No-dig gardening

No-dig gardening is a non-cultivation method used by some organic gardeners. Masanobu Fukuoka started his pioneering research work in this domain in 1938, and the Fukuokan philosophy of "Do Nothing Farming" is now acknowledged by some as the tap root of the Permaculture movement^[1]. No-dig gardening was also promoted by Australian Esther Dean, and American Ruth Stout advocated a "permanent" garden mulching technique in Gardening Without Work.^[2]

This technique recognizes that micro- and macro-biotic organisms constitute a "food web" community in the soil, necessary for the healthy cycling of nutrients and prevention of problematic organisms and diseases^[3]. The plants transfer a portion of the carbon energy they produce to the soil, and microbes that benefit from this energy in turn convert available organic substances in the soil to the mineral elements the plants need to thrive.^[4]

History

Historically the reasons for tilling the soil are to remove weeds, loosen and aerate the soil, and incorporate organic matter such as compost or manure into lower soil layers. In areas with thin soil and high erosion there is a strong case against digging, which argues that in the long term it can be detrimental to the food web in the fragile topsoil. While digging is an effective way of removing perennial weed roots, it also often causes seeds that can remain dormant for many decades to come to the surface and germinate. Digging can also damage soil structure, causing compaction, and unbalance symbiotic and mutualist interactions among soil life. Digging tends to displace nutrients, shifting surface organic material deeper, where there is less oxygen to support the decomposition to plant-available nutrients, which then need to be otherwise replenished. Digging is practiced traditionally in countries with old, deep, rich soils such as Western Europe, however traditionally there, this is followed by periodic resting of the soil, usually with an undisturbed cover crop.

Methods

No-dig methods allow nature to carry out cultivation operations. Organic matter such as well rotted manure, compost, leaf mold, spent mushroom compost, old straw, etc, is added directly to the soil surface as a mulch at least 5-15 centimeters (2-6 in) deep, which is then incorporated by the actions of worms, insects and microbes. Worms and other soil life also assist in building up the soil's structure, their tunnels providing aeration and drainage, and their excretions bind together soil crumbs. This natural biosphere maintains healthy conditions in the upper soil horizons where annual plant roots thrive. No-dig systems are said to be freer of pests and disease, possibly due to a more balanced soil population being allowed to build up in this undisturbed environment, and by encouraging the buildup of beneficial rather than harmful soil fungi. Moisture is also retained more efficiently under mulch than on the surface of bare earth, allowing slower percolation and less leaching of nutrients.^[5]

Another no-dig method is sheet mulching wherein a garden area is covered with wetted paper or cardboard, compost and topped off with landscape mulch.

A no-dig system is easier than digging.^[6] It is a long term process, and is reliant upon having plentiful organic matter to provide mulch material. It is also helpful to remove any perennial weed roots from the area beforehand, although their hold can be weakened by applying a light-excluding surface layer such as large sheets of cardboard or several thicknesses of spread out newspaper before adding the compost mulch. The newspaper or cardboard should be thoroughly wet as well. A popular book, Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanza (Rodale Press, Inc.) provides excellent instructions for the novice user.

Esther Dean, an Australian gardener and author, is notable pioneer of no dig gardening. Dean wrote the books No-Dig Gardening and Leaves of Life. She was still actively gardening at age 86 and promoted gardens for those with special needs. She inspired many famous gardeners including Bill Mollison of the Permaculture Movement although she said "it is not quite how I would do it", implying she did not allow nature to take over, but retained formality with strict garden edges and more annuals.^{[citation needed]}

Gardens fashioned on Esther Dean's no dig gardening principles include Randwick Community Organic Garden (RCOG), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

See also

• Aquaponics
• Masanobu Fukuoka
• No-till farming
• Veganic gardening
• Sheet mulching
• Permaculture

References

Bibliography

• Dean, Esther (1977). Esther Dean's Gardening Book: Growing Without Digging. Harper and Row. 
• Dean, Esther (1994). No-Dig Gardening & Leaves of Life. HarperCollinsPublishers. ISBN 0-7322-7099-5. 
• Gillbert, Allan (2003). No-Dig Gardening. ABC Books. ISBN 0-7333-0941-0. 

External links

• Gardening Australia: Factsheet: Step-by-Step No Dig
• Making a No-dig Garden