DIGGING FOR A NO DIG GARDENER.

I'm a 'no-dig' gardener.  It's a great method ... fewer weeds [you are not stirring up new seeds], less work [no digging!], soil structure isn't disrupted so better yields ...

In order to become a no-dig gardener you need to enlist a close neighbour to set up a livery yard [tick!] and provide lots of horse manure [you can also get a delivery I suppose].  You also find that your garden beds get taller and taller and taller, so you have to raise the paths also [no problem.  well rotted manure on the paths is great for walking on and suppresses weeds], or export some soil [digging!]  

Anyway, it works like a dream. :-)  

I spent the WHOLE weekend digging.  That reminded me just WHY I'm a no-dig gardener!
When I set up my garden 2 summers back I grew an entire bra cup size and lost a considerable amount of weight digging it to get it ready to NOT dig it ;-) [It's best to dig it once if it is very compacted] You could say it's a win-win scenario.  But I also had tennis elbow for about 6 months after.
Here's my garden last year, looking glorious! 

This year we've built a greenhouse.  The soil inside it got very compacted in the process so I've spent 2 days digging over the old rhubarb bed and tree stumps that were where it is now .  Tennis elbow is rearing a few twinges.  But it is all planted up now and looking glorious.  [Pots are eye protection and I just stuck them there as I was planting everything that was in them :-)]

Part of the process was burying seep hosing so that I can water at the roots [encourage the roots to go downward rather than to the surface] and hopefully avoid blight in the greenhouse.  I'm hoping to be picking tomatoes, cucumbers and even melons this summer and autumn.  
Next job will to be to convince my neighbour to drop another 5 tons of well rotted manure over my veg garden wall so I can manure mulch the whole greenhouse.  The veggies will love it!

In the winter I'll grow salad to keep us going through the winter.  

Next post will be about WINTER SOWING ... that is another use I'll put my greenhouse to when the tomatoes are all picked ...