth picked up? There is another way. With the so-called no-dig beds, digging work is completely unnecessary.

No-dig beds are comparable to raised beds and hill beds, but are laid out flat on the ground. They offer many advantages, above all the labor savings when setting up. We will inform you about the no-dig method and give you step-by-step instructions for creating a fertile bed in your garden.

What is a no-dig bed?

The term No-dig-Beet includes the English words “no” for “not” and “dig” for “digging up”. Literally translated it means something like “not to dig up a bed”. The idea behind this is that beds can be created without digging up the ground. This allows the natural structure of the garden soil to be preserved. A no-dig bed is filled up with new material every year and keeps collapsing as the components are gradually converted by microorganisms. Here nutrients are released and fertile humus is created. In the course of composting, heat is also generated, which supports the growth of the plants in the no-dig bed and can thus increase the yield. This means that the no-dig bed is next to the raised bed and the hill bed, but, unlike these, does not have to be set up again every 6 to 7 years, but is simply kept on.

What are the advantages of creating a bed without digging it up?

The planting of the bed according to the no-dig method offers many advantages, but also a few disadvantages. We have summarized the most important ones for you below.

Advantages of the no-dig method:

• Preservation and promotion of soil life.
• Very good water storage capacity after several years of operation.
• Less physically demanding work.
• Efficient weed suppression.
• Higher soil fertility thanks to the build-up of humus.
• Yield increase through good heating of the bed due to biological activity.
• Long-term operation: no new installation necessary, as is the case with raised beds and hill beds.
• Particularly suitable for demanding, heavily consuming plants.

Disadvantages of no-dig beds:

• Unsuitable for root vegetables at first.
• Large amounts of compost are required for the new plant and for annual replenishment.
• Compared to raised beds and raised beds, less ergonomic working height and less warming and poorer protection against dehydration.
• Depending on how good the soil quality is under the no-dig bed, the yields can be low in the first few years.
• Voles often feel particularly comfortable in no-dig beds, as they can easily create tunnels here.

Note: The origins of the no-dig method are not entirely clear. It has been around since the middle of the 20th Researched and applied in the 19th century - on different continents at the same time. A great friend and supporter of the method is the Englishman Charles Dowding, who also publishes several years of experiments with various bedding methods on his website.

Instructions: Create a bed without digging

Do you want to create a bed that does not require digging? A few steps are necessary for this, but the effort is worth it. There are different ways to create a no-dig bed. We present the well-known layering method, the result of which is also known as a lasagne bed.
Autumn or spring are suitable for creating a bed without digging. In spring, it is best to start planting in February so that the bed still has some time to settle. And this is how it works:

1. Find a suitable place for your bed. Where this could be, of course, depends on the planned planting.
   tip: Because of their good warming, no-dig beds are particularly suitable for growing vegetables or for demanding summer flowers and, depending on their needs, are usually in the sun.
2. Mow the area on which the bed will stand.
3. Optionally, the future area can be bordered with bed edges. This prevents weeds from growing into the later bed and makes it easier to pile up.
4. Cover the area with several layers of newspaper or a layer of thin cardboard. This suppresses the growth of grasses and wild herbs by shielding them from vital sunlight. Moisten this layer well. The paper will rot over time.
   Attention: Do not use glossy printed materials as their colors contain heavy metals that shouldn't get into the ground.
5. Now a layer of “green material” follows. This means soft, nutrient-rich organic material, such as grass clippings, vegetables and Fruit waste, flowers, animal manure, coffee grounds, tea bags, weed remains (without roots or seeds) or old ones Balcony flowers. This nutrient-rich layer should be about 10 cm thick.
6. A layer about 5 cm thick is then made ripe compost given. Under no circumstances should you use fresh compost, as it would be far too nutritious.
7. There is a layer of "brown material" on top. This means hard, lignified, carbon-rich material. These include: leaves, twigs, straw, dry cuttings, hedge cuttings, bark and bark mulch, wood chips or paper. This layer is also around 10 cm high.
8. The sequence of layers of compost, green and brown material can be repeated as often as required until the desired height of the bed has been reached.
9. Finally, add a layer of compost-rich potting soil, such as ours Plantura organic compost, on the no-dig bed. This contains a lot of compost and is ideal for no-dig beds due to its high nutrient content. The plants are sown in this top layer.

Maintain no-dig bed

With the right care, the no-dig bed delivers good yields. You should take the following measures.

• Weed: The no-dig bed is often described as having fewer weeds, as the plants under the bed are suppressed by the cardboard cover when it is created. Of course, weeds can always grow into the bed from the sides and establish themselves there. Weed seeds are also carried onto the area. Therefore occasional weeding is part of the care of the no-dig bed.
• Water: In the first few years in particular, the no-dig bed often still needs a lot of water, as the thick, water-storing humus layer is only just beginning to form. You should therefore water the bed occasionally if you have found out with a finger test that it is very dry or if the plants are limp.
• Chop: The no-dig bed is only chopped about 3 cm deep so as not to disturb the life of the soil. It is better to spread a protective layer of mulch around the plants and occasionally pull weeds out of the ground by hand.

• Keep snails and voles away: Both snails and voles feel at home in no-dig beds, because here they find a warm spot and a rich supply of food. As Fighting snails can and, among other things, our Plantura organic slug pellets can be found in the associated special article. And of course you will also find valuable tips on dealing with in our magazine Voles in the garden.
• Stacking: Every year in February before planting and sowing, the no-dig bed is supplemented with at least one layer of green, nitrogen-rich and one layer of brown, carbon-rich material. A nutrient-rich compost, like our peat-free, serves as the top layer Plantura organic compost.
• Cover: In winter, the no-dig bed can be covered with mulch, paper or cardboard to isolate it from frost and prevent nutrients from being washed out. In addition, the growth of seed weeds in spring is suppressed.

Mulching is not only useful in no-dig beds, it also fulfills many functions in sustainable gardening. We'll show you Function, advantages and the procedure for mulching.