How to convert to no dig

[sarahjaneParticipant]

Hallo,

I have a largish veg patch that I have been working on for a few years, at a friend’s small holding. When I first got it I spread a good load of horse manure on it but haven’t done so in subsequent years. I should like to try to ‘convert’ to no dig and have a ready supply of horse manure, pretty well rotted. Can I just mulch over a good layer of this and plant up as usual in the spring, or do I have to wait longer? I wouldn’t want to miss out on spring plantings, but am not sure if I can plant seeds straight on to this layer of manure if it’s only been on for about 3 months?
Any advice would be good
many thanks
Sarah

[charlesModerator]

 Welcome to the forum Sarah Jane.

Yes you can sow and plant into a compost or manure mulch, just as long as it is broken down enough to draw out a drill. If we get some frost the surface lumps will break up more, just as lumps of dug soil do. You can knock them around with a rake to make a better tilth.

I sow carrots, parsnips, spinach, leeks and radish into the surface mulch of compost or manure in spring. Other vegetables are raised undercover and planted out, and potatoes go in a hole made with a trowel, then have some extra organic matter on top to ‘earth them up’.

Perhaps the hardest thing with no dig is trusting nature to take care of things, especially if you have been used to working hard with soil to ‘knock it into shape’. I have a few failures every year, as do all gardeners, but on the whole growth is wonderful and weeds are less once the soil settles down.

So enjoy the journey.

[sarahjaneParticipant]

Thanks Charles, that certainly makes sense,I do feel that it will be different, it’s quite a thing to get your head around, not digging! But seems to make so much more sense for the soil structure, earthworms etc. I am looking forward to spring even more now.

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