November 2, 2024

VIDEO: Start out no dig – one method with cardboard and compost


My “maximum compost” method for starting out. Add a lot to make new beds, then very little in subsequent years. See the sequel to how we grew potatoes and leeks, on the beds in this video’s thumbnail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhKxC7oZQuo

The cardboard is only for this stage of smothering weeds – keep them in the dark and they expire! Then you don’t need to lay any more cardboard, once there are no weeds.
For how to continue, see my Tools and Techniques video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic0LrNBuSi4

You can use less compost. Lay thick card on weeds then 2in/5cm compost asap in early spring, and wet the card if it’s dry. Then use a trowel to ‘cut’ potato size holes in the card and a little into the weedy soil below, to pop in a seed potato. This can give some harvest by summer, while killing weeds too, but you must pull any weeds you see 🙂
Using less compost for no dig https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC6OBOyQ0mY

If you do not have access to any compost, use old leaves, manure at least half-decomposed – or at limit the one month old you see in this video. Results in year one will be less brilliant than in subsequent years, but you will be clearing weeds easily as well as having a harvest.
Vegetables like potatoes, squash and zucchini grow well though cardboard and less-perfect compost. After they finish you could plant kale or leeks etc.

POSTSCRIPT JULY 2020 the Charlotte potatoes from the two beds in the thumbnail photo gave 54kg/119lb. Then we transplanted looks.

My website has a Start No Dig page https://charlesdowding.co.uk/start-here/

See my other videos for information about:
How I started at Homeacres, year one in 2013 although I was not making videos until the first autumn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HATC3rG6NbQ
Clearing weeds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmv2zGfhG8w
Propagation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ5csH9K3aw
Spring in Homeacres no dig garden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imwNA4iCtBc

Learn in depth about no dig gardening with my online courses, which contain many more videos.

No Dig Gardening explains why and how no dig works:
https://charlesdowding.co.uk/product/online-course-no-dig-gardening/

Skills for Growing teaches just that, the skills needed for successful vegetable growing: https://charlesdowding.co.uk/product/skills-for-growing-online-course/

From Seed to Harvest gives comprehensive teachings on how to grow 40 of my favourite vegetables: https://charlesdowding.co.uk/product/from-seed-to-harvest-online-course/

There are also discounts for multiple course purchases.

The wool you see here is from Chimneysheep https://www.chimneysheep.co.uk/product/wool-felt-mulch-larger-areas/
The bagged compost is from New Leaf https://www.newleafcompost.com/
You can buy mushroom compost from Woodland Horticulture Somerset https://www.woodlandhp.co.uk/product/mushroom-compost/

Immunologist Jenna Macchiochi is here https://www.drjennamacciochi.com/
Find more information about no dig and my garden on Instagram charles_dowding and Twitter @charlesdowding
Filmed at Homeacres 18th March 2020 by David Adams.

MORE FROM CHARLES

To buy one of my online courses https://charlesdowding.co.uk/product-category/online-courses/

To by a book https://charlesdowding.co.uk/product-category/books/

To join an in person Day or Weekend course at Homeacres https://charlesdowding.co.uk/product-category/courses/

To join my channel as a member, use this link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB1J6siDdmhwah7q0O2WJBg/join

As a member, you can watch a new video each month, which is exclusively for members. Your payments support my promotion and teaching of better, easier gardening. I can offer bursaries for day courses and online courses, through individuals in charge of community gardens/allotments and school gardens. Contact us through my website to enquire about bursaries https://charlesdowding.co.uk/contact-us/

To buy the module trays I designed with Containerwise, see the following distributors:

UK:
Containerwise – https://containerwise.co.uk/charles-dowding-propagation-trays/
The Refill Room – https://www.refillroom.com/product-category/garden/

The Netherlands: The Farm Dream – https://thefarmdream.com/?s=books

Denmark: FantastikeFroe – https://fantastiskefroe.dk/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage%2Ccollection&q=CD60*

Norway:
Lindholm gård – https://www.lindholmgard.no

North America:
All About The Garden – https://allaboutthegarden.com/

Australia and NZ, pallet arrives late May:
Contact Julie Jones julie@hardingheirlooms.com.au

To buy t-shirts and hoodies with my exclusive no dig designs, use this link https://charlesdowding.teemill.com

For fleece and mesh supplies Charles recommends Gardening Naturally https://www.paidonresults.net/c/57860/1/1762/0

26 thoughts on “VIDEO: Start out no dig – one method with cardboard and compost

  1. Charle I love your work!!!
    Your videos are soo wholesome and interesting!!
    My hobby is creating wildflower meadows in housing estates on derelict patches. The best method is the no dig method, simply cover with cardboard and add a mixture of topsoil and sand 4/6 inches deep and you can transform nearly any bit of land into an abundance of beautiful flowers.

  2. Your channel just popped up this morning, what a lovely garden you have! It’s truly inspirational! It’s so delicious being able to eat really fresh veggies! I haven’t done anything to any of my yard & I think you would say it doesn’t matter! Just get started now! I have liked & subscribed to you, so looking forward to learning more! Thank you so much, late winter here in Kansas! (We have all of your weeds plus many more!) Erica❤

  3. Beautiful veggies! I've been tilling for years but this year I'm going to try this method, if I can find compost. Buying a home with more space for a heap for next year

  4. Trying to figure out if I can place cardboard and make beds over areas on my new allotment where lots of wild marjoram has been growning. It's obviously perrenial, although not nearly as strong as something like brambles. Nonetheless a pretty substantial plant…

  5. Can I use landscaping fabric to cover the weedy lawn? We get heavy rains in the summer. Should I be concerned about erosion?
    Thank for sharing all the wealth of your gardening experiences.

  6. Just moved to the Midwest and have some property for the first time in my life. My vegetable garden area is about 1/4 acre. We have such a short growing season here and all I could think was that, as soon as the ground thaws, I needed to put in X-amount of raised beds and hurry up to get everything into the ground.
    I believe this no-dig method just may be the answer, at least until I get some raised beds built.
    Or, maybe I won't need raised beds at all…?
    One can only dream!

  7. Thank you for this video. It's inspired me to garden again after a few traumatic yrs (nurse, got covid and was in a coma) couldn't walk after and still recovering. I love gardening but can't weed etc. This no dig method is amazing. Thank you

  8. Thank you for a very interesting video on the dig. One question, I have been offered some good quality horse manure and I wondered whether I could use this instead of having to buy a lot of compost and still plant directly into the manure?

  9. Its Amazing really that just not interfering with All the Natural Systems to grow Healthy soil and Healthy plants can be So easy in a way. Man with the Arrogance and Ignorance tried to Destroy any organisms whatsoever with Herbicides and Pesticides and Fertilizer Actually Destroying the Soil in the Process and trying to Kill any living thing! It turns out we need All the Microbes, Microorganisms, Insects and a Healthy Eco System which involved Embracing Nature and Natural systems to Grow your Soil into Extremely Healthy fertile Habitat!!

  10. Step 1: Look at the ground.
    Step 2: Don't dig it.
    Step 3: Carrots?

    In all seriousness though, amazing advice and truly fantastic channel.

  11. The cardboard idea for weeds is brilliant! Pulling them out has been a permanent work to me; a time-consuming work with losing most of my energy.
    The idea could save me! Thanks lot!

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