In celebration of World Soil Day (FAO), I collaborated with @Charles Dowding on building a new no dig garden in my climate here in San Diego. Charles built a new bet in the UK, and we compared notes and strategies.
If you’d like to see Charles’ version of this video, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW2aVZkjJa0
As I’ve developed as a gardener, my respect and care for soil has grown immensely. Encouraging soil development through minimal disturbances and high-quality inputs is of paramount importance.
Both Charles and I thought it would be informative to show you how to approach a no-dig garden bed based on our own unique climates, soil inputs, and weed conditions.
This 5th of December is World Soil Day, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
0:00 – No-Dig Bed Introduction
0:58 – Call With Charles
8:27 – Kevin Making Bed
18:05 – Charles Making Bed
22:56 – Comparing Notes With Charles
29:48 – Final Thoughts
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Honored to collaborate with a personal gardening hero of mine, Charles Dowding. I recommend watching his entire library of videos and checking out his books and materials. His version of our collaboration is right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW2aVZkjJa0
Great info. I now have bookmarked Mr. Dowdings site and I'm starting a no dig this fall. What about doing the black plastic method to cook out the grass first because that's what I'm going to do. I live in the south where that ground will cook up to 140 degrees with black plastic.
Is this good in the Mediterranean?
Thank you for all your work and videos. I've just recently retired, and will be starting up my garden during the next couple of months. BTW, that weed you called Bermuda Grass, in South Florida we call it a lawn. LOL I've also turned my son onto your videos. He lives in San Diego as well. Thanks again for the wealth of knowledge you provide.
Great video for anyone wanting to learn the basics of the NO DIG gardening method.
1:28, of all of the British mannerisms, "have a go" is absolutely my favorite. Not an expert? Doesn't matter; have a go.
Is there an insect barrier/netting you would recommend for our climate in SD? Wondering if I should have one that provides shade during our warm season and another that allows more lighting for our cool season.
IN TX our lawns are all Bermuda. HATE IT. I turned the entire southside of my yard into a garden using cardboard and wood chips and built bed on top. While some bermuda got through it worked like a dream and my garden is virtually weed free.
Wow didn't know you went to the UK!
I live in the low desert in AZ. Just keep pulling the Bermuda grass when you see it coming up in your beds. It's best to do after you water. In time you'll have less and less. On my acre of land I let the Bermuda grow in big patches to let my horses graze every now and then. But I don't want it in my garden beds. Since I buy Bermuda to feed my horses I don't mind the watering when it comes up wild. It does make a nice lawn for me. No fertilizing and I keep other weeds out of it.
I don't know when Charles Dowding first promoted his method but 25 years ago I wanted to have a garden and thought of this type exactly. Everyone said I was crazy and I never did it. Maybe if I held onto my confidence the method would have been named after me!
Wow free compost and as much you want thats insane. Here in Sweden we pay 76% of our salary i taxes and our healthcare aint even frees the brag about. I have yo buy bagd of soil for like 5$ a bag and their mich smaller than the bags you buy i can tell you that.
I live in Sweden in a colder part than Downing. I always mulch my plants. Have little to no slug problems. Yes their there but they actually seem to prefer semi broken down matter over fresh produce so they sticl to the damn mulch. I just cant understand his problem with mulch and raised beds.
Nice!!!!
Love your channel and I am learning a lot from it. I am new to this technique: is that relatively thin layer of soil/compost enough for bigger plants to root, or it only works for salads and other shallow roots plants?
How long do you leave the wooden sides up
I’d never heard of no dig gardening until yesterday. It’s an interesting concept. I have a question for you. Can I use leaf compost on top of the cardboard without mixing in any type of soil or other compost? Thanks so much for sharing.
Question…do you "have" to use compost for this method or can you use a good bag soil from the garden center?
If you do get a really good rain, what prevents the whole thing from washing away?
I’m a new gardener and this was a great learning experience! Fascinating!
I removed some well established Bermuda grass from a heavy caliche lawn at my sister's house to prep for a veggie garden. All I used was a pick axe, dug down 6-8". Never used the cardboard method, just bags of omni compost mix. Central Arizona. 12 years of productive 2 season gardening. Oh and we mulched on top with stringy dropped stems of her Willard Acacia.
Does charlie dowding use only compost?
Dang, that free compost only applies to CITY of San Diego and I'm out in Ramona. Gotta keep looking. I'm trying to find a place in Ramona where I can buy compost locally but no luck so far
If you have a stone or gravel area or even cracks in concrete don't go out and buy pesticides or other toxic chemicals. You can hand spray specific weeds with just a mixture of salt and baking soda in order to change the PH of a spot and the weed can be put in the compost pile when it dies.
Im on proccess of doing no till here in the phillippines
I would love to. know how THIS bed is today all this time later!