Reply To: Reconceptualising no-dig gardening as low-water gardening

[Neilfrazerm]

Hi Jan, really interesting comments. Yes, East Anglia is, according to the Met. Office a bit dryer than SE England. Your weather records are here: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/regional-climates/ee
I do not have an answer regarding moles, as my allotment is well within suburbia and the surrounding area is too built up. I guess your no-dig approach means more bacteria, thus mose shredders and nematodes, therefore more worms and more moles!
The RHS offers some non-lethal methods of moving them elsewhare at https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=203

In the meantime I am going to try 2 new methods to retain even more moisture next year.
The first is really deep beds of compost for potatoes so I can pull them out when harvesting, and not, as I had to do this year, dig them out, which resulted in mixing the compost layer with the soil. I believe this led to wicking the moisture out of the bed.
The second is adding a really good dose (4″ to 6″) of extra woodchip to the paths between my beds as I find it helps to retain moisture. This is especially the case after summer thunderstorms. My paths therefore, effectively become a water reservoir. The photo shows water pooling on the surface of the soil under the woodchips a few days after a downpour. I am on silt, but the paths are well compacted from at least 10 years of being trampled on…
BR
Neil